Is the Destination is More Important than the Journey?
I hope these written words find you well. What a beginning of the year! 2025 has barely begun and has already been plagued by events, natural disasters and uncertainty that could easily characterise an entire year as having been hectic. We could probably say the same thing of the last four years - they have been mind-bending to say the least and have put into question key foundational values such as integrity, evidence-based decision making and facts. It is affecting every aspect of our lives it seems and it is hard not to think and/or write about it. I mean, as a Canadian, have you thought about whether to continue to buy and drink orange juice in light of the looming and unprovoked economic trade war with our southern neighbours? Most people around me have.
There are countless analysts and philosophers out there who are saying that the western world is at an inflexion point. The rise in misinformation, disinformation, AI, populist and right-leaning rhetoric are shaking the very foundation of our society and destroying the hard fought progress of equity-seeking groups - including women - in a matter of minutes - essentially the time it takes to sharpie-sign a Presidential order.
As a Gen-Xer, I recognize the privilege I had to live in a mostly peaceful and prosperous era, perhaps the most prosperous and peaceful era in recent history. The Berlin wall and the cold war were a thing of the past before I learned how to drive and significant advancements occurred during my lifetime to modernise our way of life and bring about a greater sense of inclusivity. It seems now that all these advancements are at jeopardy of being significantly altered. So what do we do now?
The other day, my son and I went to see the movie The Brutalist, a beautifully-made (and long) film about a fictional Hungarian architect who immigrated to the United States towards the end of the Second World War and who experienced painful struggles throughout his life and that of his family. The movie ends in the 1980s where the main character is recognised at the Venice Architecture Biennale (Biennale d'Architettura di Venezia) for his brilliant brutalist architecture and where his niece concludes that what mattered in the end for his uncle was the destination and not the journey.
That ending got me thinking. If you are like me, you have been taught and told that what matters is the journey, not the destination. Or alternatively, that the journey should be as important as the destination. In my view, the statement made in the film reflects the fact that the pain and struggles faced by the main character only made sense in the end product of his art - the journey itself was not one of lessons learned and obstacles to overcome to forge character, but rather a descent into hell from which he survived with countless scorched and partly-closed scars.
When we are facing complex problems and we only focus on the end goal, we often feel powerless - sure I can recycle my plastic but does it really matter when you see a country like the United States pulling out of the Paris Accord and saying ‘drill, baby drill’? On the other hand, when we look at the journey ahead we are facing for most aspects in our lives, it is safe to say that it is going to be a hard road ahead, perhard harder than it has been since the last world war. Are we ready to face hardship and make the sacrifices required to salvage what needs to be saved and transform what ought to be changed to ensure prosperity and peace for years to come?
Perhaps we are at a point in time where we need to focus more or be driven more by the end goal. The journey will be hard, painful and stressful - gains will be lost and the outcomes are uncertain. Keeping an eye on the prize could help us identify what we need to do and come out of this individualistic daze that increasingly shrouds society.
To some extent, most of us are still dumbfounded by what is going on. I would include myself in that group - I am no better than others. I still think at times (although less and less) that logic and rationality will prevail and that things will go back to what was, or at a minimum the societal decline we are all observing will lessen in both speed and depth. One thing is certain, staying dumbfounded too long will make it even harder to have a say in what the destination will look like.
I don’t have all the answers yet in terms of what I need to personally do, what will be my part to ensure that the future I leave to my kids and perhaps grandkids (should I have some) is in decent shape. But I know I need to do more and while problems are global, the solutions need to start at the local level. I believe that whatever type of involvement, big or small, will make a difference.I have always been an ardent believer that a series of small changes can and does lead to significant changes. What’s more, it can give courage to higher instances to stand up and fight the strong winds. Courage can only be shared if it is shown by a sufficient number of actors.
In Art News
Have you made resolutions for the new year?
I am not one to make resolutions but I tend to be very good at setting goals, whether it be at work, for my art and even at home in terms of what renovations I want to do this year, etc.
But this year, my artistic goals are actually to do less and do more. The underlying feeling is a need to come back to the basic action of creating. For someone like me, it is very easy to push and set goals to either create or sell or to be seen in various art fora and to follow through to achieve these goals. After all, this was one of the key success factors in my professional career.
As part of my detoxification of work and of the life I left behind about a year in a half ago, I have come to realise that I need to move away from the easy way to do things (for me) and be carried by what my creative spirit is calling me to do as opposed to drive it to where I think it needs to go. I am sure that some colleagues who have retired may have experienced this as well: it is not because you excel in something in your past life that it should drive your new life.
So in terms of doing less, I won’t be applying to exhibitions and shows to expand my creative space and will stick to these following events:
Art Lending of Ottawa: March 15th, June 14th, September 20th and December 13th - 10 to 4 at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre on Walkley Road
Glebe Art in the Garden Tour 2025: July 5 and 6th in my backyard :)
And in terms of doing more, I will let my creative juice lead the way, whether it be on paper, canvas or any other art form. For this element of my life, I am actually very excited about the journey, as I don’t know what the destination will be. But one thing is for sure, it will be a colourful, textured and fun one!
I can’t wait to show you (and show myself)
Have a great month of February
P.S. You can find my art at www.mireillelaroche.ca and you can subscribe to my email distribution list at the bottom of my home page