Life is a journey - it's an ages-old metaphor, used in many cultures, walks of life, and quite possibly many dimensions. And it's as popular as ever in the Here and Now, when so many of us are seeking meaning inside ourselves and out. Every journey is highly individual; everyone has his or her own path.

But what does it mean when one person compares himself to another? Is it appropriate to be envious of someone with more life experiences or more wisdom, ahead of us on the Path of Life? People have at times remarked upon my wisdom, in either a respectful or resentful manner. Conversely, I've observed people who have learned a life lesson that has thus far eluded me.

I've never really thought of the fact that other people walk ahead of me as bad. I figure that by talking with them, I get an idea of what's in store for me.

Some would rather be there with them, discovering it together. They may also fear that someone ahead of them on the road might consider themselves better than they are. I would disagree with that, however. If they think they're better than you just because they're ahead of you, they're not better than you at all. In fact at that point I'd seriously doubt that they're really ahead of you. It's more likely that they rushed to get there, and soon they'll have to go back and learn the things they skipped in their rush.

And this is what makes the journey metaphor insufficient. Life is more like one of those video games where you have to find and pick up different treasures, and when you have enough treasures you have to get to the finish line. People find the treasures in different orders, and not everyone gets all the treasures before they cross the finish line. If you have the True Love gem and the Successful Career gem, and I have the Appreciation of Small Material Possessions gem and the Healthy Perspective gem, we could be all envious of each other, or we could save our energy for seeking out our respective treasures for ourselves.

I'm in no hurry for one reason: once I get all the gems and cross the finish line, the game ends. I'm not ready for that. Partly because I don't have very many gems yet, and partly because I enjoy living and playing. Because unlike with a real video game, when you see the "game over" sign that doesn't mean you're free to eat supper and go out partying. I don't know what happens when a person is done, but once I find out, I'm pretty sure there's no going back. I know Life is a very long game, sometimes hundreds or thousands of lifetimes long. I guess I can't relate to old, old people; I've only had one life, as far as I know. It was a busy one, but it was still just one. Maybe someday I'll decide enough is enough and try to hurry the ending too. But for now, that's actually a disturbing thought, so I'll stop thinking it. Another problem with comparing yourself to others is that we're all different. If you want what I have, for instance (to beat this game metaphor to death) the Appreciation of Small Material Possessions gem, you're quite able to get it the same way I did: spend 50 or so years living the hobo lifestyle. I don't recommend it, though. 50 years is a long time for one lousy prize. But if you seek a lesser version of it for a shorter period of time, you'll never learn that lesson as deeply as I have. You won't choose your favorite foods based on their caloric content, or pride yourself on your ability to eat anything that's not rotten or poisoned. You'll never gather rubber bands up off the sidewalk with the intent to trade them for something you need later. Then again, you won't need to. I'm sure you have some things I don't need as well as the things I aspire to get.

This doesn't mean you can't compare yourself to other people. Sometimes that may be helpful. I have always found that the people around me have so much to teach me, through their words or actions. But that doesn't make it a competition. Too much competition along the Path of Life distracts you from stopping and smelling the flowers.