The notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom.

Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy does not simply depict a dystopian vision of the post-apocalyptic human condition but in effect is an allegory of the kind of existence that we are tasked to bear and witness as humans.

We are thrust into this world with a spark of light inside which is not anymore ours as our lungs and the air that our lungs yo-yo with is ours—

A light that whether in the form of a roaring blaze or more like a still candle flame we are to carry through the darkness that surrounds us every step of the way.

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And for what?

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For the sheer imperative to obey the mindless call of life to become more mindful of it.

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And the only reward for all of our effort is nothing but the sheer gesture of passing this light on.

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That is the arriving we have been seeking from the very beginning.

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That is our redemption.