mean that I would immediately tear down well-built fences or do away
with established and beaten roads. By no means. The wisdom of past ages
is likely to be wiser than any hasty conclusions of mine. I would not
invite any other person to follow my road until I had well proven it a
better way toward truth than that which time had established. And yet I
would have every man tread the Open Road; I would have him upon occasion
question the smuggest institution and look askance upon the most ancient
habit. I would have him throw a doubt upon Newton and defy Darwin! I
would have him look straight at men and nature with his own eyes. He
should acknowledge no common gods unless he proved them gods for
himself. The "equality of men" which we worship: is there not a higher
inequality? The material progress which we deify: is it real progress?
Democracy--is it after all better than monarchy? I would have him
question the canons of art, literature, music, morals: so will he
continue young and useful!

And yet sometimes I ask myself. What do I travel for? Why all this
excitement and eagerness of inquiry? What is it that I go forth to
find? Am I better for keeping my roads open than my neighbour is who
travels with contentment the paths of ancient habit? I am gnawed by the
tooth of unrest--to what end? Often as I travel I ask myself that
question and I have never had a convincing answer. I am looking for
something I cannot find. My Open Road is open, too, at the end! What is
it that drives a man onward, that scourges him with unanswered
questions! We only know that we are driven; we do not know who drives.
We travel, we inquire, we look, we work--only knowing that these
activities satisfy a certain deep and secret demand within us. We have
Faith that there is a Reason: and is there not a present Joy in
following the Open Road?