[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Fienepien

Well, there's L-Zone, another one by Shono. And The Freak Show, an older one by The Residents. Probably many more interesting games I haven't heard of.

Freak Show isn't really a game. It's just slightly interactive media. Plus it requires you actually like listening to The Residents. Personally I've never cared for any of their stuff past Third Reich N Roll.. maybe Finger Prints.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Freak Show isn't really a game. It's just slightly interactive media.

You got it in one.

PS: No, that's not true. I've said it before, in the discussion about where to draw the solid black line in the grey area of multimedia experiences and games. So you got it in two.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Fienepien

You got it in one.

PS: No, that's not true. I've said it before, in the discussion about where to draw the solid black line in the grey area of multimedia experiences and games. So you got it in two.

Actually it is true as it Freak Show is more of a show case for The Resident's music and writing than a game. It just happens to be on CD Rom. It was interesting, and I do like the art that has been involved in their videos and works thought I'm not too fond if their music after a certain period.

So I also responded to Sam. It's a little rushed, but I appreciate comments. My thing is I do not see why people consider The Path to be art or even substantial enough to have minor recognition.

I am not insulting your intelligence if you do nor am I attempting to attack you. I am simply stating why I do believe the opposite as articulately as possible.. with a little bit if humor to lighten the mood. Let me state again I do not think any one who liked this is a jerk I just question your motives.

So if any one would like to explain in kind why they think The Path is art or a substantial game, and do it in a way is not purely insulting then I would love to read it and will post it on my blog unedited. We can debate like friends. I immensely enjoy debate as long as it productive.

Let me stress two things: 1) I will take your argument on it's merit and its strengths and not our grammer or punctuation so let's lets keep it civil. 2) This is not a debate on gaming as art. It's about The Path and whether or not it is substantial on an intellectual level or other wise. So let's keep it focused. Send me a private message and I'll give you my email, and we can have productive debate. I would enjoy it.

[Snatcher42]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Actually it is true as it Freak Show is more of a show case for The Resident's music and writing than a game.

I think she meant it's not true that you "got it in one", since she'd drawn the line on Freak Show not being a game before. Not that it's untrue that it isn't a game (holy triple negative batman!). How about the other games though? The Path reminds me most of a cross between The Dark Eye and Bad Day on the Midway.

And what can I say, I like it. What I enjoy most is piecing together in as much detail as possible what I think happened to each girl. For example, I was just re-playing Ruby and got a new room in her Grandmother's house that made me think her wolf...

Spoiler:

... worked at her high school mowing grass. It's the long hallway with lockers with leaves and an engine noise blowing in from outside. Then there's the boiler room like hallway which makes me think he was some kind of custodian who charmed Ruby with cigarettes, etc. and then got her killed in a horrible car crash.

Yes, that's a very concrete interpretation. No, I don't think it's the only one, right one, or intended one. I don't think you have to make up literal stories to enjoy The Path, but it's what I do. There may not be any real puzzles, but for me the story is a puzzle where I decide the rules. That's what I love about the game: it's kind of whatever you make of it. A mental sandbox that creates certain images in your head, then lets you connect the dots any way you like.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Actually it is true as it Freak Show is more of a show case for The Resident's music and writing than a game.

You still don't get it. See Snatcher's response.

So I also responded to Sam. It's a little rushed, but I appreciate comments. My thing is I do not see why people consider The Path to be art or even substantial enough to have minor recognition.

I think you should keep responses to your blog separate from anything going on here. Sam has not posted at AG. It's also confusing: the first time you mentioned a "Sam" I had no idea what you were talking about.

I am not insulting your intelligence if you do nor am I attempting to attack you. I am simply stating why I do believe the opposite as articulately as possible.. with a little bit if humor to lighten the mood. Let me state again I do not think any one who liked this is a jerk I just question your motives.

So if any one would like to explain in kind why they think The Path is art or a substantial game, and do it in a way is not purely insulting then I would love to read it and will post it on my blog unedited. We can debate like friends. I immensely enjoy debate as long as it productive.

Let me stress two things: 1) I will take your argument on it's merit and its strengths and not our grammer or punctuation so let's lets keep it civil. 2) This is not a debate on gaming as art. It's about The Path and whether or not it is substantial on an intellectual level or other wise. So let's keep it focused. Send me a private message and I'll give you my email, and we can have productive debate. I would enjoy it.

Who is this "you"? Sam again? Anybody who reads this post? Since your post is a response to me I want to make it perfectly clear that you're not talking to me. I'm not Sam and I haven't claimed The Path is art.

PS: Why should anyone who likes The Path have their "motives questioned" by you?

[Fien]

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

That's what I love about the game: it's kind of whatever you make of it. A mental sandbox that creates certain images in your head, then lets you connect the dots any way you like.

Very well put. Yep, that's what I like about it too.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

I think she meant it's not true that you "got it in one", since she'd drawn the line on Freak Show not being a game before. Not that it's untrue that it isn't a game (holy triple negative batman!). How about the other games though? The Path reminds me most of a cross between The Dark Eye and Bad Day on the Midway.

Well it isn't a game and was never intended as a game. It was a show case for the ideas and music of The Residents done in an emerging media. If Freak Show is included in a discussion of games as art it's not really fair since it wasn't intended to be a video game.

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

And what can I say, I like it. What I enjoy most is piecing together in as much detail as possible what I think happened to each girl. For example, I was just re-playing Ruby and got a new room in her Grandmother's house that made me think her wolf...

My question isn't whether or not you enjoyed the game. If you did then that's perfectly fine, and is an issue of taste. What I am addressing is the idea being passed through a certain part of the video game community that The Path is art or at the very least a more substantial experience than one of pure personal taste then what are those reasons?

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

Yes, that's a very concrete interpretation. No, I don't think it's the only one, right one, or intended one. I don't think you have to make up literal stories to enjoy The Path, but it's what I do. There may not be any real puzzles, but for me the story is a puzzle where I decide the rules. That's what I love about the game: it's kind of whatever you make of it. A mental sandbox that creates certain images in your head, then lets you connect the dots any way you like.

Well that surprised me a little as I didn't expect the majority of the endings to be so definitive. My problem wasn't the lack of puzzles or traditional game play elements. It was that what traditional or common game play elements there were there were buggy to the point of being broken. I couldn't get emerged into the game because, even aside from the bugs, they designers were constantly doing things to take me out of the experience.

And I agree that the mental sandbox idea may be what the developers were going for, but for me there was no reason to care. It's a series of lofty ideas left open for you to draw some greater conclusion. It's like a David Lynch film, with all the elements that make his films work, removed. Which is I stated that it all felt self consciously weird. It was an attempt to ape something, and after reading the interview with the developers I feel that even more now.

Originally Posted by Fienepien

Who is this "you"? Sam again? Anybody who reads this post? Since your post is a response to me I want to make it perfectly clear that you're not talking to me. I'm not Sam and I haven't claimed The Path is art.

PS: Why should anyone who likes The Path have their "motives questioned" by you?

It's called a line of logic. I haven't updated my blog in months, and even when I was updating no one really read it beyond my friends. I post a link in this forum, and I get a comment.

And why would any have their motives questioned? It's called feeling threatened by having their ideas challenged. I've seen a lot of examples of it on this forum, and on the internet. Sometimes when people like something and some one makes a contrary statement they feel it is a personal attack. This of course isn't just relegated to video games, but why should I have to even explain that?

I am stating my intent isn't to say that I don't believe The Path is art there for you are stupid if you like the game, but draw in an open debate as to what makes The Path actually substantial, and not just a matter of personal preference.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Well it isn't a game and was never intended as a game. It was a show case for the ideas and music of The Residents done in an emerging media. If Freak Show is included in a discussion of games as art it's not really fair since it wasn't intended to be a video game.

This the fourth time you're not getting it. Please read my bit about "multimedia experiences" and "pushing boundaries" again.

And why would any have their motives questioned? It's called feeling threatened by having their ideas challenged.

Huh? I guess we're talking at cross-purposes again... but that's okay.

Speaking only for myself of course, I don't feel attacked or uncomfortable at all if you don't think The Path is enjoyable, interesting, good, art, whatever.

I am stating my intent isn't to say that I don't believe The Path is art there for you are stupid if you like the game, [...]

Quoting from your review:

"All in all The Path feels like some stoned college kids attempting to ape a Bunuel film. It’s lazy, unpolished, and intellectually bankrupt. What’s more it’s strains the imagination to think that any one over the age of 15 who has read a book, been to the movies, or had a conversation with another human being could find it’s themes challenging."

"It’s a depressingly soft-shelled waist that doesn’t work even on it’s own terms, and the only people who will take anything from it are those who are willing to indulge there own masturbatory sense of importance."

[Snatcher42]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Well it isn't a game and was never intended as a game. It was a show case for the ideas and music of The Residents done in an emerging media. If Freak Show is included in a discussion of games as art it's not really fair since it wasn't intended to be a video game.

I think we've all agreed on that from the get go. Fienepien was just saying you're not the first to say so. But still, what about the others (Dark Eye, Midway, etc.)? I'm not trying to make a point or discredit you if you haven't played them. Just curious. And of course recommend them to anyone interested in this sort of thing.

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

My problem wasn't the lack of puzzles or traditional game play elements. It was that what traditional or common game play elements there were there were buggy to the point of being broken. I couldn't get emerged into the game because, even aside from the bugs, they designers were constantly doing things to take me out of the experience.

Well again, what can I say other than I encountered few bugs or glitches apart from clipping, and never found myself significantly "taken out of the experience" by that or other design choices.

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

My question isn't whether or not you enjoyed the game. If you did then that's perfectly fine, and is an issue of taste. What I am addressing is the idea being passed through a certain part of the video game community that The Path is art or at the very least a more substantial experience than one of pure personal taste then what are those reasons?

I don't know, didn't come here to argue. I've been enjoying "games" like this for years, and never felt a need to defend them. I visited this and a few other sites hoping The Path would have spurred new discussion about them, but instead found some places locking or deleting the threads, or moving them like here. And then filling them with debate about the merit of the title, since it's not really an "adventure". Shame. In your blog you asked, "do you want all video games becoming The Path?" Not all games, but certainly I wish there were more like it.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

I think we've all agreed on that from the get go. Fienepien was just saying you're not the first to say so. But still, what about the others (Dark Eye, Midway, etc.)? I'm not trying to make a point or discredit you if you haven't played them. Just curious. And of course recommend them to anyone interested in this sort of thing.

The Dark Eye I didn't care for, though it was visually interesting. I never really got into Bad Day. I own it, but just haven't really sat down and played it through yet.

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

Well again, what can I say other than I encountered few bugs or glitches apart from clipping, and never found myself significantly "taken out of the experience" by that or other design choices.

I guess that's a part of the core problem since this thing seems to have consistently different performance issues from PC to PC. I had to get creative with booting the game up.

Originally Posted by Snatcher42

And then filling them with debate about the merit of the title, since it's not really an "adventure". Shame. In your blog you asked, "do you want all video games becoming The Path?" Not all games, but certainly I wish there were more like it.

I guess the problem for me is that there is no question in my mind whether or not video games will be considered art. They will not because they truly earned that right, but because the younger generation will come into their own and will aggrandize their hobbies. It's the same for all forms of media.

It seems pretty obvious that The Path is destined to be ignored, but something else like it will come along that will do the same thing only at a high level. At that point when those people who grew up with this idea of gaming as art sit up and take notice it's natural that the industry will gravitate towards that.

What I was saying is that at some point video games may stop being about entertainment, and start being about pretension, and who wins in that? Video Games are about entertainment and that's not an opinion it's a fact. So what happens when they deny their core purpose? I've had this debate with people about everything from giant monster movies to porn. It's natural that people want to believe that they are engaging in something more.

Of course if that does happen, which I believe may be inevitable, there's always the back lash. Same as Rocky and Star Wars were the backlash to the interminably depressing films of the early to mid 70's.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

The Dark Eye I didn't care for, though it was visually interesting. I never really got into Bad Day. I own it, but just haven't really sat down and played it through yet.

Is that a fact, you haven't really played Bad Day yet? This is what you posted in reply to me:

"Bad Day On The Midway and The Dark Eye are the two I've played on your list, and both prove my point better than anything. Both of them were all style. Neither was thought provoking, and were as it might seem like intelligent fair for a video game that isn't saying much. A good story in a video game is relative to other video games."

Non sequitur:
were as --> whereas
fair --> fare

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Fienepien

Is that a fact, you haven't really played Bad Day yet? This is what you posted in reply to me: "Bad Day On The Midway and The Dark Eye are the two I've played on your list, and both prove my point better than anything. Both of them were all style. Neither was thought provoking, and were as it might seem like intelligent fair for a video game that isn't saying much. A good story in a video game is relative to other video games."

Thanks Sam. I said I played it I just haven't given it my full attention. I didn't sit down and make an attempt to finish the game or see all the various endings. I have read about the the game on The Resident's web site, and read a great deal about it which allows me to make a reasonable judgment.

Besides, their statement "will you want to stop the killer if you know about his tragic past" is just silly. Boy you do like to dog me, don't you?

[Fien]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Thanks Sam.

LOL! You really think I'm Sam? No way.

I have read about the the game on The Resident's web site, and read a great deal about it which allows me to make a reasonable judgment.

No, it does not.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by Fienepien

LOL! You really think I'm Sam? No way.
No, it does not.

Actually yes it does Sam. You the interesting thing about video games is that they don't require much of an intellectual investment so an understanding of the basic concept and a few hours of games play logged can give you a pretty decent idea of what the whole thing is about.

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Actually yes it does Sam.

As Fienepien has already said she isn't Sam

Originally Posted by Fienepien

LOL! You really think I'm Sam? No way.

please stop referrring to her by that name.

[therabidfrog]

I was just being affectionate, but all right.

[kerlif]

Hello everyone
Im new to the forum but i've been visiting this site for a while. Its like my sanctuary, i always come here to find new adventures to play

Anyway I saw this thread and since i really liked the path i wanted to say something.
First of all i believe this is not really a game. Its more like a story that you must unfold by making certain choices. Life can be just like that, our "good" choices may gets us where we don't want and there's no turning back.
The path is a truly beautiful atmospheric journey between life and death, innocence and evilness and how easy is to forget that being lost can lasts forever.
I think this "game" disappointed a lot of people because nothing is really explained to you, it just leaves you wondering what happened and why it happened the way it did. You come to your own conclusion about almost everything, especially the ending.

Well i think i said enough about it, hope you guys dont hate me for liking it so much

Love the forum its great

[rayvio]

The Path is certainly an interesting work but one that won't appeal to everyone. it requires not just your own imagination but the right kind of imagination. plus a large part of the fun from it comes from discussing different interpretations

[Guyra]

Okay, time for a reply with a bunch of spoilers! This is my interpretation of the game and it's events.

Spoiler:

The Path is a game about growing up. That much is rather obvious, and it's even written clearly on one of the official websites for the game.

The game is also obviously based on the Little Red Riding Hood stories, but I believe this is mainly a way of of telling the story, while not being an actual part of it.

There are six girls of different ages. There is one wolf for each of them. There is a girl in a white dress. There is a path. There is a forest. There is the grandmother.

I believe the girls are one and the same. It's the same girl at different stages in her life. And she's not necessarily one girl, but more like "any girl". The wolves represents experiences that makes you grow. Let's go over each of the ages/characters, one by one:

(Please remember that this is all my personal interpretation.)

Nine years old(Robin): You're nine years old, you play around, have fun. Your wolf is a creature that is obviously dangerous in your adult eyes, but not to the character. The character is a child, she is naïve, and does only see the positive side of things. She does not think about consequences, because she has not fully learned how the world works, how the world is not just fun and play. Her story and ending is basically all about "playing with fire"(the beast). She gets burned, and learns that every rose has thorns. She grows as a person, and Robin dies.

Eleven years old(Rose): The girl has learned about how there are "bad" things in the world. However, she is still a naïve child, and she is still a real optimist. She sees the world as a place where everyone can be good to each other, if they just try or get the right guidance. She embraces the idea things will be okay no matter what, in the image of religion/"God"(the cloudman). She discovers that thinking there will be no bad things in life as long as you're good, is naïve. Accidents can still happen. She learns from her experiences, and Rose dies.

Thirteen years old(Ginger): Now the girl is no longer naïve. She has started to understand the world around her, and she's making the most out of it. She's happy and having fun. Her story is about self discovery and identity, and affection for others. She finds herself through interacting with someone else(the girl in red), and she experiences feelings for others. Ginger dies.

Fifteen years old(Ruby): She has experienced raw feelings no. But when something you have positive emotions about is taken away, you're left with negative emotions. She feels crippled and has a dark look on the future. I believe Ruby is all about finding strength in life, strength to overcome all the bad things. This is shown through the use to drugs. She puts her trust in someone(the guy in black), but he introduces her to drugs in the form of a cigarette. She learns that there is strength to be found in others, and that drugs and other addictions can be cages, and so Ruby dies.

Seventeen years old(Carmen): The girl is in the middle of becoming a woman, now. She is looking for companionship, for love, for sex. This is clearly shown through her monolouges, clothing and the way she moves. She wants men to want her body, but she has yet to have a sexual experience. Her wolf is the forester. A lot of the imagery of saw blades and bloody axes from Carmen's story is considered by many to mean that the man is violent, that he raped her, etc. I, however, believe it was highly consentual sex, especially considered the moaning you hear in the ending. The axe is used as a phallus symbol, and the blood and the saw blades represents the pain and blood that comes from the forester taking the girl's virginity. So Carmen learns of sex and loses her virginity, and so her old self dies.

Nineteen years old(Scarlet): The now young woman is all about living in the real world. She has aspirations, dreams, things she wants to do with her life. This is shown through her love for art, and most notably, music. She meets her wolf(the white haired woman) who acts like a tutor, and learns that not everyone can reach the top. That even if she leaves everything else behind, even if she focus on nothing but what she loves, there is still no guarantee that she will reach that stage. And so Scarlet dies.

Wow, that was long! And we only did the girls! Well, the next part is the really interesting one. Lets get crackin'!

There are a couple of more things that needs to be mentioned. Let's take the girl in white, first. What does she represent? First of all she is innocence. She leads you to interesting things. She plays with you, or comforts you. And she leads you back on your path when you need it. She is the part of the girl that just want good things for her. Some say that her wolf is the grandmother. Which might be true, but then not in the same way as the others. She is the part that is connecting all the girls - or, all the different life stages of the same girl.

When you get the success endings, you never see the grandmother. The girls never mention each other. The only girl to meet all the girls is the girl in white. The only girl to meet grandma is the girl in white.

The girl in white connects all the girls together. And the grandmother. The grandmother and the six girls are all one and the same, just at various points in her life, while the girl in white functions as something similar to a soul, always there through good and bad, always guiding you.

The road from the city to grandma's house is symbolic for the road of life. You may have noticed that for each "wolf" you encounter - each big experience you have and learn from, you wake up one step closer to grandma's house. The path is split up into three parts: Pavement, dirt road, and planks.

On the first part of the road, you are riding with someone else - your parents are taking you through this part of your life.

The next part is where you have to start walking by yourself. It's rough, and it's easy to get lost in the forest. But you'll always get back on the path with the help of your family and friends. Along the way you will have countless encounters. You will think, "I want to do this and have that when I grow old", and you will have a lot of baggage. Your basket will be filled more and more.

At a certain point in your life, you'll have to start building your own path, and at the end of that path you build a house. You've had a lot of experiences on the way there, and at the end you settle down as an old grandmother.

The text in the beginning might just as well have been, "Live and grow old. Make sure you walk the right path in life. Do not waste your life."

First you are carried, then you walk with someone holding your hand, and then you walk on your own - on The Path of life.

(Wow, that was long...)

[kerlif]

Originally Posted by Guyra

Okay, time for a reply with a bunch of spoilers! This is my interpretation of the game and it's events.

Spoiler:

The Path is a game about growing up. That much is rather obvious, and it's even written clearly on one of the official websites for the game.

The game is also obviously based on the Little Red Riding Hood stories, but I believe this is mainly a way of of telling the story, while not being an actual part of it.

There are six girls of different ages. There is one wolf for each of them. There is a girl in a white dress. There is a path. There is a forest. There is the grandmother.

I believe the girls are one and the same. It's the same girl at different stages in her life. And she's not necessarily one girl, but more like "any girl". The wolves represents experiences that makes you grow. Let's go over each of the ages/characters, one by one:

(Please remember that this is all my personal interpretation.)

Nine years old(Robin): You're nine years old, you play around, have fun. Your wolf is a creature that is obviously dangerous in your adult eyes, but not to the character. The character is a child, she is naïve, and does only see the positive side of things. She does not think about consequences, because she has not fully learned how the world works, how the world is not just fun and play. Her story and ending is basically all about "playing with fire"(the beast). She gets burned, and learns that every rose has thorns. She grows as a person, and Robin dies.

Eleven years old(Rose): The girl has learned about how there are "bad" things in the world. However, she is still a naïve child, and she is still a real optimist. She sees the world as a place where everyone can be good to each other, if they just try or get the right guidance. She embraces the idea things will be okay no matter what, in the image of religion/"God"(the cloudman). She discovers that thinking there will be no bad things in life as long as you're good, is naïve. Accidents can still happen. She learns from her experiences, and Rose dies.

Thirteen years old(Ginger): Now the girl is no longer naïve. She has started to understand the world around her, and she's making the most out of it. She's happy and having fun. Her story is about self discovery and identity, and affection for others. She finds herself through interacting with someone else(the girl in red), and she experiences feelings for others. Ginger dies.

Fifteen years old(Ruby): She has experienced raw feelings no. But when something you have positive emotions about is taken away, you're left with negative emotions. She feels crippled and has a dark look on the future. I believe Ruby is all about finding strength in life, strength to overcome all the bad things. This is shown through the use to drugs. She puts her trust in someone(the guy in black), but he introduces her to drugs in the form of a cigarette. She learns that there is strength to be found in others, and that drugs and other addictions can be cages, and so Ruby dies.

Seventeen years old(Carmen): The girl is in the middle of becoming a woman, now. She is looking for companionship, for love, for sex. This is clearly shown through her monolouges, clothing and the way she moves. She wants men to want her body, but she has yet to have a sexual experience. Her wolf is the forester. A lot of the imagery of saw blades and bloody axes from Carmen's story is considered by many to mean that the man is violent, that he raped her, etc. I, however, believe it was highly consentual sex, especially considered the moaning you hear in the ending. The axe is used as a phallus symbol, and the blood and the saw blades represents the pain and blood that comes from the forester taking the girl's virginity. So Carmen learns of sex and loses her virginity, and so her old self dies.

Nineteen years old(Scarlet): The now young woman is all about living in the real world. She has aspirations, dreams, things she wants to do with her life. This is shown through her love for art, and most notably, music. She meets her wolf(the white haired woman) who acts like a tutor, and learns that not everyone can reach the top. That even if she leaves everything else behind, even if she focus on nothing but what she loves, there is still no guarantee that she will reach that stage. And so Scarlet dies.

Wow, that was long! And we only did the girls! Well, the next part is the really interesting one. Lets get crackin'!

There are a couple of more things that needs to be mentioned. Let's take the girl in white, first. What does she represent? First of all she is innocence. She leads you to interesting things. She plays with you, or comforts you. And she leads you back on your path when you need it. She is the part of the girl that just want good things for her. Some say that her wolf is the grandmother. Which might be true, but then not in the same way as the others. She is the part that is connecting all the girls - or, all the different life stages of the same girl.

When you get the success endings, you never see the grandmother. The girls never mention each other. The only girl to meet all the girls is the girl in white. The only girl to meet grandma is the girl in white.

The girl in white connects all the girls together. And the grandmother. The grandmother and the six girls are all one and the same, just at various points in her life, while the girl in white functions as something similar to a soul, always there through good and bad, always guiding you.

The road from the city to grandma's house is symbolic for the road of life. You may have noticed that for each "wolf" you encounter - each big experience you have and learn from, you wake up one step closer to grandma's house. The path is split up into three parts: Pavement, dirt road, and planks.

On the first part of the road, you are riding with someone else - your parents are taking you through this part of your life.

The next part is where you have to start walking by yourself. It's rough, and it's easy to get lost in the forest. But you'll always get back on the path with the help of your family and friends. Along the way you will have countless encounters. You will think, "I want to do this and have that when I grow old", and you will have a lot of baggage. Your basket will be filled more and more.

At a certain point in your life, you'll have to start building your own path, and at the end of that path you build a house. You've had a lot of experiences on the way there, and at the end you settle down as an old grandmother.

The text in the beginning might just as well have been, "Live and grow old. Make sure you walk the right path in life. Do not waste your life."

First you are carried, then you walk with someone holding your hand, and then you walk on your own - on The Path of life.

(Wow, that was long...)

Beautiful