bhaskar saikia

“When the traveler will not fear the road, he will find his destiny.”
— Bhaskar Saikia

People often say that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. It sounds wise, even comforting — a reminder to stay present and savor each step. Yet I’ve always felt that this saying hides only half the truth. Because without direction, a journey becomes a drift. And without the road, a destination is nothing but a dream untaken.

Yesterday, I was speaking with someone who asked what motivates me if I don’t compete. I told them, “My goals.” They seemed puzzled, as if the absence of competition meant a lack of drive. But I don’t compete — not because I have no ambition, but because my desires, my dreams, my aspirations are my own. No one can truly understand what I want from life, just as I cannot fully grasp another person’s inner calling. If our goals are different, then how can comparison have any meaning? Competing, in such a world, feels like trying to measure two melodies written in different keys.

I move to my own rhythm — quiet, steady, patient. That rhythm guides me when to pause, when to take a leap, when to simply breathe and watch. It may not match the pace of others, but it aligns me with what feels right within. My destination isn’t a race to finish; it’s a slow unfolding — a point on the horizon that gives purpose to my movement. The road matters because it shapes me, teaches me, humbles me. But the destination matters too, because it reminds me why I began.

To say that only the journey matters is to overlook the pull of purpose — that invisible thread drawing us toward something greater. To say that only the destination matters is to forget that the road itself is where we grow, stumble, and evolve into the person capable of arriving. The truth lies somewhere in between: the journey prepares us, the destination fulfills us.

When the traveler stops fearing the road, when he trusts his own rhythm and direction, he no longer walks in comparison. He walks in meaning. And in that quiet harmony of motion and purpose — he finds his destiny.