Two Paths

The year was 1920 when arguably Robert Frost's most famous poem, "The Road Not Taken," was published. It depicts the journey of a traveler who comes to two paths, one well-worn and the other hardly tread upon. The traveler decides to take the one "less traveled by." This decision, the reader is told, has "made all the difference" though, interestingly, we are not told whether the decision to go where few had gone before turned out to be good or bad. That conclusion is left to us by Frost. For myself, I choose to believe the traveler's choice was led to positive results.

Finding ourselves near the middle of the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, I find mankind standing in front of a similar juncture when it comes to communication. One path before us is well-traveled. It is lined with press releases, talking points, strategies of persuasion and media kits. The other is characterized by attempted partnerships, social media, and outreach initiatives. The more traveled path has been deemed to be more in-sync with mankind's goals, wishes and ambitions. The other, thus far, has been used only periodically when judged to be of use. Neither is good nor bad. Both have contributed to the current state of communication between individuals and publics; one more so than the other.

The question then becomes: is this current state acceptable? Does it best fit the needs of our society and world? My growing sense is it does not. Communicators, including public relations practitioners, need to begin looking at that path less traveled like never before. It is earmarked with attempts at mutual adjustment, collaboration and sustained partnerships. In a world ever-shrinking due to technological advances, threatened by environmental changes, and stymied by rising conflicts over control and agenda-setting, perhaps it is the path best-suited for our present and future. Possibly the one "less traveled by" needs to become the path of choice.