I am often asked what keeps me going after all these years. I think it is the realization that there is no final struggle. Whether you win or lose, each struggle brings forth new contradictions, new and more challenging questions. As Alice Walker put it in one of my favorite poems: I must love the questions themselves as Rilke said like locked rooms full of treasures to which my blind and groping key does not yet fit.1
Grace Lee Boggs expresses that her enduring motivation stems from the understanding that life is a continuous journey without a definitive conclusion. Each challenge, regardless of the outcome, presents new complexities and questions that drive her forward. This perspective emphasizes the idea that struggles are not merely obstacles but opportunities for growth and deeper inquiry.
Referencing Alice Walker, Boggs highlights the importance of embracing uncertainty and the unknown. She likens these questions to locked rooms filled with treasures, symbolizing the potential for discovery and insight that awaits, even if she currently lacks the key to unlock them. This philosophical approach to life focuses on the value of the journey and the questions we encounter along the way.
