Just as the mighty rocks erode with time so too the winds of time echo upon your soul. The answers are all there in the whispers from your heart and soul intuition, if only you just take the time to make the effort to listen closely enough to those thoughts of inspirational wisdom.
In time many finally come to realize that the goal is the journey, the destination is already predetermined, unchangeable; how you proceed through life's pathway is the challenge, your reason to be. The road you travel has many turnings, branches, and junctions, which way you proceed, which turn of events taken will all determine everything that happens along the way until you reach your predetermined final destination.
If you simply follow others ideas or societies definition of the journey there is the high potential to miss so much of what reality is all about; the growth is found in making your own path, your own unique way through this life experience.
You are actually simply a reflection of your thoughts, it is these thoughts that determine everything both good and bad that occurs during your lifetime, determining who you are, what you do, who you meet, how you live your life, in fact, everything this is experienced.
Are we all stranded in life, similar to being isolated on some deserted island. If so what is the solution you should seek in order to find salvation. Is the salvation simply to be passively content with your situation or dedicated to finding an escape beyond the mundane. For, as it seems, you are indeed trapped here without any recourse other than to wait until the time for your passing arrives, you are in fact prisoner here but few of people think long and deep enough to realize that.
In life many hold onto many material things that are dear to them, that in fact simply have just a passing value, they are worthless in eternity, only having any value in this life. When you pass from this world's reality you can't take the things you treasure with you, at that point in time these valuable possessions immediately belong to someone else.
Therefore, doesn't it make more sense to learn to not place too high a value on material things, rather they should simply be used to achieve a function or create the lasting eternal memories or achieve or pursue spiritual enlightenment. It is this separation from the materialistic reality that is achieved by surrendering the purely material things that you treasure that you should pursue then seek out your spiritual lifeboat that will guide you to your ultimate salvation - whatever that is conceived to be.
Many live their life from day to day doing the necessary things to earn money, spend time pursuing the things or experiences they love or enjoy, searching for the things that will give joy, give some clear meaning to life.
If you always seek to find bliss, happiness, contentment, peace, serenity, harmony in all you do your life will be much richer. Most people in the modern world seek selfish satisfaction for material things that only meet some momentarily short term temporary desire, which like time are soon gone, being replaced by the next thing that catches their focus of attention.
Success is not always fulfilling in the long term; you must seek to discover the truth that exists within you, then act upon any inspirational thoughts in order to find your bliss, the one thing that will make your life worthwhile, give it meaning and value. Once you can discover the truth, the path that you need to follow then your life will have clarity.
There are always barriers to the truth, they are put there to find out how much you really want to seek the most important truths of life. If you don't make a great effort towards becoming enlightened about the meaning or purpose of your existence then life will exist in mediocrity just a mere shadow of what you could have experienced. Seek and you shall find is indeed the greatest truth.