Is it helpful to conceptualise life as a 'maze'?

[Gorlov]

To a degree I understand exactly what Leo is saying. We're all here evolving and that much seems to be evident. We try different ways of living - whether that's chasing pleasure or chasing spiritual experiences - and there are many cul-de-sacs and traps that we can fall into, and when something doesn't work we stop and follow a different avenue in an attempt to navigate the evolutionary maze. Keep what works, discard what doesn't - that's natural selection, not just in species but also in personal development. 

I only have one issue. I don't think it's a good idea to use the analogy that your life is a maze that you're trying to escape from. To wake up every day convinced that you are lost in a metaphysical maze is... unhealthy, to say the least. It's quite a claustrophobic and sinister metaphor. I know that you could use all kinds of different metaphors for life - life is a game, life is a rollercoaster ride, life is a whatever you want. But to be convinced that you are trapped in a giant maze and that you are going to spend decades escaping - I can only imagine what that might make your life look or feel like. You would literally be spending years trying to ESCAPE. Not thrive, not flourish, not contribute, not grow, but ESCAPE. 

I'd posit that rather than focusing on being trapped, imprisoned, and trying to escape, one might want to examine exactly what makes this experience we call 'life' work. Are we actually here as prisoners? Or is there value in this experience we are having? Perhaps rather than prisoners, we are students? Perhaps this isn't a rat maze, but a rat SCHOOL? And maybe school would make a better metaphor than a maze? Because the implications are different. That way, rather than attempting to run away from this thing before us, or solve it like it's some puzzle that has an answer, we would be focusing on developing, growing and thriving. It's possible that that would be a more helpful and productive analogy to use. 

Let me know what you think.