Mishpetei HaRav Kook / The Path Is Long

When a person undergoes a process of self-repair, he may arrive also at despair and gloom. The reason is that what at first seemed possible and simple is revealed over time to be a way of life that is long, grueling, and never-ending. The Rav explains further in his words that, from an outward standpoint, when we run and understand that the horizon is receding, we despair. But when we understand that we are advancing at every moment, and that the path is a central part of the matter, all the proportions change. And then the despair is exchanged for an understanding of the new destination and goal — that the path is part of them.