The strange phrase "road to nowhere" is sometimes used in relation to unfinished road construction projects: highways, bridges, viaducts. However, much more often it is used figuratively to describe a situation or course of action.
Actions without meaning
In principle, the meaning of the expression "the road to nowhere" is quite obvious. The closest synonym will be the word “hopelessness”. This does not even mean a negative assessment of a particular behavior, course of action or development of events, but rather a statement of the fact that the chosen path will not bring any significant results, and it is worth thinking about alternative options.
Such an assessment can be applied in a variety of situations and areas: in economics, politics, business or psychology. In all cases, the meaning comes down to the erroneousness of current actions, which must certainly entail unpleasant consequences. It doesn't matter if it is a loss of money, reputation, time or energy. In theory, the awareness of the situation as hopeless should become a signal for a change of course, but in practice this is not always the case.
In some cities of Russia, unfinished objects are called "the road to nowhere". For example, residents of Voronezh jokingly called this an overpass, which they could not put into operation for ten years.
Why go down the road to nowhere
It often happens that, even realizing all the senselessness and futility of his actions, a person stubbornly continues to behave in a certain way. There are many explanations for this behavior, the simplest of which is stubbornness. Indeed, stubbornness and unwillingness to admit their own mistakes often forces people to take deliberately ridiculous steps that lead nowhere.
However, there are other motives, for example, pride. Some people would rather lose money or energy than admit they were wrong. Unfortunately, pride, noble as this quality may be, can lead a painfully proud person along the road to nowhere very, very far. However, it is possible to turn on the right path without prejudice to self-esteem, it is enough to understand that the ability to admit one's own delusions is an integral property of a highly developed personality and is worthy of respect, not censure.
There is a feature film "The Road to Nowhere", which was released in 2010 in the United States. The plot of the tape is built around an aspiring director who was involved in a crime during the filming of his film.
Finally, walking the road to nowhere, wasting their time and resources, can be people obsessed with the idea of self-destruction. As a rule, such individuals are characterized by a clear understanding of the lack of prospects for the chosen course of action and an equally clear desire to continue the path. This often happens to people who have lost their life orientations, disillusioned with themselves or loved ones, experiencing psychological stress. In such cases, something can help that distracts a person from the consequent destruction of his life. It is not necessary to try to convince him to turn to another path, sometimes it is enough just to stop and give time to calm down and think.
