Fall
Fall is more than a visually descriptive name for the autumn season. It’s a word that implies descent. Whether we describe it as “a fall from grace,” “a tumble from the top,” “a plunge from your perch,” or a “drop from divinity,” it suggests falling down.
I suggest that falling down is the only way most people find humility. I don’t believe you can find humility unless you’ve lost something that you risked to acquire. Perhaps an example would be helpful . . .
Some people never emotionally risk enough to experience heartbreak. That means they never fully commit to something or someone in fear that it will fall apart and break their heart. They remain in their own space and contribute to keeping distance in a relationship. Heartbreak, though not the goal, must be risked. Truth be told, heartbreak will humble you and strengthen you.
If you never risk falling down, you’ll never find humility.
Playing it safe insures you will stay locked in place mesmerized by the fear of falling.
Humility is a teacher. It teaches us that we are not the person we made up and got comfortable with. Humility helps us to find something deeper than who we thought we were. That journey is unlikely to begin without risking a fall.
If you never gamble, it’s hard to lose, but at the same time improbable to win.
Humility will put you on a winning track, but you’re unlikely to get there without risking. Like the old adage says, “No risk, no reward.”
You may have all the cultural signs of winning at life and be emotionally impoverished without humility. You have to risk something in order to find the teaching of humility.
The fear of getting wet is worse than the actual plunge. The reality of the water’s wetness will determine your reaction to it, not what you think your reaction to it will be. To be fully immersed in the waters of existence, you have to risk getting wet. If you stay on the beach, you’ll never know the feeling of being tossed by the tides of life and the strength that comes from that humbling experience.
Pride may precede a fall but humility is the splint that’s necessary to heal.
All the best,
John
http://GrasshopperNotes.com/blog
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http://www.cafepress.com/grasshoppernote/3580301
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