Inspiration From A Relatively Unknown Author

Six sentences of prose that always move me.

Some quotes inspire us for a few moments or perhaps for a whole day. Some inspire us for a lifetime.

What Australian novelist Morris West wrote in his novel, The Shoes of the Fisherman, speaks to the reality of our existence with rich understanding, raw grit, and long-lasting inspiration. It's not sweet and gentle — it’s a sledgehammer to your face.

It blew me away the first time I read it twenty years ago and still does now.

It costs so much to be a full human being.

One has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms.

One has to embrace the world like a lover and yet demand no easy return of love.

One has to accept pain as a condition of existence.

One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing.

One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to the total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying.

Wow. Tell me this isn’t true.

Let’s take it apart, line by line. What follows is my interpretation of what he means. You’ll have yours.

It costs so much to be a full human being.

First, he wants you to wonder, what is the cost? He’s got my attention at the second word. Then, he explains the price to pay in the following five lines.

Fullness — my definition: The state of being when you know you’ve done your best, went for your dreams, pushed and stretched, soared and failed, left nothing out, dug deep, were captivated by the mysteries of life and what’s under the surface. You’ve made an effort to deal with your broken parts and make peace with your shadow.

You walk away from following the norms and insidious unspoken rules stuffed down your throat by the system you’ve been in. You don’t take the easy way out of trouble — you take the road paved with choices that make you proud.

One has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms.

You don’t get to fullness by resisting what you know is the right thing to do to be safe. Imagine you are a trapeze artist — you can’t hold to what’s not serving you with one arm while attempting to reach for what you really want with the other. That never works. You have to fully let go and move ahead with everything you’ve got.

What’s the risk of living with both arms? You might fail, fall or be disappointed, but it’s through our failures we learn and grow. This is the path to fullness. There’s no other way.

One has to embrace the world like a lover and yet demand no easy return of love.

Lovers embrace full-on. They’re all in. No holding back. No A-frame hugs. Invest all of yourself and release any expectation of what comes back, regardless of how much you put in. A lover doesn’t ask for anything in return. A lover gives freely.

One has to accept pain as a condition of existence.

Birth into this world is painful. I’ve watched the mother of my children give birth naturally twice. She may not remember her screams, but I sure do. Through Holotropic Breathwork, I’ve relived my birth canal experience — it was excruciatingly intense.

Life has its painful times, and much mental and emotional suffering comes from wanting something other than what is happening to us at the moment. But, accepting what we can’t control allows us to find peace, even when we hurt. Pain is part of life and part of the journey to fullness.

One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing.

No matter how much you know now, you started in ignorance — knowing nothing. To learn, grow and mature into a full human being, you pass through dark times. You learn to treat those times as your friend, not your enemy because you know it’s the price you pay for growth. You face fear and adversity without regret because you’re committed to living life fully.

One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to the total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying.

You know what you stand for. You’re a warrior, a champion for your humanity and the humanity of others. You fight like hell, play the game to win, knowing you might win, or you might get outplayed and lose.

But you don’t let the results of your efforts define you because when you bring your heart, soul, and every bit of yourself to the party, you know you’ve done everything you could. And, when the party’s over, you smile quietly to yourself, satisfied with how you played the game.

Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day. — Don

If you enjoyed this article, you might like, George Carlin’s Rant Is More Relevant Than Ever — “It’s A Big Club, And You Ain’t In It.”

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