I
was at the park recently and I was watching a caring mother with
her little child looking at the ducks swimming around a large
pond. There was a metal fence around the pond that had a bar
running along the bottom, which was perfect for little feet to
climb up onto to see clearly over the top of the fence. As I
expected, the little feet did climb up and the little face was
glowing with joy at being able to see the ducks, until a loud
booming voice called out, "Get down! Quick! You'll
fall!" The shock of the tone of voice startled the child,
and she fell. The mother said, "See, I told you!" I
wondered how many young people today had similar experiences
when growing up.
Some
parents are so afraid for their kids that they do not want any
kind of harm or difficulty to touch them, to the point that the
child becomes nervous and afraid to do anything new. Imagine a
child who grows up like that and takes the fear and uncertainty
into the teenage years and adult life.
Is
this you? Have your parents or your schooling or life in general
taught you to be afraid of falling? If it has, then chances are
you are also afraid to climb, based on the assumption that you
might fall. So it may seem better to stay where you are; to stay
safe.
I
wonder what would have happened if the great thinkers of the
world, the great social reformers, the great artists, and the
great inventors thought like that? By the way, most of these now
famous people were not recognized or respected until after they
were dead. While living they were just like you and me —
except that people might have considered them to be a little
eccentric.
One
thing they all had in common, though, was that they were not
afraid to take the leap — to take a chance and dare to be
different, dare to try something better, and stand firm in their
beliefs, regardless of what people said. What do people usually
say? "You'll never do it!" "May as well quit now
while you're ahead," or, "Who do you think you
are?"
Most
people do not like change, in fact, they fear it. But deep
inside they wish they could change and reach for something
better. So when such people see someone willing to take the
chance and reach for the sky, they become skeptical and scorn
all such efforts. All this is driven by their own inability and
fear.
Maybe
the mother who was afraid her child would fall was inwardly
referring to her own insecurities rather than the possibility of
the child being hurt. Wouldn't it be so much better, and so much
healthier to teach yourself to get up when you fall rather than
live in fear that you might?
We
learn much more from our mistakes than from our successes, so
what is the wisdom in trying to teach yourself not to make any
mistakes? If we can roll with the punches that life deals out to
us, if we can pick up the pieces after being defeated and move
forward, and if we can get up and shake off the dust if we fall
or fail, then ultimately we'll be better, stronger, and wiser
people. And the taller we grow (spiritually), the more we will
see, just like that little child who could see so much more
clearly when he took the chance to climb up on the bar of the
fence.
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