Hills, Valleys, and Hope

If I recall him correctly, the absurdly prolix philosopher Hegel posited that history proceeds by a dynamic undulation of thesis, antithesis, and then synthesis: One extreme arises, then an equal and opposite extreme crops up, when next a mediating compromise comes to be. And it all then repeats.

Some simply speak of history being a pendulum swing, from one outrageous excess to its opposite, and then back and forth. There are cycles. There are seasons. Others who talk of hills and valleys suggest that when we find ourselves in a deep valley, we should prepare for our ascent up the next hill.

We are now in a deep valley. So it's a time to prepare and plan and look forward with that most threatened and resilient of human qualities, hope. But hope, in its fullness, isn't a passive fantasy or a refusal to be realistic; it's an active goad to real action. So in this season, in this cycle, in this antithesis and far end of the pendulum swing, have hope. And begin to think of how you will help us all to climb the next hill, where we may be able to see a new sunrise on its way.

I'll Rise Up and Fly

When I was young
I thought I could fly.
If I ran just right,
I'd rise into the sky
and go over the yard and the house
and the trees
until, floating a bit,
I'd catch a good breeze
and neighbors would see
and squint into the sun
and say "Come here and look
at what this kid has done!"
I'd continue to rise
and with such a big smile
my grin could be viewed
at least for a mile.
And, even today
I think, if I try,
the time may yet come
when I'll rise up and fly.

I've posted this little reflection before, and bring it to you again because of how it captures an aspiration deep in the soul for something lofty and noble. My childhood fantasy and true belief can continue to inspire me to rise high in the world of the spirit. I hope it can touch you with the same reminder of early dreams and ongoing possibilities. TM

Own Your Struggles

Own your struggles. They can be your strength.

Honor your scars. They can mark your progress. 

Embrace your darkness. Squeeze from it your light.

Appreciate your failures. They are your teachers.

Cherish your hopes. They are your guiding stars.

Peaks, Valleys, and Wonder

When times are good, there's often a wonderful but dangerous illusion that things will never change. When times are bad, there's often a cruel and equally dangerous illusion that things will never change.

But things do change. And that can be either a shock or a relief, a source of grief or of joy.

In his recently published memoir, Even This I Get to Experience, my old friend Norman Lear recalls that on his sixtieth birthday, his daughter Kate in a toast described him as someone who "walks through life's peaks and valleys with equal wonder." What a rare and tremendous thing to say, and, really, what an amazing attribute to have.

There are peaks and valleys, aren't there? And the journey we're on now has to involve them both. Try to embrace each with equal wonder and a readiness for whatever comes next.

We live amid mysteries and, in the end, it's all a wonder.

Hope and Action

I've often been asked what I think the single most important quality is for success in life. Sometimes, I'm posed with the question of what is the distinguishing feature of highly successful people. And, in both cases, it comes to the same thing. To express it, let me quote a passage from the novel, The Life of Pi, page 168.

I had to stop hoping so much that a ship would rescue me. I should not count on outside help. Survival had to start with me. In my experience, a castaway's worst mistake is to hope too much and do too little. Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate. To look out with idle hope is tantamount to dreaming one's life away.

There was much I had to do.

The worst mistake is to hope too much and do too little. That is one of the most common mistakes in our time. We hope that a ship will come and rescue us - or a talent scout, an agent, a producer, a business builder, a venture capitalist, a friend with contacts. And in the meantime, we do too little.

There are many qualities involved in success, and several characteristics shared by highly successful people. But if I was forced to pick just one, it would be the tendency or proclivity toward action - an action orientation to life and work: taking the risk, trying that one thing, talking to that other person, putting in the extra hours.

Of course, we've all heard about the importance of working smart and not just hard. But what do they both have in common? Working. Action.

And it's especially important, as Pi shows us, when you've got a tiger by the tail.

What action can you take today, to move closer to your goal?

The Wild, Alluring, Unpredictable Next

We're called not to predict the future, but to create it. Uncertainty isn't an obstacle, but the canvass on which we all paint.

Will you, then, just copy what others have done, tracing the lines they've already laid down, and using colors long before mixed, in the hope that this will serve you well? Or rather, will you, perhaps, paint boldly something new?

What we learn from the past can help us to get past the past and move into the distinctive future that our present can best create.