If you are not now and then falling on your face, you are not reaching to do your best, you are not trying to achieve your excellence, your arete.
You are not trying to achieve your arete, you are not trying to live.
No, if you are not now and then falling on your face, you are playing it safe.
Technically, you are alive. Technically, you are on the dance floor. Technically, your moment has come to dance, to live.
But you are playing it safe.
You are not dancing, you are standing still.
You are not dancing, you are not trying to achieve your excellence, your arete.
You are standing still. You do not reach, you do not explore, you do not experiment.
You stand still, or you run in ruts. You do not reach.
Yes, you are safe from falling. Yes, you are safe from over-reaching.
Only you have turned to stone.
You have turned to stone
On the dance floor of life.
Ah! I have innumerable scars from falling and stubbed toes from bad dancing. But that never stopped me from jumping headlong to meet life halfway! Love this, Paul.
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To me, Punam, you are about as stoppable as a force of nature. If I knew only one thing about you, I suspect that is what I would know. I would know that you “jump headlong to meet life”.
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‘Unstoppable as a force of nature’! Wow that pretty much sums up how I land into troubles because I am impetuous!! You are pretty accurate, Paul:)
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Nicely written
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I was not privy to that word, “arete”, or its Grecian origin until reading this, so thank you for that, Paul. This piece is a good reminder and quite inspiring — I shall remember to always take the risks and dance. Thanks!
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