Day 4: The Cliff's Edge

Sometimes it is hard to step away from the edge of a cliff. We first start by leaning our heads almost as to cross the plane of the edge that marks the beginning of the wide open space below; just to catch a glimpse of the view. Then we take a step further (promising ourselves that we will be careful to not get too close so we don’t slip and fall), getting a clear view as we cross the horizontal plane of rock and dirt. What was once hidden from our views now lays wide open before us – beautiful: an ecstasy of sensations pulls through our bodies and pin pricks flush our face, bringing a numbing sensation with it. At this point the rush of indescribable sensations pulsates through our veins and our heart begins to rush in a death march, faster and faster. Before we realize it, the toes of our feet have already crossed the cliff’s edge and we begin questioning ourselves, asking ourselves what it would feel like to jump, to fall through the open air, fall to the end of our existence.

I think that there are times in our lives when we approach the edge of our moral cliffs, sometimes out of sheer curiosity, and sometimes out of the fear of the judgments of others. Sometimes we have already built up a default of command to what we will and will not do. Some of us wouldn’t have even approached the “same” cliff as others might, because they already have already marked that specific “cliff” as dangerous or might have seen someone close to them slip and fall down this specific cliff (maybe surviving the fall and maybe not). But for whatever reason they have already marked it with yellow “danger” tape and kept their distance – that is not to say that there are not other cliffs that are more appealing to them, cliffs that draw the adrenaline rush as this one does to others.

If we don’t analyze our landscape (or lives), from time to time then we find ourselves standing toes-over-edge with cliffs more and more often, until the “inevitable” plunge downward seems too great to resist and we plunge head deep into the abyss below. As we come to (if we ever do) we realized the darkness of the abyss that we are in. We now realize why others have marked this specific cliff edge for themselves as dangerous and we wish we would have marked it too.

Every abyss is filled with darkness (in all cases the darkness is caused because we won’t open our eyes and begin the process of climbing out), but just as there is darkness in the pit of the abyss, there is also a bright light that shines once you cross the lip of the abyss. And though you might not reach the supreme light that exists on the lips edge for sometime there is still light that radiates into the hole (as a rope – sometimes these are friends and loved ones) that can help us through the darkness, through the dim shadows, through the faintest light, until we are strong enough to reach the unshielded light beyond the cliffs edge. Then we are strong enough to mark that cliff “dangerous” with our yellow tape and keep our distance.