We learned recently that there are certain seeds, including some Eucalyptus and Banksia seeds, that are sealed by hard resin. They can only sprout after fire melts the casing in which they’re trapped.
You hear similar arguments about trauma, that people can’t know what they’re made of until they’ve ‘been through the fire’. There’s a belief that we can’t be our best selves without experiencing something genuinely disastrous.
This is an interesting one for us. Collectively we’ve been through grief and trauma. In some ways those experiences have shaped us. It’s certainly true that you can’t come through something devastating without being changed. With help, and with a context that makes it possible to access positive internal resources, it’s true that we can come through negative events stronger than we were before.
The saying, 'that which does not break us makes us stronger' can be very true, in both directions. If we’re lucky, we emerge stronger. Sometimes something will break us. Putting ourselves back together again depends on various things which tend to be for or against our resilient recovery.
But what of this idea that, like those seeds trapped in hard resin, we can’t flourish without fire? We don’t think that’s true. We’re of the opinion that we should make hay while the sun shines. If circumstances are good and you’re in the mood for personal development, grab hold of opportunities and run with them as far as you can.
Life is too short and there’s too much to worry about, for us to dampen our truths and hold ourselves back, waiting for some kind of ‘baptism of fire’ that may never come, or that might be much harder to recover from than we imagine.
That’s our message today. Grasp life. Step up when you can. Take nothing for granted. And, if things are cruising along well, ENJOY.
|
|
