"To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
They may avoid suffering an d sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free."
I am realizing that if I want to be a person who truly lives life to the fullest, I must risk.
Recently, I haven't been able to risk much, especially in relationships. It's difficult to trust others with the inner workings of my heart, because there's no guarantee that they'll use it wisely. Throughout college, the mantra was always, "Risk all for others." I experienced the joy and freedom that such risk entails, but I've also experienced the pain of broken trust, of unfulfilled promises, of love not only lost, but spat back in my face. And these memories stand constant vigil over the depths of my heart, standing guard over my thoughts and actions. And as the depths of my heart are guarded against any sort of breaches, the streams run a little thinner, the waves of my heart grow still. So when I find someone who might possibly awaken these still waters, how do I open up? How do I relieve these silent gatekeepers of their duty? How do I relinquish control of my heart to someone who is under no obligation to treat it well?
More to come later...
Comments (1)
Wow deep