I'm not sure where I first found this quote, but I know it's so good I had a professional poster made of it for my classroom back in the day. "Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light."
The quote says that those broken by this world are blessed because a mysterious gift is granted to the broken. A reverence for peace is given to the war torn, an enduring strength is given to those who have fallen-- callouses grow over cuts, bones calcify after a break, muscles grow following destructive use. One must be damaged in order to grow. Therefore, BLESSED are those who are broken, for they will gain more than they lost-- for that is law in the twilight zone of Life.
Cynics of this mindset will ask about those who lost a limb or died from being cracked. Surely they have not gained more than they lost, they might say. I can't speak for all cases, only for the possibilities. For now, I'll give a single example before finishing what I came here to write.
A woman who lost both her legs in an accident spoke on TED. She now makes a living and a life out of pushing the boundaries of prosthetic science. When going to parties she gets to ask herself whether she wants to be 5'8 or 6'1 that night. When she goes out to exercise, she gets to ask herself whether she wants to break human speed records with special legs or turn her exercise into research data that will propel the world forward. She lost what most of us take for granted. She looked around her and saw a world full of people who didn't have to think twice about going to get a glass of water. Her lack of legs lead her to SEARCH for legs. That search for improvement never really ended and may never end for her. What broke her open, instead opened her up. What she gained by losing that much was more than what any of us have never lost, for we have never needed to seek.
This trend continues into the deepest depths of all human sufferings. While I know not the words to explain to you that I know this, I assure you. With my heart, with my eyes, with my body, with my soul, one simply has to search to find the light hidden within every darkness. The more broken we become, the more light we let in. Therefore, blessed are those who have lost, for they find the courage to seek. Blessed are those who suffer, for they find the strength to console. Blessed are those who lack, for they find the desire to create. Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light.
The quote says that those broken by this world are blessed because a mysterious gift is granted to the broken. A reverence for peace is given to the war torn, an enduring strength is given to those who have fallen-- callouses grow over cuts, bones calcify after a break, muscles grow following destructive use. One must be damaged in order to grow. Therefore, BLESSED are those who are broken, for they will gain more than they lost-- for that is law in the twilight zone of Life.
Cynics of this mindset will ask about those who lost a limb or died from being cracked. Surely they have not gained more than they lost, they might say. I can't speak for all cases, only for the possibilities. For now, I'll give a single example before finishing what I came here to write.
A woman who lost both her legs in an accident spoke on TED. She now makes a living and a life out of pushing the boundaries of prosthetic science. When going to parties she gets to ask herself whether she wants to be 5'8 or 6'1 that night. When she goes out to exercise, she gets to ask herself whether she wants to break human speed records with special legs or turn her exercise into research data that will propel the world forward. She lost what most of us take for granted. She looked around her and saw a world full of people who didn't have to think twice about going to get a glass of water. Her lack of legs lead her to SEARCH for legs. That search for improvement never really ended and may never end for her. What broke her open, instead opened her up. What she gained by losing that much was more than what any of us have never lost, for we have never needed to seek.
This trend continues into the deepest depths of all human sufferings. While I know not the words to explain to you that I know this, I assure you. With my heart, with my eyes, with my body, with my soul, one simply has to search to find the light hidden within every darkness. The more broken we become, the more light we let in. Therefore, blessed are those who have lost, for they find the courage to seek. Blessed are those who suffer, for they find the strength to console. Blessed are those who lack, for they find the desire to create. Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light.
Many consider death to be the ultimate human problem, the source of all of our suffering. If suffering in these human bodies is akin to cracking out cup, then death is akin to annihilating our cup into nothing. I do not fear death because once my cup is annihilated, there will be nothing left but light. This is not to say I wish to die, for that much light would surely blind me with how dull and ignorant I am. As I age, I seek to crack open my cup more and more and accustom myself to the light that lies beyond. This is not to say that I seek suffering either. Firstly, I definitely don't need to search very far to find suffering, but more importantly, there is enough light and joy to blind me like death right in my backyard. I need but empathize with the weeds or flowers as they extend upwards like groupies towards the concert stage of the performance of their lives. I need but breathe in the air and know that my diaphragm creates a current that pulls on the hair of lovers in Argentina. Simply see with eyes unclouded and there is no need to seek out suffering.
There is only a need to see the good that suffering will bring, if you only but open your heart to it. Blessed are the cracked. Blessed are you, dear reader.
There is only a need to see the good that suffering will bring, if you only but open your heart to it. Blessed are the cracked. Blessed are you, dear reader.
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