Are you ready to embark on the profound journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth? Do you have the courage to look beyond religious rituals and delve deeper into your true nature? Are you prepared to navigate your way from a life of spiritual amnesia to a state of divine union and self-realization? Get ready to explore these fascinating concepts.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Life is a journey divided into two halves. The first half is about creating a container for our lives, defining who we are, how we support ourselves, and who will accompany us on our journey. The second half is about discovering what that container was meant to hold, essentially answering the question, "What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Too often, people spend their time repairing the container instead of exploring its contents. The first half of life consumes so much of us that it's hard to imagine there's a second task or anything more expected from us. But the second half of life can hold new experiences because by then, we should have strong, tested ways of holding our lives together.

Various traditions use different metaphors to depict this differentiation: beginners vs. proficients, novices vs. initiated, juniors vs. seniors, morning vs. evening. Only when you've embarked on the second half can you see the difference between the two. Remember, you can't skip the first journey by reading about the second one. Each generation has to make its own discoveries of Spirit.

Unfortunately, many people never mature, remaining narcissistic as they age. Juniors, still engrossed in their first tasks, often misunderstand the wisdom of elders, dismissing them as naive or superfluous. Conversely, those who have transcended and included the previous stages can empathize with juniors, offering patient understanding and guidance.

Most of our history has been dedicated to creating and maintaining the issues of the first half of life: identity, security, and sexuality. We are so self-occupied in our formative years with defense and offense that we hardly have time left for simply living, pure friendship, beauty, or moments of communion with nature. 

Establishing our boundaries, identity, safety, and order is crucial in our early years. We need to feel special. We need successes, positive feedback, and a sense of significance. Once we've established our identity, we no longer need to protect, defend, prove, or assert it.

There are stages and steps of human and spiritual maturation. From your level of development, you can only comprehend people slightly beyond you. People at much deeper levels will seem wrong, sinful, or dangerous. However, authentic God experiences burn you without destroying you, and true spirituality is about preparing you for this burning, this inner experience of God. The goal is beyond building boundaries, protecting identities, creating tribes, and teaching impulse control. It's about not just surviving, but truly living.

Are You Ready to Discover What Your Life's Container Holds in its Second Half?

In the first half of life, we often play the roles of 'the hero' or 'the princess,' journeying out of our comfort zones and facing challenges that shape us. However, the first task we think is important, is often just the vehicle to get us to the real task. Discovering our 'real life,' which is always a deeper river, hidden beneath the everyday events. This deeper discovery is largely what religious people mean by “finding their soul.”

In the second half of life, we return to where we started, but with a newfound knowledge. We have a gift for our people, our village. Our journey is not just about us, but about the common good. True heroism serves the common good, or it is not really heroism at all. 

However, the transition from the first half of life to the second is not always smooth. Often, we cling to our 'loyal soldier,' the voice of our past that has guided us and kept us safe. But to truly grow, we must discharge our loyal soldier and listen to the deeper voice of God, which often sounds like the voices of risk, trust, surrender, soul, and love. 

The transition from the first half to the second half of life is a journey in itself, filled with trials and challenges, but it is also a journey of growth, enlightenment, and ultimately, finding our true selves. So, where are you on this journey? Have you started your second half yet? And if not, what's holding you back?

Embarking on Life's Second Half: The Enlightening Journey Beyond Self

"The Tragic Sense of Life" is about realizing that life's journey is not always a straight path, but a series of ups and downs, full of disorder and chaos, loss and renewal. Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno first introduced this phrase, "The Tragic Sense of Life", emphasizing that faith is more about embracing life's realities than a linear path of progress. We see this concept in the teachings of Jesus and Jewish prophets, who were comfortable with life's uncertainties and contradictions.

Unamuno suggested that faith is about trusting a powerful life force that encompasses even death. It's about reconciling contradictions and accepting that life is inherently tragic. Quantum physics in our time echoes Unamuno's thoughts, revealing a universe characterized by diversity, multiplicity, exceptions, and even violence.

Spiritual life and science teach us to honor and learn from exceptions rather than imposing our rules to make everything fit. This lesson is evident in Jesus's interactions with those society deemed as 'exceptions' - prostitutes, drunkards, lepers, and others. His compassion towards them made us rethink our definitions of what's normal and good.

The story of Greek king, Odysseus, is a stellar example of a 'tragedy,' where he faced a series of losses and humiliations on his journey back home. These experiences humbled him and gave him new knowledge. This pattern of loss and humiliation is common in many spiritual narratives, leading to discoveries of a new self.

Have you ever stumbled upon a stone in your life that made you rethink your belief system? Have you ever found a hidden opportunity in a tragedy? Remember, we can't find something until we first lose it. And often, that's where we find our true selves and the real essence of life.

Can Life's Tragedies Lead Us To Our True Selves?

Life is filled with necessary suffering and pain that we must embrace to grow and become our true selves. This might sound harsh, but take a moment and think about it. Do you remember the last time you experienced hardship? Did you grow from it? 

The idea of necessary suffering is not new. It's a concept deeply rooted in our history and spiritual texts. Jesus of Nazareth and Carl Jung both spoke about the unavoidable pain that comes from being human. But here's the twist - this suffering, as hard as it may be, leads to ten times more growth in the long run. 

Anyone who has been part of a church or a religious community knows this all too well. The church, with its doctrines and moral codes, often forces us to face deep, uncomfortable issues. It's like a crucible that holds us in place until we're purified and clarified. It's not always a pleasant process, but it's necessary. The truth often makes us miserable before setting us free.

So, where does this journey of necessary suffering lead us? To our true selves. The selves that were there before we were born and will remain after we die. Our true selves are not our roles, titles, or personal images. They are our absolute identities, which can't be gained or lost by any means. Our false selves, the roles and titles we hold, must die for us to find our true selves. This dying process is the necessary suffering we must undergo.

But here's the good news - we're not alone in this journey. A guide, a homing device, exists within each of us, directing us towards our true selves. This guide is what some people call the soul, while others may refer to it as the Holy Spirit. It's an inner compass that won't let us ignore the call of our true selves.

However, just knowing that this guide exists is not enough. We must listen to it and follow its guidance. This is where many of us falter. We get stuck in our comfortable lives and ignore the call of our soul. This is like trying to navigate a ship without a compass. 

We must also learn to let go of our past, our home, our comfort zone, to find our true selves. This might sound counterintuitive. After all, home is where we feel safe and comfortable. But often, our homes, our families, and our societies keep us from growing. We must leave home to find our true selves.

The journey to our true selves is not linear. It's a spiral that takes us back to our beginnings and forward to our future. It's a journey filled with necessary suffering, but it's also a journey filled with growth and enlightenment. 

Embracing Necessary Suffering: A Journey to Discovering Your True Self

We all seem to suffer from a tragic case of mistaken identity, a sort of spiritual amnesia, forgetting our true selves. Often, our authentic selves are hidden from us, like characters in fairy tales who are oblivious to their royal lineage. The journey of life is about discovering our true nature, our divine identity. 

Religion should be our guide on this journey of self-discovery, but all too often, it turns into a contest of worthiness or religious achievement. We confuse the rituals and beliefs with the profound ability to share in the divine nature.

Our true selves are already noble and divine, as many religious figures have pointed out. However, this deep knowledge about our true selves is often forgotten, especially in Western cultures. We need to remember the truth of our divine nature.

The English poet Wordsworth beautifully depicts this spiritual journey in his poems. He suggests that our birth is a forgetfulness of our divine origin, and as we grow up, we forget more of our true selves. However, the light of truth is always there, and we need to strive to see it in our joy. 

Mature religion is about freeing ourselves from the prison of the false self. Spirituality is more about unlearning than learning. Just like children, we need to unlearn the illusions we grow into to free ourselves and return to our beginnings in God.

The experience of realizing our divine union is often termed as "heaven", while its loss is termed "hell." However, these terms are not about future rewards or punishments, but about present experiences. Heaven is a state of union both here and later. 

Our journey towards God and truth is never-ending. We are all forever beginners. We are all children in the journey towards God. 

Moreover, the belief in heaven and hell serves to maintain freedom, with God being the most free of all, to forgive and include, to heal and bless even God's seeming “enemies.” 

Your spiritual journey is a quest for the big picture and includes holding opposites, embracing mystery, doubt, and “unknowing.” 

In the second half of life, simple meaning suffices, and that becomes in itself a much deeper happiness. As the body cannot live without food, so the soul cannot live without meaning. This new coherence, a unified field inclusive of the paradoxes, is what gradually characterizes a second-half-of-life person.

Have You Forgotten Your Divine Origin? A Journey Towards Self-Discovery and Spiritual Awakening

The second half of life brings a unique kind of brightness, marked by a sober happiness and a capacity to hold darkness creatively. It's a time when we cease battling against the negative or fearful, and instead learn to withdraw energy from unproductive things. We become less judgmental, less gripped by superiority complexes, and more content to be a part of the general dance of life. 

The second half of life also brings new challenges. We may find ourselves frustrated with institutions that are primarily concerned with first-half-of-life tasks. However, it’s important to remember that institutions are necessary and that they can't provide everything we seek in the second half of life. 

This stage of life also brings a shift in thinking. We move from a dualistic, either-or mindset, to a more contemplative, both-and way of thinking. This shift allows us to see the world in a more holistic way, and to better understand and accept the complexities of life. 

As we age, we may also find ourselves becoming more introverted and reflective, as we take the time to process and integrate our life experiences. We may also find that we have a deeper appreciation for silence, solitude, and poetry. 

Despite the challenges, the second half of life is a time of growth and maturity. It’s a time when we can learn to embrace our shadow self, accept our weaknesses, and find joy in simply being who we are.

Embracing the Brightness and Growth in Life's Second Half: Are You Ready?

How often do we envision the latter part of our lives as a slow decline? There's a compelling alternative view - aging as a transformative journey of growth and discovery. The essence of this book is the belief that aging, or 'falling', can be an upward and onward leap into a broader, richer world. It's not about loss, but gain; not losing, but winning. 

Have you ever met an elder who radiates wisdom and contentment? They've achieved their human fullness, often through personal or vicarious suffering. They serve as true role models, mirroring a fulfilling life and inspiring us to follow their path. 

Doesn't this make the case for the need for true elders in our society? People who can help us see clearly and break the cycle of projection and reflection. So, how do we step out of this cycle? By finding at least one true mirror, one honest, loving friend, or maybe even the utterly accepting gaze of a divine friend. 

Do you know what the happiest, most generous people have in common? They're young mothers. They've learned to give their lives away to their children, and in doing so, they've found a deeper level of existence. 


Can Aging be a Journey of Growth and Discovery Instead of Decline?

Life is divided into two halves, each with its own unique tasks and experiences. The first half is focused on establishing one's identity, security, and companionship. Often, people get so engrossed in the first half that they neglect to explore deeper aspects of life. 

However, the second half of life brings new experiences and wisdom, as by then we should have solid ways to hold our lives together. It's about exploring the contents of the container we've spent the first half of our life building. Unfortunately, some people remain trapped in their first tasks, misunderstanding the wisdom of elders, while those who have transcended can offer understanding and guidance to the younger generation.

Life's journey is filled with necessary suffering and pain that we must embrace to grow and become our true selves. This suffering leads to growth in the long run. The journey to our true selves is not linear. It's a spiral that takes us back to our beginnings and forward to our futures. It's filled with necessary suffering, but also growth and enlightenment. 

A guide exists within each of us, directing us towards our true selves. This guide is what some people call the soul, while others may refer to it as the Holy Spirit. It's an inner compass that won't let us ignore the call of our true selves.


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