93 - One Step Too Far

Every achievement brings a wonderful dividend of confidence. We try greater and greater ventures, until we are brave enough to accomplish undertakings far beyond what the average person imagines. When we reach that level of consummate skill, it is a time of both celebration and extreme caution. We are justified to rejoice, for this is the level of ability that we have been striving so long and hard to attain. It is also the time for caution because the foolish will eventually try something too great for them to handle. Pride and passion will lead to their downfall.

~ from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, Entry 93 ~

There are two veins that run through classic Taoist thought that, at first glance, seem to run afoul of the other. The first is to avoid the edges by keeping to the middle path. The other is the importance of discipline to develop mastery of a particular skill or life itself.

In order to master anything, we must push ourselves beyond that point we see as our outer boundary. We must have the courage to trip and stumble along the journey and to gain wisdom from our errors in thought, judgment and action. And make no mistake about it! Every skilled person has made a boatload of mistakes along the way.

So how does one push themselves to greater heights while, concurrently, staying near the middle of the path? For me, the secret behind this seeming contradiction is that we too often view the middle as a static state. Each time we increase our ability in any area, the middle ground shifts from where it was. Each step toward a higher plane of consciousness moves the middle higher too.

The middle path should serve as our home base. From time to time, circumstances dictate that we travel away from home to test our abilities. As we succeed, our home base moves in step with us. After completion of each new level of understanding, we need to return to hearth of home before venturing out again.