Scared Enough To be Happy

Growing up I was in Boy Scouts. I never made Eagle. When I think back on it now I find it very easy to see the whole rank advancement thing as unimportant. I tell myself, it was the experience, and the people that mattered most. But in reality rank and badges were important. I am convinced one of the biggest skews of reality happen when people choose a reality based on how it affects their view of self. In arguments people struggle to win and lose sight of what they are talking about and why it matters. People do the same pointless job every day because they couldn’t possibly have worked this hard to end up nowhere. They avoid the regret, the hard introspection, the painful change, that comes from seeing the hard cold world. If God had your resume with all your strengths and weaknesses, would you want to see it? The hard road, the road of deep clarity that eventually leads to a purposeful life, is scary.

Note: I lifted the phrase “Scared Enough To be Happy” from an interview with “Crash” director Paul Haggis’ interview on Charlie Rose where he described how people aren’t happy unless they are challenged and a little scared that they might not succeed.