Thoughts on "Falling Upward", by Richard Rohr
I recently finished this book and was impacted in an unusual way……..
I recently finished this book and was impacted in an unusual way. I feel good about not having everything figured out in life. Meaning there is more that I don’t know than I do know. Gray is good. Uncertainty is admirable. Let me explain.
The subtitle of the book is “A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life”. In the first half of life we are gathering,
accumulating, building, achieving, and knowing. There can be an inner pressure to have or get things “all figured out”. Personal identity is related to many outward indicators - career, marriage (possibly), family, faith,
possessions, etc. Our identity is centered around milestones and accomplishments. Black and white are the colors of the day and there is little room for gray or uncertainty.
In the second half of life we are falling upward. For me “Falling Upward” is the freedom to have more gray in my life. My identity is based on the internal components of my life. Yes, faith, family, values, and relationships are important. But within those bedrocks of my life there is an understanding that diversity is rich. Everyone doesn’t need to think exactly as I do. As Richard Rohr says:
“In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions about everything, every event, or most
people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us.”
In my journey as a Christian there’s been an undercurrent of thinking that my faith is right, and therefore my
opinions are right. So all other opinions must be wrong, or at least “less right”. Again, from Richard Rohr’s book:
“Organized religion has not been known for its inclusiveness or for being very comfortable with diversity. Yet pluriformity, multiplicity, and diversity is the only world there is! It is rather amazing that we can miss, deny, or ignore what is in plain sight everywhere.”
In my second half of life it’s been liberating to hold to my core values AND embrace the diversity all around
me. It’s not my job to fix or change people. It’s my privilege to know, learn from, and enjoy other people – whether they are like me or not.
Thank you, Richard Rohr.