Modern-Day Icarus & The Wings Of Trust

If you don't trust what you feel inside and second guess what you're capable of, then what else is there to trust? Someone else's opinion of you? A more conservative estimate of what you can achieve informed by what other people deem possible?

In life, we are many times taught to be reasonable, but I think it's important to ask, by what standard? A popular quote often attributed to Einstein comes to mind:

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

In recent years, I have found benefit in seeking out masters in a particular activity and letting go of my assumptions about what I know about that skill. I think that the Einstein quote is a useful direction to start from —a sort of meeting place between reaching for the sun like Icarus and staying on the ground and never venturing into the unknowns of your potential at all. The "fish" has to be swimming in the right vicinity first (i.e. in the water not the air) before it can decide whether to trust its fins to take it all the way there or seek out some instruction from the wise dolphin.

In the story of Icarus, Icarus decided to fly all the way to the sun and his specially created wings got singed—sending him back to the earth—never to fly again. In my current thinking, life requires a bit of both: a degree of caution gained in the clear light of reason and a measure of vision yielding deep inner trust. Is life comprised of equal parts of these things? I think that they occur in different amounts for each person and can be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Let a fish be a fish and let Icarus be Icarus—this to me seems entirely reasonable in the grander scheme. The sun and the sea both have an unwavering might and each one deserves a thoughtful approach and a wary eye.

So my take away is this: when advancing toward the sun or braving the depths of the ocean, a patient and thoughtful approach is well-advised. However, all thought and action must be in sync with one's vision —with those wild things deep inside. For part of wisdom, in my opinion, is learning from what came before, but not necessarily trying to fit into that picture.

Advance in the summer; take refuge in winter

Display your true wings in the spring

Collapse blackened walls with the magic of fall

Taking cues from the footsteps of kings

—Pinder