I have climbed many a mountain slope. Nothing like the cliffs of El Capitan, but still mountains requiring exertion and skill.
In the process I have learned that few steps are absolutely certain. Sometimes the only way to find out the stability of the next step is simply to take it. When you step forward, you discover that what appeared to be solid is actually multiple layers of shale that easily separate and cause you to slip.
And so it is with most steps in life. Often we can know about the safety of the next step only by taking it. Sometimes the rock beneath our foot crumbles. We may stumble or even fall. But the alternative is to stay in one place—never moving, never learning, never exploring. That’s not living, just the illusion of safety.
