In the wonderful film "Man on Wire," Philippe Petit, the man who walked on a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, was asked why he did it.
"Why? There is no why!" he says, indignant.
There are things that each of us do that are like that. Where, if pressed, we could probably make up a reason. But most of the time we just do them. They are in our nature.
Why does someone spend their entire lives at a sport, often without pay, to go to the Olympics?
Why does someone paint or write? Why does someone work to master a profession?
The creative urge is present in all of us. Sometimes, fear gets in the way of its expression. We do what is safe instead of taking the big leap. But the desire is there. The dream is there.
Fear is natural. Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway.
That which we are called or driven to do, that thing with no why, is that which makes each of us unique. Let's honor that, in ourselves and others, rather than fear it.
Jeff
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