The Man Dangling from the Cliff

A traditional parable.

A traveler was crossing a mountain trail after dark when the ground gave way beneath him. He dropped into the blackness, and as he fell his hand closed around a branch growing out of the cliff.

He held on. All night he hung there, arms burning, freezing, calling out for someone to hear him. He could not see the bottom, and he was certain that if his grip failed, he would die on the rocks below. So he did not let himself loosen it, not even for a moment.

Morning came, and the light showed him what the dark had hidden. The ground was right there; his feet were dangling two inches from the ground. The whole terrible night, he had been one small step from safety.

The Moral

The Illusion of Fear: Much of our strength goes into holding on to jobs, relationships, beliefs, and worries because we are afraid of what comes after.

The Power of Letting Go: The drop we dread is often much smaller than it seems, or not there at all. Peace tends to come when we loosen our grip and trust ourselves to stand.