"… at every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss." Paulo Coelho
I honestly cannot recall ever being touched by a phrase the way I was today. I don't even like Paulo Coelho as an author or philosopher or whatever he is supposed to be; and my attempt to read his world renowned bestseller "The Alchemist" was futile. I never got past the first few pages because by the time I got to the 10th or 11th page my brain was screaming "PLEASE SPARE ME THIS TORTURE OR ELSE I'LL BE FORCED TO IMPLODE!!" … and we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?
The more I think about it, I find I comprehend what he's trying to say at an even deeper level. It's like playing a video game and completing one level only to find that the next one is more sophisticated and complex. I have never heard a truer statement. Yes, at any given time, we are happy, possibly even euphoric about certain current events or situations we are in, and at the same time, subconsciously or otherwise, we realize that this happiness can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye, plunging us indefinitely into a black hole of hopelessness and despair.
As human beings we tend to cling onto these feelings of elation and live in a state of denial; which is why when adversity hits we are caught completely off-guard. This magnifies the blow and leaves us in a state of disorientation which may last for very long periods of time.
I'm not saying that we should be pessimists. I'm just saying that we need to be realistic and prepare ourselves for "the worst" so that we may enjoy "the best" to the fullest extent and never take anything for granted; knowing that nothing lasts forever.