Some cannot resit the sort of exploration that yields both danger and the ripest fruit. Nietzsche said stare not into the abyss lest the abyss stare back into thee. Yet he did stare, and even his warning holds something enticing. What could he mean, in this allusion to power and enormity? A huge expanse, uncovered ground? Something that lies in waiting.
These are the deeper dimensions of the mind. Our unique and defining characteristic, the ability to perceive our own being. A Pandora's Box that opens with the most sparkling shine. The beginning is a show of amazement and delight. Then it pulls you into channels you had no ability to fathom from the surface. Channels that run through places you couldn't have guessed. Of course you wanted the chance to try, but when you're in the really deep, you realize it will take everything you have to navigate a course.
Perhaps it is foolish to challenge something so much more than yourself. Perhaps it is safer leaving the box undisturbed. But the chance to open that lid is the innate gift of begin alive.
