We want to be safe, to come to a state of indestructible unity. But another part of us—that awareness that sometimes appears and sees—senses that our real freedom inevitably involves letting go and loss. “Cut a chrysalis open,” writes Rebecca Solnit, “and you will find a rotting caterpillar.”
Our lives move from hope to hope, and at bottom all hope is hope for change. And under it all we all long for freedom. From selfish to selfless, from petty to profound, with more or less awareness and compassion, we seek freedom from suffering and from separation. We seek ways to be more vibrantly alive, to be with life. Our greatest fear is breaking down, and our greatest hope is breaking open.
– Tracy Cochran, “Fusterlandia”
Story editor Betsy Cornwell shares editorial director Tracy Cochran’s “Fusterlandia” and Elizabeth Napp’s “An Education in Peace,” as well as some wise words on leadership from Octavia Butler, in this episode of Parabola magazine’s free monthly podcast.
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