"It costs so much to be a
full human being
that there are very few
who have the enlightenment
or the courage,
to pay the price.
One has to abandon altogether
the search for security,
and reach out
to the risk of living with both arms.
One has to embrace the world
like a lover.
One has to accept pain
as a condition of existence.
One has to court doubt and darkness
as the cost of knowing.
One needs a will stubborn in conflict,
but apt always
to total acceptance of every consequence
of living and dying."
Morris L. West - from 'The Shoes of the Fisherman'
