LIFE IS DIVIDED IN TWO PARTS; THE SECOND IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

 Reading Falling Upward; A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr a second time was like reading it for the first time; a new teaching is always hidden between its pages. My new learning has to do with the importance of understanding that, when crossing the river towards the second half of our life, it is necessary to discard the values ​​of the first half. The second part of our existence is very much like a temple in which stillness and silence help us transform into who we really are. What do I mean? Are we not already who we really are? Some enlightened beings probably are; in other words, they may never need to hide themselves behind the false image of youth, that stage of life when we strive to appear what we are not because we desperately need others to admire us. Unfortunately,

most of us will live the first half of life threatened by what others think of us, and inevitably comparing ourselves and envying them; in other words, becoming a living proof of Adler’s inferiority complex. Not becoming codependent of others and building our self-esteem is a major task; that is why aging is far from being a stage of idleness. On the contrary, the mission of acknowledging our past mistakes and apologizing, of requesting that those who offended us respect us, and of closing those relationships that are not for us will occupy most of our time. However, it is essential that the task be done perfectly; otherwise, we will never leave behind that first stage of life when the only thing that mattered was feeling superior.