Failure & Growth

Wendy posted something which reminded me of one of my all time favorite quotes from a man named Thomas Hoving.  Wikipedia offers this tho I'm not sure that's the same guy.  I first heard it during a retreat over two decades ago and it has hung around at the fringe of thought ever since.

Since you are somewhat special, you'll have to be very careful and work very hard to learn how to press yourself into the existence of others.  Stand in the shoes of others, wear their clothes, enter their heads, imagine their anxities, their clouded thoughts, their superstitons, their untutored responses and unthinking and dumb inclusions.  Recall before you dismiss all the stupidities of mankind, that even in ignorance there are some words of wisdom.  That even in hysteria there has got to be a glint of reason.  That even in stubborn and recalcitrant opinion there is a sensitivity of true thoughtfulness.  And if you do press yourself into the existence of others and their minds, you have periods of grave doubt and concern and skepticism, and if you really get into the skin of another human being and become immersed in his or her own nerve shoots, you will say, I'm wrong, they're right.  You might even say, the heck with them all, alright.  And if you go either way it's going to be the same thing because you're going to be experiencing the dark night of soul and maybe a lot of failure which is the next greatest professor you're going to have in life.