Open any major newspaper, turn on any news channel, and it is not long before you are confronted with the results of a fall. Usually, the fall involves power and its abuses. The more sensational, the merrier. A fall in its fullest sense, however, need not be dramatic, nor involve a moral failure. I, for example, recently experienced a fall of sorts. No, it was not a moral failing. I simply had high aims regarding a certain goal, and I fell short of success in my attempt to achieve it; I fell off-track. In the moment following my fall, or what may be euphemistically described as a setback, I pondered what it meant to fall. Falling is popularly understood to be accidental. One way Merriam Webster describes a fall; however, is “to drop oneself to a lower position.” Here, the act of falling is volitional: “Falling to his knees, [he asked for her hand in marriage].” From this definition it can be inferred that how we look at a situation could determine how it looks to us.
I think you will agree, if you have played basketball, you are a fan of the game, or you have seen it played, it is amazing how the high and how far the human body can travel given certain physiological type and training. In the mid 80s, during a slam-dunk competition, Spud Webb redefined the calculus of a body in motion. In that performance, Webb at 5 feet 7 inches, was outstanding. He jumped about 47 inches off the ground and slam-dunked to win the competition. If you can, watch any basketball clip in slow motion, and observe the player closely. Notice, a moment or two prior to the jump, the body goes down with deliberate intensity, kinetic energy builds up, and boom! it explodes into the air, and it's beautiful. Webb defied the odds because he was able to recognize an opportunity to win the slam-dunking competition. He was willing to drop himself to a lower position, if only for a moment, a necessary precursor to jumping, and ultimately making the winning move.
Falling is complex. Based on my working definition, it need not be accidental. It could be moral failure, or loss of physical control of one's body, or it could mean failure to meet some internally or externally imposed expectation. What Webb did is usually, and only, done by guys upwards of 6 feet. This suggests that Webb would have had to exercise particular control of his body so that it would perform in that extraordinary manner. Similarly, I suppose, if I exercise control, allowing this situation to build character, my capacity to succeed will increase.
Depending on the choices I make in the face of my setback, it can turn out to be less of a fall in the popular sense. As such, I am choosing to act with deliberate intention: controlling my movement downwards in the process building up the energy necessary for the propulsion to achieve the next goal. In other words, I am actively learning everything I can about what I contributed to the situation. For me, the experience is less about blame and more about personal responsibility. Similar to a ballplayer, who excels only by returning to the first principles of the game, I also must continually return to the first principle of my profession: praying, fasting, meditating daily on the things that are true etc. Equipped with this perspective, I can, I must, and I will redefine the calculus of a destiny unfolding.
