I like the occasional roller coaster ride – old school or modern. There is something wonderfully fun in putting yourself right on the edge while you know you are safe. The faster the ride, the most twists and turns, the better! Up, down, dark, light, simulated environments and natural – they all work! Shaking and managing the trembles reminds one’s self that one is alive.
For me, rides work because I know I am experiencing something that someone designed with my imagination and safety in equal balance. Great minds have worked through the details, figuring out how I can experience the maximum while staying safe. It is a tough mandate. As others pursue being the best, these minds have to take it to a new level. The process means that the rides get better and better – on both fronts. A recent trip to Singapore’s Universal was an opportunity to experience old school and new along with simulations where you have no idea what direction could come next. Each was a great reminder of the destinations our emotions can take us to.
In the real world, I occasionally find myself caught on a ride that was not design by people concerned with my safety. It is those moments that I know the true meaning of fear. Everything is riding on a sharp edge. It is as there is a monster in the room that I can sense but cannot quite see. “Earth wobbles and lurches; huge mountains shake like leaves, Quake like aspen leaves because of his rage.” (Psalm 18.7) There are real reasons to fear and be afraid.
After a recent experience, I found myself sitting still, quietly struggling to see Hope while being confronted with an overwhelming darkness and void I had a hand in creating. It was something I hope I do not find myself in again yet I know it will come again. I know that there is only one solution. It rests in Hope and safety.
Life can be pure darkness. We face forces that do not care. Hope was and is the answer.
