An Anthology of Looking: Of Failing and Falling

Walking is an art;
if we are always in a hurry we tire
and cannot reach our destination, the destination of our journey.
Yet if we stop and do not move, we also fail to reach our destination. 

Walking is precisely the art of looking to the horizon, 

thinking about where I want to go, 

and also coping with the weariness that comes from walking. 

Moreover, the way is often hard-going, it is not easy. 

“I want to stay faithful to this journey, but it is not easy; listen: 

there is darkness, 

there are days of darkness, 

days of failure, 

and some days of falling…

someone falls, falls.” 

Yet always keep this in your thoughts: 

do not be afraid of failure, 

do not be afraid of falling. 

In the art of walking it is not falling that matters, but not “staying fallen”. 

Get up quickly, immediately, and continue to go on. 

And this is beautiful: it is working every day, it is walking humanly. 

~ From Pope Francis' address to the students of the Jesuit schools of Italy and Albania, 7 June 2013. Full excerpt on the official Holy See website here.