What do we do with the cracks in our lives?
These may be fault-lines in our behaviour or attitudes which cause us discomfort, which we don’t wish to notice; we avert our eyes.
They may not fit with our self-image so we explain them away: ‘That isn’t me at all.’
Though maybe the fault-lines are worth our attention; cheerful messengers even.
Two writers offer vital lines on our cracked lives.
In his song ‘Anthem’, Leonard Cohen famously offers hope:
‘Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.’
The message is clear: if you find a fault-line in yourself, it is no cause for shame or despair but rather, an invitation to explore. Why is the crack there? What or who put it there? Sometimes understanding is the beginning of freedom.
While WH Auden, in his poem ‘As I walked out one evening’, has a more cautionary feel:
‘And the crack in the tea-cup opens
A lane to the land of the dead.
With some people, more pressing than being good is being seen to be good. It is about how others perceive them; this is the priority.
In this psyche, cracks will be covered up, left buried and determinedly unexamined. And Auden sees this as a path smelling of death.
When truly, there is nothing here to fear.
We should not be surprised to discover cracks in our construction. Like an old wall or ancient gatepost, we are cracked people, comprised of strength, damage, experience and beauty.
What matters is how we relate to these fault-lines; it is one of those ‘fork in the road’ moments. Which way do I go?
It is not the crack which is the issue; but our relationship to the crack.
If the past has seeded shame or fear in our souls, the energy may be towards cover-up, with the consequences Auden describes.
The wound is too raw or reckoned unacceptable. We pretend the crack in the tea-cup isn’t there.
While Cohen, reaching through the fear and beyond, encourages exploration. He celebrates the light and awareness the crack lets in, when it is allowed.
‘Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.’
Cracktastic.
