The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
~ M. Scott Peck
Do you agree or disagree?
OK, I’ll go first:
I’m not sure. Sometimes when I am inspired, like in May when rhodies bloom, I think of Ralph Waldo Emerson, or Rilke, sources of inspiration that along with buds and blossoms, affect me deeply. In Spring, I feel more like engaging with others. At my worst, when I feel I’ve taken a hit, I hole up and avoid.
I understand what M. Scott Peck is saying. When our backs are against a wall and we see no other option, we just may abandon our comfort zone and do something we otherwise would not do.
What do you think?
With the exception of the yellow beauty, all come from our yard.
finding merle 
I agree with the statement. When life is going well, we rarely venture into new areas. But when we have no choice, we are often amazed at what we are capable of doing!
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Maybe sometimes we need a little push? This can be a very good thing, because, yes, we don’t know what we are capable of unless we try, and often we don’t try when we don’t need to. Good thought. 🙂
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I can’t remember if it was Peck or another author who I read long ago who described such moments as “hinge” moments. That is they present us with a choice of response, but they do demand a response. One can be retreat, one can be forward. I appreciate the lengthy comments here back and forth. Very often comments are very brief. Somehow you encouraged deeper ones.
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I appreciate your telling me you like the lengthy comments. I get the feeling most people prefer something short, both to read and write. I think this is why the endless variety of videos on social media are so attractive; they provide a quick something, allowing people to watch effortlessly and interact minimally. I prefer to be here and am drawn to the written word (nothing against videos). I guess this is my way of using current technology to hold onto letter writing, a dying art. I like the “hinge” moments description, too. That feels appropriate since it’s easy to feel stuck when in one of those uncomfortable moments. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do, so we do nothing. I like the quote because I am interested in what motivates people. Thanks for chiming in again. Have a great week!
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I have been thinking about the comments on posts since you answered me. There are a variety of responders to writing. Some just read and don’t even “like” the post. Some just like it. Some write a brief word of encouragement. Occasionally someone will respond at length. Similarly, some writers reply to comments in a thoughtful way while others just click that they liked the comment. I have a couple of writers with whom I interact in longer comments back and forth. Some respond thoughtfully to my comments though they don’t read my posts. There certainly are a lot of ways to interact with this format.
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It’s the same for me, here. Some folks want to engage, others not so much. I also find that with subjects I feel deeply about but that are more personal, I don’t want to delve deeply into here, in a public forum (although that depends). For subjects with a lighter mood, here is fine. Subject matter and language used by other commenters set the tone for me, on any blog. It’s all very interesting.
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I don’t publically share much of my writing. We all have different boundaries with this format, and I seem to have similar ones to yours.
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My son reminded me about a screenplay I wrote many years ago, actually, it was 1/3 of a screenplay (an assignment) when I was in undergrad school. I LOVED THE CLASS. I recall having had so much fun…yet, I tucked it away and forgot until reminded about some of my favorite writings. I was also reminded from that same conversation about two other novels I started, both comedies, also tucked away. I don’t share much of my writing except blog posts, but now that I’ve been reminded, I (and you) have the perfect forum, here. You (and my son) may not know it, but this was the push I needed. Thanks!
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That will be terrific. I would love to see those writings.
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You know you were meant to be a writer when you automatically (and secretly) correct others’ works, regardless of the author. It’s a curse (which I love). 😉 As for those other works, I was thrilled to be reminded of them, and will plug away at them eventually; I’ve been bit by the genealogy bug so will continue that for a time. Will you publish your writings on your blog?
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Probably not. There is a lot of painful material that I want to think through how to present and in what way and to whom.
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This is very true. Sometimes it takes years before the afflicted one can write about a traumatic event. Publishing is a whole different ball game.
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I have to be certain that there is a reason to put any experience out there.
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I am not sure even what he means by “finest moments.” Our kindest moments? Our most creative moments? Our happiest moments? Our most meaningful moments? Our most memorable moments? I think we are at our best when we feel in sync with our loved ones, with our community, with the universe. I don’t think that is when we are under stress or uncomfortable. They say humor and art often has their roots in pain. But I can’t speak to that because I am neither a comic nor an artist!
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I think our finest moments can be all of the above, all you mentioned. I like the idea of being in sync with loved ones, but of late, it does not feel as if all are in sync on a national level. All we can do is be our best, or strive to be, but maybe less so when experiencing discomfort, which is why it’s best to never assume. Some of the funniest people I’ve ever known are ones who have experienced great personal strife. Pain forces us to feel…and how best to create beautiful works of art? Your last sentence made me laugh…
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See—I can be funny without suffering great pain! 🙂 Seriously, I know what you mean. Sometimes crisis makes us come up with new and better solutions. I am hoping that is what all these amazing teenagers are going to do for us all.
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I am so proud of our country’s young people. They are uniting and standing up for what they believe in–indeed, they are afraid and feel nothing is being done to address this important issue–and I hope their voices will not only be heard but be the catalyst for much needed change.
I saw the best meme the other day. I’m paraphrasing, but it said, “Putting aside all the political BS, these kids want school shootings to stop. They are asking for our help. That’s it.” I LOVE that. Another friend wrote: “No amount of sport shooting can possibly be worth these lost lives.” Indeed.
Maybe today’s youth speaking out now are showing us their finest moments. ❤
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I hope to see those finest moment continue for a long, long time!
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I’m not sure they are our finest moments, but I think they are the moments when there is the most movement in our lives. Discomfort might make you roll over in bed, but that’s not always the best thing to do. On the other hand, sometimes it is.
Last weekend, I was at my daughter’s, and I happened to have my dog with me. My daughter has a cat. Both animals were uncomfortable with each other. At one point, my dog was under the table, and the cat came out into the middle of the room, charged the dog, and slashed him. I had never seen a non-cornered cat do that before. It was not the cat’s finest moment, but he was relieving his discomfort, his feeling of being threatened. It was, I have to say, perhaps one of my dog’s finest moments because, despite his discomfort and being somewhat cornered, he did not kill the cat, which, because he is a reasonably large dog, he might have been able to do.
I think it is the movements we make to relieve discomfort that dominate the situation and the choices we make on how to handle that discomfort that decide whether the moment is fine or just what we needed to do to feel better.
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“The moments where there is the most movement,” is exactly the opposite of my default setting when I am the most uncomfortable. I am endlessly fascinated by this, why I behave this way, and what motivates others to push forward. I hope to take lessons from those who push forward. That’s interesting about the cat and dog. Had they met before? Cats are so unpredictable, yet very territorial. Glad they both are OK. “The movements we make to relieve the discomfort” absolutely affect the outcome and what we think about the outcome. We can tell ourselves we are making progress but in reality we may not be. I’m fascinated….
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I would argue that there are many types of movement. The reason I added the dog and cat story was to illustrate that. The cat certainly “moved.” The dog didn’t do much physical movement, but I bet he changed his way of thinking about cats. He made mental adjustments. Maybe next time he will attack first, or maybe run away.
When very stressed, I also “hole up” as a default setting. That doesn’t mean I’m not experiencing movement. After a very stressful summer last year, despite my crawling into my shell for a while, I think I got a whole new perspective on life. And many changes (movements) occurred, from the most basic (like what I eat, the exercise I get) to the most intangible (who and what are most important to me, even how I pray). My priorities moved. That’s not to say they got better or worse. They just moved. Even digging deeper into one’s own rut is a type of movement. I was only saying that discomfort tends to make us experience more movement. In other words–if you are happy, why change anything? If you are challenged, you try to find a way out or at least a way to avoid discomfort in the future. Just an opinion. We are all so different.
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I think you nailed it with the why change anything if one is comfortable idea. You are also right in that movement is movement, positive or negative. During times of stress, I find that I tend to hole up and not want interaction. This even involved for a time a bit of agoraphobia, a preference to stay in rather than risk running into people outside my comfort zone of home. I’d never experienced anything like this until a certain traumatic event occurred a few years ago. I was baffled by it because I’d never before felt like I wanted to hide. I watched myself go through the process of healing, and slowly losing the desire to hole up. My priorities changed, too. It was a long process. Our recent experiences absolutely have a way of clarifying priorities.
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Hi Karen. It depends whether we’re willing to learn from those hard times and lessons. But yes mostly, I think when we push through challenges we grow. Hugs 🌸
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I think it’s very true, that sometimes we don’t learn from our lessons and/or mistakes. We are all wired differently, and we process in various ways, but for a while, the pain can be too great to overcome. We may learn later, in hindsight, after reflection when the pain lessens. I like this quote because it makes me think of our differences. Human behavior is endlessly fascinating. Hugs to you. ❤
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