Parker Palmer begins the first chapter of On the Brink of Everything by describing how he came to the title of his book. He starts with dictionary definitions of “on the brink” noting that most of them are negative.
I’m not sure why most uses of the phrase are negative—as in on the brink of giving up, or losing my mind, or going to war—even though it can be used positively. Perhaps it’s because, deep in the reptilian brain, we’re afraid of falling from heights or crossing boundaries into the unknown. But isn’t it possible that we’re on the brink of flying free, or discovering something of beauty, or finding peace and joy?
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