Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves Of Life

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This free fall calculator is a tool for finding the velocity of a falling object along with the distance it travels. Thanks to this tool, you can apply the free fall equation for any object, be it an apple you drop or a person skydiving.

Offers a refreshing critique of culture – and sometimes church-based values so often imprisoned in a ‘first life’ sensibility . . . Rohr sees the arc of ageing as bewilderingly complex, shifting, unquantifiable and tragic in the truest sense of the word: the art of dying becomes the crowning glory of human life itself, the only route, it seems, to our eternal home. - Manna Magazine Still not sure how our free fall calculator works? Don't worry – we prepared a simple example to walk you through it. Identifying what makes us significant, figuring out how we’ll support ourselves, finding people to accompany us through life – these are first-half-of-life concerns. We must do these things to create the “container” for our life. In Falling Upward, Fr Richard Rohr offers a new understanding of one of life’s most profound mysteries: how our failing can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth. Drawing on the wisdom from time-honoured myths, heroic poems, great thinkers and scared religious texts, the author explores the two halves of life to show that those who have fallen, failed, or ‘gone down’ are the only ones who understand ‘up’. The heartbreaks, disappointments and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half has in store for us.However, Rohr here presents a book consisting almost exclusively of universalist, Jungian reflections on a journey to self-actualization, and drapes it in a veneer of Christianity. While I would have still disagreed with him, I would not have been so frustrated with the book had he simply called it what it was. Most people confuse their life situation with their actual life, which is an underlying flow beneath the everyday events.” Rohr tries to use exceptions to make the rule, in the case of “salvation.” He says that because there are mentally ill people, we can’t believe “any of our theories about the necessity of some kind of correct thinking as the definition of ‘salvation.’” The above list is not exhaustive. I’ll summarize by saying this: It’s not just that I disagree with the Rohr (which I expect to some degree with any author) it’s that he pretends to write with humility yet comes across constantly with an air of superiority. He says things like, “It is very surprising to me that so many Christians who read the Scriptures do not see this” as he explains that you must leave any religion or system to truly mature since these systems and faiths are too limiting. He tells us that if our view of heaven excludes anyone (i.e. if it isn’t universalism) then it is not heaven. So now Rohr gets to define heaven instead of the Creator of Heaven defining it.

If you welcome the second half of life, this is what you will find: you learn to hear "a deeper voice of God" than you heard before. "It will sound an awful lot like the voices of risk, of trust, of surrender, of soul, of 'common sense,' of destiny, of love, of an intimate stranger, of your deepest self." You can hear this voice in the second half of life precisely because of all the work you did in the first half; your very self is now a container strong enough to hold the call of the intimate stranger. You find that you can let go of things—pain, judgments, even the need to make judgments. You may find that you are reading a lot of poetry; you may find that you are reading the mystics, who seemed opaque to you before. There is a gravitas in this second half of life, writes Rohr, but it is "held up by a much deeper lightness." The book is not simplistic. It is I who am cramming the whole thesis into a nutshell for the sake of time and tide – which always changing, wait for no man. The two tasks are as follows. The first is where we establish our primary identity, including a career, personal values, relationships, etc. Read on to learn the free fall definition and discover the most daring examples, including the highest free fall in history (spoiler alert: it broke the sound barrier)! We'll also explain what free fall acceleration is and why we assume it's constant. It has been a long time since I wrote in the margins of a book, or even underlined anything. I found myself pulling out a pen to highlight much of what Father Rohr had to say. I give away almost every book I read. But this one is a keeper. Rohr writes about the two halves of life, focusing on the second half--the half more neglected by society, but the wisdom of which is desperately needed. He explains what should, but often doesn't happen in that first half of life; the consequences of our permanent cultural adolescence, and how we might grow beyond that adolescence into full, free, grace-filled selves.He writes that Jesus praised faith and trust more than love. Really? Where in the Bible did he find that? A death full of bells and accumulated bangles is likely to load us down to towards a Hell custom-made for those who “want it all." It is no secret to those who know me well that I have become increasingly dis-enfranchised with my church experience in recent years. Rohr explained for me much of my dissatisfaction within this "upward falling" phenomenon. In fact, his treatment of much of organized religion, although indicting, was also quite gracious. He suggests that "most groups and institutions (including churches) are first-half-of-life structures that are necessarily concerned with identity, boundaries, self-maintenance, self-perpetuation, and self-congratulation". If we recognize this, it guards us from losing hope by having false expectations and expecting, or even demanding, what these groups cannot give. It follows, of course, that to judge or condemn these organizations is proof that we are still likely first-half-of-life people. Rohr goes on to suggest that "in the second-half-of-life, you can actually bless others in what they feel they must do, allow them to do what they must do, challenge them if they are hurting themselves or others - but you can no longer join them in the first half of life." This reflected very closely my recent ability to inwardly bless and wish my best friend success in his recent joining of our church board - the same church board that I recently left for what I now sense are many of the reasons Rohr seems to cover in this book. Important thing: the two halves of life aren’t related to age. Some people – particularly those who have suffered in some way – enter the second half of life early, even as children. Others get there much later in life, or not at all. This book is a guide for realizing your path, shedding your excess and becoming wiser. Its definitely not suited for most people under 40. As it states, it defines and targets the second phase of ones life; where most of the tools in your toolbox from the first phase (that were so useful in excelling in life and constructing your shell), simply won't work. This book focuses on the meaning of ones naked existence (without titles, riches, possessions); the role of evil, the difference between suffering and enduring. Its a great book if you are at a point in life where you are counting your gains and losses, and ready to dive into a new adventure behind the looking glass.