Loney Places

“Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.”

~ John le Carre

I remember the first time I read this quote I wondered why it only alludes to a pinnacle and valley floor. What about the abyss?

After all, it is a place we have all known—perhaps only briefly, but know it we have. Some of us have been in freefall in that hideous void many times over. Each time we find our way out we may emerge exhausted, but we are also stronger; more fit and able to move forward in life—more experienced and capable… unless we choose to ignore where we have been. If we can own it without bitterness and regret—if we can claim the gain and let the misery fall away we will grow and ultimately work our way to new ground—places of greater wonder, beauty and security.

In this life we will never be infallible, but we can be better. If we keep it personal and never measure our progress against that of another. To me this is the heart of the quote: “… we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.”