It always seems to be the case that just when we reach the pinnacle of our own haughty, inestimable self-worth, something humbling comes along to knock us off our lofty pedestals. Reeling, we then fall back to the cold, hard ground where cruel reality rules with an iron fist. Let me lay out a few embarrassing situations from my own life. - The time I thought that two women were interested in me at the same time. I treated them both like crap and ended up with neither. (Actually this scenario has played out twice in my life.)
- The time I thought that I had won a prestigious undergraduate award, which I used to pronounce my greatness, only to find out that the selection committee ultimately decided to go in a different direction.
- The time I was an NBA free agent and let my ego drive me to come across as the biggest princess on the planet.
So, the key question is this. When you are chopped down and land on your hind end, what do you take away from the experience? Well, if I judge by my own track record, apparently nothing. For it seems that once brought down to size, I immediately start to climb right back up the mountain with my eye toward the top. So the better question is this. When you are chopped down and land on your hind end, what should you take away from the experience? For if you don't learn the lessons of history, you are doomed to repeat its mistakes over and over and over again.
