Indeed it is possible to stand with one foot on the inevitable

Douglas Fairbanks, the great silent-film hero, once declared: “Indeed it is possible to stand with one foot on the inevitable ‘banana peel’ of life with both eyes peering into the Great Beyond, and still be happy, comfortable, and serene – if we will even so much as smile.” These words, playful on the surface, carry the depth of ancient wisdom. He reminds us that though life is ever uncertain, precarious, and fleeting, the human spirit has the power to meet even mortality itself with serenity—and the key, astonishingly simple yet profound, lies in the act of the smile.

The ancients understood well the image Fairbanks painted. The Stoics of Rome often said that each man walks on the edge of fate, one step away from misfortune, one breath away from death. Yet they urged that this should not be a cause for despair, but rather an invitation to live with joy and courage. The “banana peel” is nothing more than a modern symbol for that ever-present uncertainty. Whether through illness, accident, betrayal, or the march of time, life keeps us forever on the edge of slipping. And yet, Fairbanks tells us, it is possible to be happy, comfortable, and serene, not by denying death or danger, but by smiling in the face of them.

History gives us radiant examples of this truth. Consider Socrates, who, when condemned to death by the city of Athens, drank the cup of poison with calmness upon his face. His students wept, but he smiled, reminding them that death was but a passage, not an end. He stood with both eyes peering into the Great Beyond, yet remained serene. His smile was not ignorance—it was mastery of fear, proof that the spirit is greater than the flesh. In his composure, he gave his disciples a gift more lasting than life itself: the assurance that peace can be chosen even on the edge of death.

Fairbanks himself was no stranger to hardship. Known as the embodiment of adventure and optimism in his films, he lived through an age of wars, depressions, and personal trials. Yet he carried a philosophy of cheerfulness that was more than mere performance. His quote reveals that beneath his swashbuckling roles was a belief deeply rooted in human resilience: that even as life slips away, the smile can be a defiance, a shield, and a song. To smile at fate is to declare that fate may claim the body, but never the spirit.

There is also in this teaching a practical wisdom. A smile, though small, alters the heart. It calms fear, eases suffering, and signals to the body and mind that peace is possible even in uncertainty. In the presence of danger, in the shadow of death, the muscles of the face rising into a smile can become a prayer of defiance. And when given to others, it becomes a gift of courage. To see a comrade smile in peril is to feel strength doubled, hope rekindled.

The lesson for us is clear: we cannot control the “banana peel” of life. Misfortune will come, age will advance, the Great Beyond awaits us all. But we can control how we meet it. Will we tremble? Will we despair? Or will we, like Fairbanks, choose to smile, and thus transform dread into serenity? The choice is ours each day, each hour, each breath.

Therefore, I say to you, children of tomorrow: train yourselves in the art of the smile. Use it not only in moments of ease, but especially when clouds gather. When you fall, rise smiling. When you face hardship, smile into its face. When the Great Beyond whispers, let your final gesture be a smile that tells the world you did not surrender your joy. For this is the highest victory—to walk through life’s uncertainty happy, comfortable, and serene, crowned not by circumstance, but by the courage to smile.

In this way, we honor Fairbanks’ words. In this way, we live as the ancients counseled. And in this way, even as one foot stands upon the peel of fate, we stride with dignity into eternity.