Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken.

Hear, O children of time, the words of D. H. Lawrence: “Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken.” These words, like a flame upon the mountain, shine with both warning and promise. For they tell us that to live is not to remain idle, nor to walk forever upon well-worn paths. To live is to journey, step by step, until we reach the precipice where all that we know ends—and there, with trembling heart, we must leap into the realm of the unknown. Such is the destiny of every soul: to walk until knowledge can take us no further, and then to entrust ourselves to courage, faith, and daring.

The ancients knew this truth well. Did not Odysseus sail beyond the familiar seas, guided only by the stars, into waters that men feared? Did not the prophets leave their homelands, stepping into deserts without map or certainty? Every great soul has reached a frontier of the known, and there faced the abyss. It is at such thresholds that life is revealed not as comfort, but as challenge; not as a mere keeping of the fire, but as the daring of the flame leaping higher into the night sky.

The travelling is long, and it is often filled with hardship. One gathers knowledge as a traveler gathers provisions: wisdom from books, lessons from toil, scars from mistakes, and clarity from moments of truth. Yet, knowledge alone cannot bring the fullness of life. Knowledge can take us to the edge, but never beyond. At that final ledge, logic falters, calculation grows weak, and only the leap of spirit remains. It is the leap of trust, the leap of invention, the leap of love, the leap of faith in what is not yet seen.

Consider the tale of the Wright brothers, those humble bicycle makers of America. They studied the science of flight with zeal, gathering all the knowledge they could—measurements, equations, designs. Yet when the time came, when they stood before the trembling craft upon the sands of Kitty Hawk, knowledge could take them no further. They had reached the edge. To fly required the leap—the trust in their creation, the daring to risk ridicule, failure, even death. And when they leapt, humanity soared with them, and the sky itself became a new dwelling place.

So too is it with every soul. Each of us must journey to the limits of our understanding, whether in love, in work, in art, or in faith. There comes a moment when the heart says: You cannot know what lies beyond—yet you must leap. This leap is the essence of creation, the seed of every new beginning. Without it, life shrinks into safety; with it, life blossoms into greatness. For what is life, if not the union of reason and daring, of wisdom and courage?

Thus, the lesson is clear: do not fear the edge of knowledge. Seek it out. Walk steadily toward it, gathering all the light of wisdom you can carry. And when you arrive, do not despair that reason can take you no further. Rejoice! For it is here that the adventure truly begins. It is here that the soul finds its wings.

What then must you do? Train your mind, so that your journey to the edge is strong. Read, learn, question, and grow in understanding. But also train your heart—cultivate courage, faith, and boldness. When life places before you the choice of leaping or retreating, leap. Leap into love even when fear whispers. Leap into new creation even when failure threatens. Leap into the future though it is veiled in mist. For only in leaping will you discover that you were not falling into darkness, but rising into a new dawn.

Therefore, remember Lawrence’s words. Life is not a stagnant pool; it is a river flowing toward the sea of the unknown. Walk its banks with wisdom, but when the river ends, take the leap. For in that moment, you are most alive, most human, most divine.