Hitting Bottom

Natalie Imbruglia's song Torn says it very well:

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn

Ever felt that way? Torn is a powerful song to me. It brings out thoughts and emotions that I often believe to be long gone. What could be closer to a nullified existence than being cold and shamed lying naked on the floor? Or is the experience of living extremely rich there because of what we learn when down and out?

And along the same lines as Ms. Imbruglia, the great Tyler Durden said that losing all hope is freedom. This is an interesting line of thinking to pursue. Theoretically, when one hits bottom, there is literally no place to go but up or sideways along the bottom. What intrigues me, however, is how we all fear hitting bottom. Yet how many successful people have been there? It's just part of the matrix in which we live.

Is it possible that there's nothing to be afraid of down there at rock bottom, so people who have run aground know that losing material possessions is not much of a consequence--they realize there is no reason to be afraid? I cannot imagine how profound that perception must be. Is this the reason that "rags to riches" stories are so commonplace? Which person would be incited to take more risk and accordingly reap greater rewards if successful, one who knows that he or she will be fine if everything is lost or the person who falsely believes they have something to lose in the first place?

I like to believe that I understand the concept, but for some reason, I just don't think it's deeply ingrained in me.

There are a few layers of thought here that I am not exploring, and my questions are not posed with exacting parity, but that is an intentional attempt to make a point. Namely, that regardless of what we earn or build, all things in this life are borrowed. A borrower is not an owner, and as a result, we have nothing to lose but the experience of living. Everything else is leveraged.

Regardless, I think we can all agree that Natalie Imbruglia is really, very, very smoking hot. Click HERE to buy Torn DRM free from Amazon.com.