I said that Bernard’s metaphor of a canal-like life suggests a fixed stream, without a living source, stagnant, and self-contained.
How does that happen in our lives?
Fear can strangle fresh vision and hope. We can worry too much about shaping or mastering the future. We can spend all our time safe-guarding what we have.
Scarcity — real or imagined — can lead to hoarding and we can strangle the natural sense of openness and generosity that accompanies the act of loving and giving to others.
Addiction can close our lives off to others.
There are also other physical and situational factors that can lead to stagnation.
But what is critical to note about most canal-like life is this: More often than not it is a choice to live like a canal. Even in the face of true loss and grief, I have known people who were capable of choosing not to live that way. They have convinced me it isn’t necessary or inevitable to be a canal.