Falling Upward by Richard Rohr Summary
Overview of Falling Upward
In "Falling Upward," Franciscan friar Richard Rohr reveals why life's failures and crises are actually spiritual catalysts. Studied in gerontology programs and praised across spiritual communities, this 2011 masterpiece asks: What if your greatest "falling" becomes your most profound rising?
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Key takeaways
Why Your Greatest Failure Might Be Your Best Teacher
What if everything you thought was falling apart was actually falling into place? Consider the executive who loses a high-powered job only to discover a calling for teaching, or the person whose health crisis becomes the doorway to deeper self-awareness. We live in a world that worships achievement and fears failure, yet something strange happens when life refuses to follow our carefully laid plans. The container we've spent decades building-our career, our identity, our certainties-suddenly cracks open. And through those cracks, an unexpected light begins to enter. This is the radical proposition at the heart of spiritual transformation: that life unfolds in two distinct halves with fundamentally different tasks, and the transition between them often requires exactly the kind of falling we spend the first half trying to avoid. The first half focuses on building a strong container-establishing identity, creating security, finding our place in the world. But eventually, that container must break open before we can discover what it was meant to hold all along.
The Architecture of Identity: Building Your First Container
The Inevitable Stumbling: When Control Becomes the Problem
The Wisdom of Wounds: Necessary Suffering and Sacred Scars
Remembering Who You've Always Been: The Journey Home
Beyond Either-Or: The Freedom of Second Simplicity
The Gift Hidden in the Fall: Your Life Waiting to Be Lived
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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