Flight of Paradox: Embracing the Heights and the Abyss

Flight over the abyss is an astonishing blend of energy and conflicting emotions, where every moment is filled simultaneously with exhilaration and anxiety. At first, an indescribable lightness is felt, as if the body is being freed from gravity, and the mind expands to seemingly impossible limits, much like a dream in which every cell experiences a surge of freedom and joy. It is a time when familiar boundaries vanish, giving way to a feeling of limitless possibilities and oneness with the surrounding world. Yet, at the edge of this ecstasy, there lurks a sensation that can only be described as the fear of the abyss. The ascent into the air tempts like an invitation to a celebration of altitude, but a glance downward sears with the heat of inner anxiety, reminding us of the inevitable fragility of existence. These two poles—the desire to soar toward the sky and the terror of falling—create a riveting struggle, where the yearning to discover new horizons clashes with the awareness of mortality. Thus, flight becomes a symbol of dual reality: on one hand, it opens up a transcendent world free of mundane limitations, and on the other, it clearly demonstrates how close we are to the boundary between life and death. This emotional mix, overflowing with passion and persistence, prompts one to reflect on the value of every moment spent in a dance with an inevitable yet enticing flight.

Which emotions can be compared to the sensation of flying over an abyss, and what might they symbolize?

When comparing the feeling of flying over an abyss, one can distinguish a whole spectrum of emotions where exhilaration and horror, freedom and danger intertwine. On one hand, it is a sense of exaltation, when the body loses its weight and the mind expands so enormously that familiar boundaries vanish—comparable to flying in a dream, where a lightness and an inexplicable joy permit the experience of a moment of absolute freedom and unity with the world. This sensation is described as follows:

"An overall feeling of lightness begins: the body has lost its weight. This sensation can hardly be compared to anything other than flying in a dream, when will directly moves the body. I don’t know what a scale would show if one attempted to weigh oneself in such ecstasy..." (source: link )

On the other hand, a contradictory feeling emerges when, despite the allure of heights, a person experiences an overwhelming fear of the abyss; a state where horror and panic battle against the thrilling sensation of elevation. Here, the infinity below repels and instills apprehension, while the infinity above beckons and reassures, creating an internal conflict between the urge to ascend and the compulsion to look down—symbolizing the struggle between life and death, between safety and the risky need for self-negation:

"Such a height, which I could never have imagined. – I can’t even tell whether I see anything down there in that bottomless abyss... The infinity below repels and terrifies me; the infinity above attracts and reassures me." (source: link )

Thus, in a symbolic sense, the sensation of flying over an abyss can express both a reverence for the transcendent, a longing to break free from earthly limitations, and an acknowledgment of one’s own mortality. On one hand, it symbolizes the drive to move beyond the ordinary and open new horizons of consciousness; on the other, it serves as a reminder of the fragility of existence, where every step in altitude is imbued with danger and the inevitable confrontation with the abyss.

Supporting citation(s):
"An overall feeling of lightness begins: the body has lost its weight. This sensation can hardly be compared to anything other than flying in a dream, when will directly moves the body..." (source: link )
"Such a height, which I could never have imagined. – I can’t even tell whether I see anything down there in that bottomless abyss... The infinity below repels and terrifies me; the infinity above attracts and reassures me." (source: link )