The more important something is,
The more important it allows itself to be tested.
And that we allow that testing graciously,
Whether or not the test itself was particularly courteous.
The inevitable difference,
Between ‘the big picture’,
And the reality seen by those within,
Is almost always a matter of perspective lost,
Sometimes willfully,
By those who use that term,
To deny the consequences of actions or policies.
“Not knowing is much more interesting than believing an answer which might be wrong.”
- Richard Feynman
There is something wrong with a society,
Which constantly tries to convince us,
Of our own unhappiness,
Always promising,
We will be happy,
Only if . . .
The universe is vast and incredibly complex.
We use religions and philosophies,
Approximations of a wider reality,
To reduce it to a manageable shape,
Safer and more comfortable,
For our understanding.
It is all we can do.
But problems come when we deny this to ourselves,
And stop refining our worldview,
Thinking it truly accurate and complete,
As our egos become ever more bound into our perceptions,
And beliefs,
And so we close our minds.
In so doing,
And not admitting to ourselves,
That our perception is distorted by the filter of belief and experience,
We intentionally limit our understanding of the world,
Sabotaging our attempts to interact with it.
The more things change,
Or the worse we feel things become,
The more we isolate ourselves,
Seeking an illusion of safety and security,
Losing ourselves,
Within familiar and certain walls,
Cut off from the wider reality around us.
We are all products of the society that birthed us.
Something we would do well to remember,
When reflecting on our actions as well as those of the people around us;
Our beliefs and perceptions too.
Global warming doesn’t matter.
It’s a distraction,
A symptom of a larger problem,
And, real or imagined,
Doesn’t change what must be done.
Our world is finite,
Contained,
And nothing can be consumed endlessly.
One change touches everything,
Altering it, for good or ill,
In ways we cannot always predict.
It is folly to believe otherwise.
We are living beyond our means,
On credit,
And, sooner or later,
Our bill will become due.
We must act before that time comes,
To moderate ourselves and our desires,
If, as a species, we are to survive.
Do you want a reward for doing the right thing?
For serving life?
Congratulations, honour, an eternal afterlife or a place in the history books?
There are no certain rewards for such service.
There is only more to do,
Always.
For everything there is a cost.
Of action and inaction,
Which path leads to the least harm?
All we can do is decide,
In each moment,
With the information we have at the time,
And have the courage and honesty,
To look past our beliefs and assumptions,
When we do so.
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