A little bit
Of shame
Goes along
Weigh
Too much
With blinders
Knot visible
In a sense
Lost
To over looking
As awe full as life is
This poem is about the overabundance of shame, a tail as owed as time that wags the dog. Shame is one of the all-time popular weighs of controlling others. Shame is a lazy substitute for inspiration. Inspiration comes with a whole lot of work, such as patience, integrity, passion, and compassion. Shame is a seductive shortcut that cheats us out of the beauty full results of worthy effort. In essence, shaming others is shaming ourselves. As they say: you can’t point your finger at someone else without pointing four fingers back at yourself. Relying on inspiration and example is a much better weigh. There is a tribe in Africa where anytime a member commits some offense, they surround them and pummel them with every good thing about them, a wellness practice very telling. Social psychology has well documented that focusing on building assets is more productive than focusing on deficits. The rhythms of the human soul seem to be much more in tune with inspiration and positive regard than shame, criticism, and punishment. In theological terms, this might be simply stated that good is stronger than evil. Traditional religion often betrays this belief by focusing on original sin rather than original blessing; that is, accenting our inherent falling short rather than our inherent goodness. May you readily see the goodness in yourself and others, and faithfully live out of our better portion.
