{"id":1238,"date":"2013-12-06T14:44:41","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T19:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/?p=1238"},"modified":"2013-12-06T14:44:41","modified_gmt":"2013-12-06T19:44:41","slug":"poem-getting-it-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/06\/poem-getting-it-together\/","title":{"rendered":"POEM: Getting It Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

I see tragedy in the world<\/span>
\nNot as the enemy<\/span>
\nTo be retreated from<\/span>
\nNor as an accident<\/span>
\nCaptivating my perverse stares<\/span>
\nRather a musing<\/span>
\nThese puzzling pieces<\/span>
\nOf my heart<\/span>
\nShuttered into a million pieces<\/span>
\nIn chanting invitations<\/span>
\nEntranced overtures<\/span>
\nMoving beyond words<\/span>
\nAs a gait way<\/span>
\nTo the presents<\/span>
\nOf an unbroken whole<\/span><\/p>\n

This is yet another poem about hope, a familiar theme of mine.\u00a0 With all of the tragedy in the world, it can be difficult to have a light heart.\u00a0 I often muse that I have to laugh to keep from crying.\u00a0 This seems to me to be a basic choice of perspective to bring to life.\u00a0 How should I orient my attitude in life?\u00a0 Staring at tragedy can become a perverse rubber-necking, like seeing a wreck that you can’t seem to take your eyes off.\u00a0 My personality is built in such a way that I easily see the falling short of any given situation compared to some more perfect ideal, or even the being aware of multiple perspectives or choices that are equally inane, in some banal equivalency.\u00a0 The former is a perspective of idealism.\u00a0 The latter tempts infinite forms of nihilism, all leading the same place: nowhere.\u00a0 Perhaps needless to say, I identify much more strongly with idealism.\u00a0 I deal with -isms all the time!\u00a0 For me, the decisive factor in choosing between idealism and nihilism is a devotion to a positive outlook.\u00a0 Great minds have pondered the tally between good and evil, and it seems that it may be a close call.\u00a0 Some try to escape the question by believing that it doesn’t matter, that it’s all the same.\u00a0 Of course, it does matter what we believe.\u00a0 Some times believing is seeing.\u00a0 I’m betting my life that good is stronger than evil, or simply that I am going to try really hard to be on the side of good.\u00a0 I see a major developmental task in life as sorting out my relationship with the One, which some may call God, perhaps Tao, or even hope.\u00a0 This always takes place in context of the myriad of things, the many, the stuff of our everyday life.\u00a0 This poem alludes to our hearts being shattered and shuttered into a million pieces.\u00a0 The poem ends with the epic allure of an unbroken whole, or perhaps, within human capabilities, healing and reconciliation of broken and estranged people.\u00a0 The transition, the path, the opening between, mere musings and such a desired positive state, is filled with invitations\/overtures, most of which will go unanswered\/unfulfilled, and movement beyond words to action.\u00a0 This requires taking the lead.\u00a0 This requires inviting people to be better when being worse seems much more plausible or practical.\u00a0 This requires my own volition of acting better when being worse seems much more plausible or practical.\u00a0 My best, most simple definition of leadership is this: bringing out the best in others.\u00a0 I have hope because it brings the best out in me.\u00a0 May our highest hopes incarnate hope for one another.\u00a0 Make it so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I see tragedy in the world Not as the enemy To be retreated from Nor as an accident Captivating my perverse stares Rather a musing These puzzling pieces Of my heart Shuttered into a million pieces In chanting invitations Entranced … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[353,336,392,65,497,431,388,499,313,146,359,552,16,467,354,658,94,498,186,320,529],"class_list":["post-1238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems","category-political-and-philosophical-musings","tag-attitude","tag-choices","tag-evil","tag-god","tag-healing","tag-heart","tag-hope","tag-idealism","tag-inane","tag-leadership","tag-life","tag-muse","tag-musings","tag-nihilism","tag-perspective","tag-poems","tag-poetry","tag-reconciliation","tag-state","tag-tao","tag-time"],"yoast_head":"\nPOEM: Getting It Together | Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! 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