The dissonance between what is in our hearts
and the so called realities of human existence
can drive us to despair and make us question
why we were ever born.
The rulers of this earth have tried to commoditize life’s music
and make it over in their own ruthless image
have twisted religion and politics
to suit their endless need for wealth and power.
Those of us who feel art and compassion above all
are at a loss to comprehend their game
when we sit penitently in some job interview
hoping for a crumb to feed our mortal bodies.
The functionaries who met out these jarring beats
the unhappy middlemen who decide our fate
use the comfort they are granted as a shield
and hope their children achieve the dreams they abandoned.
But it is this discord that leads us to hear
such beautiful melodies and see bold colours
for no-one who has never been denied
can hear the sweet song of hope.
If our world were paradise
and there were never any wars
it would be because everything was
perfectly clear.
If all were understood art would die
it is only because we are free to interpret
and carry on a search for meaning that we can transcend
the boundaries of the callous rationalism we endure.
and the so called realities of human existence
can drive us to despair and make us question
why we were ever born.
The rulers of this earth have tried to commoditize life’s music
and make it over in their own ruthless image
have twisted religion and politics
to suit their endless need for wealth and power.
Those of us who feel art and compassion above all
are at a loss to comprehend their game
when we sit penitently in some job interview
hoping for a crumb to feed our mortal bodies.
The functionaries who met out these jarring beats
the unhappy middlemen who decide our fate
use the comfort they are granted as a shield
and hope their children achieve the dreams they abandoned.
But it is this discord that leads us to hear
such beautiful melodies and see bold colours
for no-one who has never been denied
can hear the sweet song of hope.
If our world were paradise
and there were never any wars
it would be because everything was
perfectly clear.
If all were understood art would die
it is only because we are free to interpret
and carry on a search for meaning that we can transcend
the boundaries of the callous rationalism we endure.
9 comments:
I really like what you're getting at in the latter half. Understanding is reached by misunderstanding first.
When the monk pointed at the moon and said 'this finger is not the moon' he knew that the first step would be confusion, the first step towards knowledge.
I too think the latter half is genius.
The former not so much.
In the end, it is you who makes change, it is you who has choice, it is you who prospers or dies.
No one else has a say in that.
And that statement even recognises the iniquity of injustice and maldistribution, and the fact that most outcomes are related to the lot that one has been given.
But even a morsel is a gift if conceived in dignity.
And can I also say that I sometimes like the callous rationalism.
Hee hee hee...
What do you mean by "normal" is imposed by people who hold the chequebooks?
Am-big-you-itty
Dissonance
Is that why when I drive to work every morning admist the angry drivers who are already angry by 8:06 am I say to myself "why am I doing this" and "I gotta get out of here".
Then I arrive and get excited about my students quoting Socrates.
ha! or, as whitman put it, the look of the bay mare shames all silliness out of me.
I too need a dose of callous rationalism to slap me in the face sometimes.
that was well written. i've thought those thoughts a million times over. *sigh*
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