Maitri and Karuna, and Sly & The Family Stone
The ocean of cosmic forces
rising in and falling out;
a wave cannot crash into itself.
Mystery and possibility in play;
terror at the edge of awareness
begging questions to unravel
the conceptual knots of I, me, and mine.
Living is a supreme courage,
invited upon us
whether by chance or fate or necessity.
We are breathing each other's breath
gripped by gravity
climbing over each other
no meaningful distance closer to the sun
no meaningful distance further from our graves.
What kind of hardness must we endure,
to kill tenderness and warmth?
To shield ourselves from pain
we dehumanize each other;
we make objects out of other living creatures.
We sacrifice our dignity to deny it in others.
We shrink our love of life,
with every indifferent act.
A joyless and pitiful prison our comfort has made
so lonely and afraid of what we most need and crave,
we covet validation and tremble at rejection.
Connections that nurture remind us
we have traded for convenience, for profit, and security.
softens the meanness and turmoil of life
reminding us of what cannot be gained or lost.
Broken hearts, lives lost, and every dream deferred
power and possibility remain undiminished.
Nothing but our own ignorance, fear, and indolence
can keep us from a world awake
uncompromisingly devoted to fostering
love, equity, and justice.
No heavenly or extraterrestrial presence required,
we will see this world rebirthed through effort of
Everday People (Sly & The Family Stone).