Virtues-2022 October

 
Virtues (2022 October)
 
We rarely hear, in the media,
Or even homes or schools,
About the virtues. Those who dwell
On these are seen as fools.
 
And yet, throughout our history,
However torched with grief
From humans harming humans, these
Were part of our belief.
 
What substitutes for decency—
For being of help when needed,
For being honest, diligent,
Attentive, brave—and patient?
 
Knowledge helps—and ignorance
Impedes, but wisdom’s art
Consists of seeing deeper, through
the “sights” of mind and heart.
 
It does not matter “who” we are—
Our “races”, faiths or creeds—
The wealth we have or lack of it.
What matters are our deeds—
 
And also words—that issue from
The feeling and the thought.
Our words and deeds are shaped by these,
Informed by what we’re taught,
 
Combined with “instincts” that we have –
Capacities within—
That grow, as we discern and act,
And lead to “good” or “sin”.
 
******
 
Fear and anger, love and hate,
Fairness and compassion—
Hunger in its many forms,
And greed and lust and passion—
 
These rise from drives and feelings that
We all possess—and need.
But there’s a range and balance, which
We each should sense—and heed.
 
When anger lasts and turns to hate,
Or hunger turns to greed—
When fear becomes anxiety, then
It’s time to pause the “feed”.
 
Awareness of ourselves is what
Is often dulled, neglected.
What others “are” should also be
Discerned—and then respected.
 
And that is where a discipline,
That’s gentle, serves as well.
This helps to curb excesses, when
We’re deaf to the warning bell.
 
An infant throws its tantrums. So
It gets, perhaps, its way.
An older child should realize
That others too have say.
 
And here again, the virtues, which
Were listed at the start,
Can guide us in the words and deeds
That come from mind and heart.
 
2022 October 11, Tue.
Brooklyn, New York
 

A Precious Thing

 
A Precious Thing
 
Appreciate the ones who are sincere,
Who think of others, not of just themselves,
Who do their work with diligence and care,
Who see the good in others, not just faults,
Who look beneath the surface, see the grays—
Remember what they owe, are slow to judge—
And speak and act with kindness, seeking still
The truth in full—and not convenient part,
Rejecting falsehoods and eschewing hate,
And seeing, in the “other”, also self.
 
To varying degrees, we see these things,
As well as opposites, in the ones around
Who’re neither saints nor devils, but a mix
Of virtues and of vices, old and new.
 
Courage joined with kindness can be rare—
And that is why it is a precious thing.
 
2022 June 6, Mon.
Brooklyn, New York

Virtues

Virtues
 
What substitutes are there for caring, truth—
For courage and for vision, wide and deep?
What doctrine can replace our empathy?
What law, the sense for fairness, equity?
 
Can supervision make us diligent—
In all the matters where attention counts?
What substitute is there for honesty?
Can “training” truly open hearts and minds?

 
There is a place for slowing, gentleness—
For acts of kindness born from looking deep.
Embrace the new and welcome it—and yet
Remember that the old is ours to keep.

Among the things that humans long have prized
Are all the virtues that were recognized
In ancient times. Though vices new appear,
We need those virtues still—and always will.

 
2022 June 1^st, Wed.
Brooklyn, New York

Freedom-2022-05-05

Freedom
 
Freedom is a vital thing
That’s dear to young and old.
Freedom is a precious thing
That can’t be bought or sold.
Yet freedom can be snatched away—
Or taken bit by bit.
When freedom’s lost or threatened, then
It’s time for actions bold.
 
There’s servitude, to those who wield
The whip, the rod, the gun;
Indenture, too—to those with snares
And webs of debt they’ve spun—
And labor, for the wage that’s earned
On terms befitting serfs.
And then there is dependence on
The beneficent one.
 
These all are forms of slavery.
To varying degrees,
We each are captives, happenstance,
Or humbled, on our knees,
To those adept at trickery
Or playing on our fears.
Arise, arise—to liberty,
So tyrannies may cease!
 
The tyranny of masters, be
They private or the states;
The tyranny of lenders, who
Extract usurious rates;
The tyranny of doctrines,
Administered by “priests”—
It matters not. Beware of those
Who “own” the others’ fates.
 

If Fortune gives you fortune, friend,
Or if you're fortune's earned—
Do use it humbly, kindly—
So your fortune then is turned
To that of others. If instead
Your fate is that of labor,
Then give, to others, service that
Will surely not be spurned.
 

The “owners” and the “workers”: both

Have rights—and both have faults.
Be fair, be just, in what you do—
With service—as with vaults.
Open up your eyes and heart.
Be wary—yet be kind.
Be neither slave nor master. Taste
Of freedom’s vital salts.
 
But wait! Beware, my patient friend,
Of those who say they act
In freedom’s name—and boast of this,
When what they do, in fact,
Is in pursuit of power, wealth—
But cloaked in freedom's garb.
Do not be fooled by merchants. Keep
Your soul—and sense—intact.
 
2022, May 5^th, Thu.
Brooklyn, New York