Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Knowledge


What we need to know is small.
What we want to know is more. 
What we'll never know is vast.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Four Walls


The first wall we build
protects us from people
who want to hurt us.

The second wall we build
protects us from those
who want to criticize us.

The third wall we build
protects us from those
who want to control us.

The fourth wall we build
protects us from those
who want to help us.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Live It


Peace of mind
comes with age --
and also the desire
to pass it along
to those who have
not so much of it.

The problem is that
it's nontransferable.

The best way
to pass it along
is to live it.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

No Book


No book has been written
that contains the whole truth.

The whole truth cannot be told
in words.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

We Are All Trees


Every tree is
a slow river of light

flowing through
a delta of roots

to the ocean
of ground beyond.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Black and White


Magenta, cyan, and yellow
combine to make black.

Red, green, and blue
combine to make white.

The colors of the rainbow
live and breathe inside
every black-and-white debate.

Either black-and-white thinking
or willful ignorance keeps us
from accepting this.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

You and You


Open any door,
and you are already there.

Climb any mountain
and meet yourself at the summit.

Cross any ocean
and wave to yourself on the shore.

There's the you that's always arriving,
and the you that's at home everywhere.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Just Has to Be


How does a flower know
how to be a flower?

It doesn't have to know.
It just has to be.

We humans think
we're different.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Seeking Shelter


The first reason
we seek shelter
is the weather.

The second reason
is the threat of predators.

The third reason
is for intimacy.

The fourth reason
is for keeping secrets.

The last reason
is to be alone.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Time Matters


When measured
against all time,
nothing matters.

When measured
by this moment,
everything matters.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Up Hill


High places are dry, windy, and cold.
Valleys are prone to floods and drought.
Mountainsides are the most testing terrain.

Friday, July 19, 2013

What to Do, What to Do


What should we do
about poor people?

Should we shoot them
when they reach a certain age?

Should we shut them away
in a cardboard box somewhere?

Should we con them
out of what little they own?

Should we make them
live in filth and die in pain?

Should we ignore them
until they all just die away?

Should we even care about them
at all?

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Never Know


We never know who we really are.
That's the greatest mystery of all.

If we ever found out who we really were,
we'd realize who everyone else really was.

If we discovered who everyone else really was,
we'd have to sit down and fan ourselves.

Because that's when we'd figure out
who God really is.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Just Because


Just because wealth or
power or prejudice or
fear or ignorance or
distance or religion or
race or language or
orientation or gender or
age or difference or
poverty or disability or
hate or disinterest
makes us think we are not
one with each other
doesn't change the fact
that we are.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sooner or Later


Just because
you take away
a man's voice,
don't think you've
silenced him.

Just because
you deny
a woman her vote,
don't think you've
defeated her.

Enough people
will always win
against money.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Edge of Life


Rough creates smooth.
Soft creates hard.

Opposites make one other.
They mark the edges of our lives.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Eye Witness


Some things are easy to see,
but hard to understand.

Some are hard to watch,
but easy to comprehend.

Some things require
no vision at all.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Body Life


One body. One life.
Many bodies. Many lives.

One body. Many lives.
Many bodies. One life.

There are many ways
to recognize ourselves.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Tao Within


When I give myself
time to myself,
I learn about myself.

When I venture out
into the world,
I learn about Tao.

When I discover
Tao around me,
I discover Tao within.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Demanding Perfection


The only time to demand
perfection from others is
when I'm perfect myself.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Three Paradoxes


Shadows arise from light.
Greed begins in abundance.
Triumph hides inside defeat.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Family


Family can run
shallow or deep.

Both bring benefits.
Both bring pain.

Shallow ties are
easy to escape.

Deep ties embed
a solid foundation.

Shallow ties come
to mean little.

Deep ties leave scars
all the way to the bone.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Every Pattern Wears Out


We are creatures of pattern.
We constantly scan for repetition.

Repetition turns into patterns.
Patterns turn into reliability.

Reliability turns into reliance.
Reliance turns into expectations.

Expectations turn into old paths
leading into a dense forest.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Designed to Heal


Meanness is not hereditary.
Compassion is not a disease.

We're not designed to hurt.
We're designed to heal.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Footprints


Wherever we go,
whatever we do,
whoever we meet,
we will not last.

Whatever we leave
will not last, either.
The earth will absorb it.
The universe will rub it away.

This is why our footprints
are not for the universe.
They're for all of those who
are coming along behind.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

New Nation


Competition
should make us better,
not more deadly.

Independence
should free us to serve,
not to manipulate.

Prosperity
should coax us to share,
not to horde in fear.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Left Behind


What is left behind
when we make
a turn in our lives?

Nothing.

This moment is
all we ever had
to begin with.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Foothold


Every foot,
every root,
every claw
is one more
of the ten
thousand
things
holding
on.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Gate Keeper


The gates we leave open
reveal what we think we lack.

The gates we keep closed
reveal what we're afraid to lose.