What Separates

What separates us is not
so much what we have
as what we want.

What divides us is not
so much what we believe
as how we live.

What breaks us into pieces is not
so much our differences
as our common fears.

Where the Light Is

Forgiveness is like
a tree along a river.

The river is the pain
that washes through
every life.

The tree draws it
up by the roots
and raises it
into the leaves
where the light is.

House of Stone

If I build a house of stone,
every stone becomes my sentry.

If I build a fence of rocks,
every rock becomes my guard.

If I build a wall of hatred,
every brick becomes my judge.

Not Enough

Tao makes the
ten thousand things
new every moment.

If that isn't enough,
nothing will suffice.

No Change

Time is our perception of change.
The past was not what is now.

Where there is no time,
there is no change.

Lessons

The fear of disapproval.
The fear of acceptance.

The fear of abandonment.
The fear of freedom.

The fear of pain.
The fear of praise.

The fear of knowing.
The fear of not knowing.

Every fear is a teacher.
Every lesson comes in pairs.

Happy Birthday

The best gift for those
who already have enough
is a gift for those who don't.

Which Trees to Trust

If I can't touch the trees
on the opposite bank,
but I can touch their reflection
on the river between,
which trees will I trust first?

Colorblind

In a black-and-white world,
what use are red, green, and blue
except as shades of gray?

We cannot appreciate
what we do not know we have.

Strategy

Everything in the forest
has a strategy for staying.

And everything in the forest
makes use of what didn't last.

Joy and Pain

Joy, like beauty,
is in the eye
of the beholder.

Pain is more
broadly held.

Flat Earth

Art flattens out life
and makes it easier
to understand.

Some things are even
beyond art, though.

Those you have to
approach with nothing.