Flow and Water, Nurture and Thrive, Fly
44 of 81
Grasp at fame with both hands
Have no embrace for those who are dear
Grasp at wealth long after your palms are full
Lose grip on what you already hold
Depend on fame and wealth for fulfillment
Remain alone and empty-handed
Link to spoken word
https://twitter.com/Sunshin57927853/status/1480646175371923456
- Sunshin57927853
That was VERY good; we'd get somewhere quicker if the elite would understand how much happier they could be by spreading some of that wealth and power around.
There is no one more weighed down and less free than a jailer with too many keys. They get all attention but still live in a prison. Obviously, those who cause needless death and suffering with glee aside; the sadist is something else; yes I do at times have compassion for the rich and famous; even though I've never been either; I can imagine. They are not free.Those who rose up through the ranks had no idea the cage that was waiting; what they would have to do to remain where they are and what would be lobbied at them if they stepped out of line. Still power is useful thing and not on its own a source of corruption or cause for fear.
I used to direct plays. I know that is nowhere as powerful as billionaires, but I had the well-being, a large part of it anyways, of the cast and crew in my hands. Young actors, you know this, often have very fragile egos. I know this for the same reason. You are putting yourself out and there and asking to be loved. The stakes are high; so are the melt downs when they don't love you; or you feel they don't love you enough.
A good director maintains a happy and empowered crew and cast, so you can get the best out of them, have them smiling at the end, and willing to work with you again; keep their trust. This is theater; film because it involves a whole lot more money, is an entirely different beast. People in film are pretty much seen as disposable. Good theater directors, acting coaches, don't have power so much as it flows through them; they direct it to empower others.
In Taoism verse ... nothing is lost when you water the garden of another. More to the point, your own garden will be lost to flood if you don't. So no, wealth and power on their own will not make you psychotic; but hoarding and misdirecting it will. and then you drown in your own psyche.
16 of 81
Quiet your thoughts
Free from the tremors
That disturb the soil
You’ll discover the seed
From which all grows
Roots, shoots, and leaves
There is no separation
Even a severed limb
Grows again in the same soil
Comes from the same seed
Entwines with established roots
The kindest grandmother knows
Nothing is lost when she waters
The garden of another
When winter comes
You will return to soil
Knowing spring follows winter
Birth follows death
*
The trick to happiness is maintaining health is serving creation and life through your endeavours and with the sharing of your riches; root yourself in true faith, in other words love; and it will be a long time before you are called upon to serve creation through death and destruction, suffering. Stay rooted and there is not limit to what you can create and explore; universes even.
Brave Aviator
your wings are strong
your wings are efficient
finely-built and enduring
but the universe is vast
and you are minute
with exploration beyond migration
will you prove yourself grand
my brave aviator
flowers are earth-bound
fragrant and plentiful
nectar is sweet
petals are always inviting
dew is cleansing
but seasons are short
soon blooms wither
leave you alone and aloof
boredom and decay
there must be more
to having wings
than minding a nest
orbs hang in the cosmos
beckoning aurae
gravitational fascination
you want to see them close
see pinhole lights expand
pulsate and explode
icy prismatic jewels
immense chromatic ores
molten gaseous marbles
such beauty, no warmth
or too much, but always
so far away
the cat’s eye glows in the night
so alluring and tempting to touch
an inflamed hiss forbids intimacy
in your star-gazing
your atmospheric sailing
remember
stellar lighthouses …
no matter how remote
no matter how radiant
... strobe an invite and a warning
to admire, but only at a distance
don't fly too high
don't fly too far
brave aviator
soar near
remain
aloft
with
me
***
Words and Images are my own.
Brave Aviator is published in Monsters, Avatars, and Angels. MAA is available in paperback or digital through amazon and your local libraries and bookstores. Click on any title below to further explore and support my writing.