Pardon me while I ramble. Somewhere in these thoughts, maybe you’ll find something of value.
I’m turning 40, and one thing I’ve learned over the years is that life is painful. The older I get, the more I feel it in my body. Youth is fleeting, but it leaves behind a trail of wounds, injuries, and scars in its wake. (Even after I started writing this post, I experienced multiple instances of pain. I kicked a baby gate with my left foot and burned my right arm on the same day. Later in the week, I got bitten by one of our cats on that same arm.) I see life’s pain in our world with all its chaos and uncertainty, especially from just the last 5 years. I also see it in general as I get older; the longer we live, the more we face the loss of loved ones to death or broken relationships.
But that’s life. Life is filled with sadness, pain, and tragedy. In this, it becomes easy to accept the move from rose-colored glasses of childhood to jaded cynicism of adulthood. Because of this, the phrase “faith like a child” means something.
Ironically, our modern cultural is built around pain avoidance, all the while pain is all around us and in some ways reminds us we’re alive. We try to flee it or numb ourselves to it. We want everything to be “safe” and “sanitary,” but that’s not life. That’s existence, but that’s not life. Anyone with a child can tell you life is messy.
It’s not to say that life is just terrible and tragic, full of ugliness and misery. No, while pain is a part of this life, life itself is so much more than a downward doom spiral to the grave. This life is also filled with joy, laughter, and beauty that can’t be described or adequately captured with even the best camera. But these are reminders that pain and suffering aren’t all we have.
Over the last 40 years, the world has changed a lot, each decade abounding with more and more changes, both good and bad. As I look back over the last couple decades, I can see ways I’ve changed and ways I’ve stayed the same. I’ve changed in ways that I might not recognize myself as the person I used to be, but there are also parts that are still me.
In the past decade alone, I’ve experienced pains (some mentioned above) and celebrations. I’ve changed jobs, gotten married, had a child, and recently written a book. Each event an occasion to celebrate.
As I watch my child grow, I get to watch her experience the joy of simplicity, the wonderment of learning, and the trials of childhood. Trials that are trivialities to an adult. She possesses an innocence that seems all but lost in today’s world. Her world is not the big chaotic globe we all trod. It’s the home we live in, the people she knows, and the french fries she eats. She doesn’t yet know how messed up and painful the world is. One of her biggest “afflictions” is a parent disappearing for a few minutes into a room she can’t access. To her, this feels devastating.
Although she’s just starting out in life and I’m much further along, we both can and will experience pain to some degree or another over the years. But we’ll also experience joy and laughter. Somewhere between the two is this chaotic yet beautiful thing we call life.
Violent fight Holyfield bite Ear is gone Yes, that’s right Mike Tyson bit Evander’s ear Brought the boxer down to tears Nurses pick up the pieces Nurses pick up the pieces
Candidate X was popular with his constituents. He had ideas many of them approved of and promised to implement some of those ideas if elected. He was soon voted into office and became Leader X.
One day, Interested Businessman came up to Leader X and offered special support if he could sway constituents to vote on an idea that would help the town. Leader X was unsure of the idea, but he was always happy to have special support.
“They will never go for it,” Leader X reasoned, “unless…”
So he called a meeting and announced the idea, and like their leader, they were not sure about it either.
“It will help our town,” he calmly explained, adding “not voting for this idea is a threat to democracy.”
“Oh,” thought the constituents, “we like democracy.” So they agreed to the idea.
With the new idea in place, Leader X got his special support, but Businessman’s idea soon started causing some problems for the town. The townspeople suspected that Businessman’s business was the source of the problems, so they went to Leader X and asked him to look into it. Leader X agreed.
However, rather than addressing the issue, Interested Businessman offered a separate idea to Leader X. It was not a solution, but it would distract from the original issue. However, this too would require a vote and grant Leader X more authority. Leader X wanted people to know he was working to solve the problem, so he brought this new idea to the people.
“Failure to vote in agreement is a threat to democracy,” he reminded them.
So a majority approved of this new idea.
Soon enough, more problems began to develop, and people began to ask if they should’ve trusted Leader X. His judgment seemed to be questionable at best, detrimental at worst. However, others tried to reassure them that Leader X was not responsible for the problems, as he had looked for solutions. Some of them even noted that he “loves democracy, which is very important to our town.”
Leader X started to hear of murmurs and calls for his resignation. In his worry, he approached Interested Businessman for new ideas. Interested Businessman offered a third idea but added special support would be pulled if Leader X did not agree. Leader X didn’t want to lose his special support, so he went to the town and pitched the idea.
“We can’t do that,” Citizen L replied. “It’s not right and doesn’t solve the problem.” Many of the constituents agreed.
Taken aback by this response, Leader X quickly stated that following Citizen L’s advice was a threat to democracy. But they had heard it twice before, and things had only gotten worse. Undeterred by the push back, Leader X declared that Citizen L was an enemy of democracy and, using his newfound authority, had Citizen L arrested. Everyone else fell silent at this unexpected turn of events, for they had trusted Leader X’s bold stance for democracy.
Leader X remained in power for many years, continuing to have special support from Interested Businessman. Other business leaders had even thrown their own special support behind him. Meanwhile, the town eventually fell into disrepair. But people didn’t dare speak against Leader X or his ideas, for any opposition or disagreement was deemed a threat to democracy and was punished with indefinite imprisonment.
And so, the citizens learned too late the real threat to democracy.
The below poem was submitted for The Common Language Project 2023. It is shown as presented; to see the word selection and usage, click here.
Ambition for dreams unmade Could we but bend time to parts unplayed We slant towards tangent and regret Joining our minds to what we can’t forget
Through vein and artery, its pull is felt We wear it ’round the belly like a belt
Desire to mesh ourselves with where we were Fitting together what isn’t and what was Lost in thoughts of what could’ve been Yet bounded by reality we live in
Opportunities dwindle the longer we wait There’s but a guide for the paths we take Yet sometimes we hesitate Heavy like metal we feel time’s weight
Even with means to chart the past On the ladder of time, we’d lose our grasp Our entire focus magnetized Like a broken compass drawn to lies
If you dwell on what drove you there You eventually find yourself in despair
But in mercy, you identify Not the how nor the why Just a node that changed your life Things start clicking towards future bright
You hem the fabric of your choices As you’ve received helpful voices Though autonomous, you’re not alone Therein find healing for your groans
Rural KY – After finally getting connected to the Internet for the first time, local resident Bernard Gates posted on a message board thread discussing the evils of man that he does not believe in man’s fallen nature or total depravity. He was asked if he’d ever visited social media sites, such as Twitter or Facebook. He responded he didn’t know what a Twitter or Facebook was, but he was sure they were okay places where people only treated each other with dignity and respect.
When told they were often cesspools showcasing the worst of humanity for all the world to see, he responded that such places couldn’t possibly exist.
Follow-up attempts were made, but Bernard couldn’t be reached for further comment, due to his AOL disc running out of access time.
You don’t have to know what the DICKENS is going on. Just start writing and eventually you’ll get your WORDSWORTH. Your message can be incomplete; it doesn’t have to be THOREAU
If you’re worried about what to write, you can always try EMERSON therapy. Good wordplay can really capture your WHITMAN. Long poems can be serious, but short ones are better WHITTIER.
Your words can be tame or they can be WILDE. You can write a ballad or a CARROLL. You can write a happy poem to cheer up a LONGFELLOW.
Not everyone will like what you write; as in baseball, you won’t always get a HOMER. If you borrow ideas from Hank, you’ll O HENRY a debt of gratitude. There’s ELIOT more that could be written, for this HARDY BURNS the surface.
When you can’t see the forest For the trees When your mind’s all a jumble And ill at ease Sometimes the only thing You can do Is rest, rest, rest in Him
When your troubles Feel overwhelming And you don’t know What the future holds
Just remember Who holds the future
You may not understand But you know He’s got a plan Amidst your troubles and circumstance
Sometimes the only thing You can do Is rest, rest, rest in Him
It’s not always easy That much I know Sometimes things get really crazy
You may not understand But you know He’s got a plan Amidst your troubles and circumstance
Sometimes the only thing You can do Is rest, rest, rest in Him
Edward Antonym 