October 17-A, 2022

Circumstances have a mind of their own.
We are awash upon a sea of circumstances.
A pandemic comes along,
global warming washes away the world,
fascism becomes a thing,
Republicans threaten to end civil rights
and health care...
and it all boiled up seemingly out of nowhere,
but there was a long build-up
of apparently unrelated events
that produced the crescendo of madness
sweeping over civilization,
carrying all of us into experiences
we did not ask for,
and calamities that were on no one's wish list.

The current state of affairs
call for the application
of age-old advice:
Stand pat.
Sit tight.

Remain focused on
integrity,
sincerity,
spontaneity,
emptiness,
stillness
and silence.

Ride it out.
Wait for a door to open, and walk through.

Thinking we can change,
avoid,
escape,
the the times that are upon us,
we miss the lesson of history:

We cannot change the world
to suit our idea of how the world
ought to be.

We can modify its impact on
ourselves and others,
soften its ruthlessness
with kindness and compassion,
and be what is needed
in each situation as it arises,
but expecting things to be 
much different than they are
is to invite misery and dismay
to be constant companions.

We take what comes
and do our best to turn it
toward the good--
day after day,
all the way 
to the other side.

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