August 03, 2023 – B

There is what we do to earn a living,
and there is what we live to do.

Too many of us get earning a living down
without having anything to live for,
and fall into the pit
of drugs, sex, alcohol, money, or some other addiction,
immersing ourselves in attractive
distractions, diversions, and entertaining pastimes,
with nothing of interest to do--
and walk past hordes of people like us every day.

Living lost in the wasteland of discontent,
with no idea of what to do with themselves
or what they might be here for
and drinking beer for breakfast
to ease their way into the day.

This could be a country song.

It is certainly the basis of countless
country songs,
written about other people
by people who live to write songs
about the people who have nothing better to do
than listen to songs about themselves
sung by people who, for the most part,
are not like them.

How do we stop the action
and get this all sorted out,
with truck drivers driving trucks,
and auto mechanics wrenching their way
through the days,
and shoe salespersons selling shoes,
teachers teaching,
scientists sciencing,
and politicians mucking things up for everyone?

(The thing about politicians 
is that they are not in the business
of making things the way they think things ought to be,
but of making things the way they ought to be.
There is no agreement among us about how things ought to be.
And no way to get there, it seems,
so there is no wonder that things are the way they are.
We don't know how things ought to be,
except to say they ought NOT be like this!)

How do we get from here to there?
Particularly when no one is listening to anyone?

Each of us has to take it upon ourselves
to sit down, shut up, be still and quiet
until the dawning comes.

Until then, when people ask us what we are doing,
we tell them we are waiting for the dawning to come,
and go back to being still and quiet, waiting.

If you have a better idea,
by all means, 
hop to it!

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