The Eternal Balance: the Good and Evil Within

I am not a negative person and have always lived with positive paradigms, courtesy and kindness a daily practice as I know love is the only way to peace, to a serene heart and to experience this journey with gratitude. However, when we acknowledge the darker side of human beings, when we realize that we all inherently have sin woven into our free will, it is often hard to accept what is happening in the world, the extremes to which people will go in their quest of evil.

Human beings are basically narcissistic, and no matter how we practice kindness and the ideals of love, self-protection, self-interest and self-gain relentlessly hounds our pre-preemptive intentions. When tested most of us fail to be the people we envisage and our perceived halos fall quickly to our shoulders, if not feet.

All we can do is aspire to be better, to minimize the darkness and walk with positive intentions with love as our guiding light. But life has a way of defeating these hopes, by way of the daily necessities of striving for money, possessions and status in a society that has become more than consumerist, more than competitive and breeds lies and deception each and every moment.

As a consequence we become cynical, non-trusting and hardened to the reality of being manipulated by others. We become harder, less loving or kind because we have doubts about everyone. Terrorism, increases in crime and violence doesn't help as the world leans more to the darkness, and in response we too lean more to the darkness in the righteous belief that ridding those of sin will cleanse the world. The reality is we simply lower ourselves to their darkness and sin, regardless of our righteous belief.

Perhaps it could be said that humanity is doomed from the beginning for this darkness we bring to life. Perfection may be our path in purpose, but the dark side of us is powerful indeed and the world if nothing else just gets worse not better.

Personally, I engage less and less with the world physically, so not to have to witness the constant manipulation and delusion, which upsets my own sensibilities and heart. I don't claim to be perfect, or above any-one, as often I wish I could escape myself. But in the end, the less I connect to human beings in a daily sense, the better I am. I have some wonderful people in my life, but they are few and frankly I prefer to be with animals, who are what they are, no pretense, no ulterior motives, just love and devotion.

I believe we should embrace darkness as it is part of us, but then keep it in balance and live life to aspire to realize our potential. That is our purpose, I believe. But as the world is, I do wonder what lies ahead. 

Someone Else's War

War echoes in humanity,
a hard culling, a cyclic placation
of all that love is,
and the blood spilled in belief,
of righteous lies and deceit,
is but a reminder of fragility,
and in the end who other than greed
benefits.

Young men face fear direct,
and against all odds fight
for country, family and belief,
a delusion of questionable truth,
and what they see, touch and feel,
shatters all that could have been,
in a just world,
of potential.

Instead minds are changed,
beyond redemption beyond return,
when torturous death and gore,
resounds in nightmare minds,
forever to be the canvas of any life at all,
and those who return,
live in guilt for having survived,
while mates and comrades live forever in pain.

Purpose sought and rarely found,
haunt the mind relentlessly,
fractured pictures of fire, blood and limbs torn,
smoke and rumbling earth,
the cries of fallen, alone and fading,
within a mind in comfort, now,
just too much to bear,
too much to assimilate.

And so they drink and smoke
and try to dull the memories,
etched hard in cognizance,
a secret wanting to join their mates,
remove this weight upon them,
and the pain, like scraping dull blades consumes,
caught between life and death,
from war, a shell, a hope yearned, bereft.

Silently they whisper,
it was someone else’s war.

The Seeds are Sewn

Seeds of what may come haunt my mind,
not fear but possibility echoes hard,
like cold metallic pings, relentless;
and knowing a humanity that cares not for change,
may cause an implosion of no recompense.

Truths like smoke waft in and out of consciousness,
ethereal plumes filled with outrageous reality,
burdens of unthinkable dreams alive,
as if fancy proven true and reality as we knew it, a lie,
spoon-fed from beginning to end.

Sad the truth of our distracted lives,
oblivious, smiling refuges from actuality,
amused and numbed and not caring at all,
what ensues before our very eyes,
and what’s hidden to finally, suddenly be realized.

What if all the pawns, we sacrifices for our own good,
were to crave the power of queen or knight,
to know what plans tether all,
made by those very few, who hide truth
and hold the world on delicate strings, forestalled.

Just who is in control is my greatest fear,
is it here on earthly realms or perhaps elsewhere,
in conflict of struggles immemorial,
beneath our radar, above our pay-grade,
soon to be exposed.

The seeds are sewn, and truth eventually rises,
regardless of intentions, of plans laid in concrete,
for no-one is above truths persistent call,
its striving for light, its mirrored soul,
and when it announces its coming, the world will still.

Control- Out of Reach

Complicit in the contentions of the world,

we, each one, bare the burden of humanity's sins,

for if not aided, abetted in our complacency,

our choices of inaction ensue.

We may blame the unrighteous, unholy

acts of terrorism and violence,

yet we, collectively allow these atrocities to happen,

because we are less engaged or concerned regarding

those who rule and how they rule.

Global politics and power brokers rule

those with whom we entrust our fate,

never to be clear who decides definitively,

and why the struggles for power and wealth benefit nations.

Is reality within our grasp, within our power to change,

sadly not I feel, for wealth rules without morality,

and consequences judged by them as necessary,

regardless of how we feel, how we disagree.

Democracy is a ruse, the seeds of which,

like a shiny decoration to impress the impoverished,

proffers far less than its ideal suggests,

and our vote just a digit in eternity,

the same result, regardless of political party or belief.

The systems are inherently corrupt,

they can't be anything else, for all is based on money,

not welfare, compassion, love or even protection,

the systems are cold and clear cut,

the hierarchy based on wealth equals power,

in government and outside of government.

So how can we average citizens make a difference,

when who appears in government is not in control,

when all contingencies are fore-planned regardless of ideology,

and what will ensue far beyond our reach or influence,

in this, a world running out of ideologies that matter.

Not one political of social ideology has worked,

without bleeding from corruption,

until now when corruption is so complete,

corporations and banks rule the world, if not in light, covertly,

and we have not the money or power to resist them.

Sadly, the fate of humanity lies in revolution and drastic change.

Up _ _ _ _ Creek Without a Paddle!

I simply don't understand why politicians are so shallow, so self-serving that most of their actions in office are marked by their own perceived legacies, rather than what is required for the people whom they represent. Don't worry about our failing health and education systems, just spend billions on roadways that will help some local poli in the coming elections. That sounds fair enough doesn't it?

The Australian governments of the last several years have slowly but surely lost the plot, both state and federal, and from the people's perspective, we are losing our standard of living, losing industry and jobs to foreign ownership, and simply suffering from bad policies from which we will suffer the ramifications for decades.

What does a country need to be successful in world markets. 1/ Education: without it we can never be competitive in world markets nor be innovative in areas of growth that can sustain the future economy. 2/ Healthcare: If we do not take care of our people, both the young as those carrying the weight of our future, and the old as those who sustained our past, what possible future do we have?

So what have governments done to protect these two vital necessities? They are tearing them both to shreds, cutting funds for both to the point of utter disaster. While the state government of South Australia mismanages the new Royal Adelaide Hospital: blown out budgets, time delays, impossible systems and a plethora of problems that should never in good management exist at all. And in the end, the health system is at critical point with diminished funding. As I said before these ambitious projects are more about who built them politically, that about why they are being built.

Australia is facing a black hole, with Asian labor destroying our own manufacturing industries,

overseas commodities undercutting our local producers, and jobs at their lowest ebb, who is going to drive the innovations that could save our long term economy? Just think of all those brilliant minds out there who can't get into university because of the costs and lack of placements.

It's about time someone put a blanket on these self-serving, self- maintaining politicians who earn ridiculous amounts of money and for some, just to sit in parliament of a few sessions, say nothing, contribute nothing and still earn what most of us couldn't even dream to earn. There's no control beyond themselves; and how can you trust any of them. I Certainly can't.

Politics is becoming a joke, and dare I say, becoming like it is in America. Now that's frightening! We, as the people have barely any influence other than a single vote, which right now gets us nowhere, whoever we vote for. Where have all the eloquent, trustworthy, honorable public servants gone? Got me !