Today I refuse to believe . . .
That our differences destroy us,
That conspiracy is our destiny,
Or that transcendence is gone,
And that dialogue is dead,
That vindictiveness is King,
Or that creativity is poisoned,
And that solutions are passe,
That Bitterness is our name.
Or that it’s us or them,
And that everyone lies,
That this generation is lost.
Or that it’s out of our hands.
That we should just head for the hills.
But most of all today,
I refuse
To relinquish our dream to the dumpster,
The cynic’s surrender,
The decline of despair.
NO.
Today I refuse,
For the sake of hope,
Because the tiniest of seeds
Bears our regenerative fruit.
“Indian Mustard Seed”, picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
“I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. All things will be possible for you.” (Matthew 17:20-21)
***
There’s a lot of cynicism going around, and such cynicism calls for a Great Refusal.
We often feel like other people–like folks in other political parties–are the enemies.
But in fact cynicism and despair are the enemies because they destroy our empathy, wisdom and creativity.
So we need a Great Refusal against cynicism and despair. But to be truly productive, refusal must be for the sake of hope.
This poem is an effort in that direction.
What do you refuse today, for the sake of hope, and in order to defeat cynicism and despair?
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Do you need some more hope today? You might like to take this introductory course with me: The Four Basic Truths
You might also like these posts:
I Don’t Want to Be Good: a Poem
Chrysopoeia: a Poem
People First Politics
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