Reflections on being young

Reflections on being young

You felt the draw of chasing after,

The call of proving yourself,

Insecure voices hasten you to run,

To find a practice, a position, a piece of the world,

To call yourself educated, upper middle,

Rational, respected, and responsible

Not undeserving of your own position.

You fell into chasing after,

Like a part on the factory line.

Society is an unwavering march,

A tidal flood of billions,

Going the same direction, 

Each losing their own way.

When you began the chase, you still had feelings,

The unease that surrounded victories,

The body's revolt, the wayward tug,

Silenced and stifled to chase after progress,

Rooted out, until what matters is reasoned,

not felt.

The chase leads you into the climb,

The climb leads you into wealth,

The wealth leads you into belief

You're on the right track,

You've not lost your way,

You're living the best possible life you can.

Eventually the chase swallows you

For the chase you've given up a lot

But until the chase lets up, you don't know what.

The hurried pace is preferred to stillness,

You fear looking around

You fear finding out what you've lost

One day, and the day is soon,

You'll wake up to a profound guilt.

When was the last time

You felt the magic of giving?

You put effort into making someone happy?

You listened to your own feelings,

And felt a spark in your heart?

Smart people proclaim the magic of logic

They unravel the secrets of solvable problems, 

Blueprints of machinations, quantities of utility

But wisdom is the secret whispers of heart,

It is loving others, and being loved. 

That deep connection to others,

That wellspring of bonds that go beyond space and time.

If someone told me the point of life 

Was not to make money, but to care for others,

I would not have understood or paid attention. 

I would still chase after, and arrive at today. 

I would still have been young.