You Are Me
You are me and I am you.
It is obvious that we are inter-are.
You cultivate the flower in
yourself so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself so
that you do not have to suffer.
I support you you support me.
I am here to bring you peace
you are here to bring me joy.
It is obvious that we are inter-are.
You cultivate the flower in
yourself so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself so
that you do not have to suffer.
I support you you support me.
I am here to bring you peace
you are here to bring me joy.
- Thich Naht Hahn
Nothing is separate. Everything is bound...freely. "you cultivate the flower in yourself so that I will be beautiful. I transform the garbage in myself so that you do not have to suffer." And I am reading this poem for you now through my eyes so that you will read it for me later through yours and we can be "inter-are"!
ReplyDeleteThe circle of life. Others died so we can live. I made a comment to my class about how people use trees or nature without giving anything back. How many deaths are needed to sustain the average American life?
ReplyDeleteIs my pessimistic reading through your or mine eyes??? Haha. I missed that connection until reading your comment. Did Mr. Hahn like the Beatles??? Sounds like the Walrus.
I happen to appreciate your pessimism because I don't have a lot of it! It can be quite helpful for dreamers...brings them back down, to an actual ground where we can appreciate the trees after all and not just fly above them.
ReplyDelete"How many deaths...."....this is a frightening thought. Deaths for good and deaths for bad, lives taken without giving. Did your students have much to say about this?
The outspoken students justified their taking from trees because the trees and them are not friends and dont talk to each other. Haha. I brought it up just for them to think about. We had a lot to do that day
ReplyDelete