You Do Not Have to Be Good

Here's a poem by one of my favorite poets who happens to live in Provincetown, MA, which is where I spent the day today. Click on the poem to read it...

The line about the "brittle beauty of understanding" really stood out for me. Sometimes, having all the consciousness that we have as humans feels burdensome to me. While I value complexity, I also at times long for a life that doesn't involve understanding. A life that requires only that I eat, breathe, sleep. No thinking, analyzing, striving to understand. I guess this is what Buddhists strive for. I'm not sure I'm quite that enlightened. I wonder if insurance would cover a labotomy -- or do you think that would be an elective procedure? Hmmmm.....

Mary Oliver also has a poem called Wild Geese which I think may be my favorite. If you've ever felt isolated or questioned your value, read this poem. The poem starts by saying "You do not have to be good" and there's a later line that says "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." How much simpler can life be? I love being reminded that I don't have to be anything other than I am and even with the flaws, I have a place "in the family of things."

That's my philosophizing for the evening. Back to The Sea poem - here's an image that came to mind as I read it.