In the corruption of the known
Man is stifled
By his fear of the unknown.
As a lone cloud is driven in search of a secluded valley,
So, pursued by fear,
Man creates out of the known
The protection of the image of God.
In that protection fear is multiplied.
Strange is the way of the shadow of fear.
The voice of fear calls out
And man burdens the earth
With the loveliness of a distant paradise
And with the horror of a near hell.
The shadow of fear covers the land.
Between himself and his fear
Man builds a temple for the image of his God,
And in its dark shadows is born a religion of great panoply,
Whose threat is conditioned by a loving priest.
Against that fear which he calls death,
Man seeks out a way for the furtherance of life,
And in that search fear is the master of his love.
The sacrifice of the unwise is out of the burden of fear.
The burden of wealth is the fear of the rich.
The poor are caught up in the desire for possession.
Envy, hatred, ambition, pride of dignity, judgment of convention,
The good, the evil, and the cruelty of binding morality,
Are but the sign posts on the path of fear.
If fear be the source of thought,
Then shall there be darkness in the land.
If the bubbling wellspring of love be corrupted by fear,
Then its clear waters shall create, a burning thirst
In the mouth of man.
Ah, friend,
The loveliness of life is not the child of fear
But it lies in the womb of understanding.
Fear brings forth the tears of the world.
Laughter rejoices in the wake of true love.
A dried pool aches for the coming rains. |
