Poetry in a time of chaos
Lately, fear and uncertainty seem to be the order of the day. Rising conflicts and wars, protests and political turmoil spreading across the globe. So much unnecessary chaos and suffering. It seems impossible to avoid upsetting news from streaming unfiltered into our lives day and night. It can be scary and overwhelming.
When words fail me I turn to the poets, who somehow find elegant ways to capture the complexity and mystery of the human condition. Lately I’ve been reading the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore and Thich Nhat Hanh (known affectionately as “Thay” – pronounced “tie” – meaning teacher in Vietnamese). I have been listening to Thay’s dharma talks to help me wind down before sleep and found that I’m not alone. Apparently, Thay is known in the online ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) community for the calming effect his soothing voice has on the senses and nervous system. ASMR with a healing dose of Zen wisdom. Who knew?
Take a listen to Thay’s talk about how to use mindfulness to let go of fear.
Gitanjali
When I was in college in Kenya a friend lent me Rabindranath Tagore’s book Gitanjali – Song Offerings to the Creator. I loved it so much, I went and bought my own copy, which I still have three decades later. I picked it up the other day and reread bits of it, starting with the introduction by W.B. Yeats from 1912, who speaks of Tagore with deep reverence and affection, describing how Tagore’s words “have stirred my blood as nothing has for years”. I marveled again at the timeless wisdom and depth in this little gem of a book.
Here’s one from Gitanjali that gives me something to hold on to in these chaotic times:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action –
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.