Be Yourself Create Your Garden

You do not have to conform to be accepted. When you are true to yourself, others will be drawn to you.

How gorgeous are you!!

I wrote this poem in Bangkok, as I was the one who didn’t conform. I was isolated by a group learning Peace. I did laugh at the irony but I also saw that we are not working on self development, academically we learn about the conflicts, the interventions, the politics but we do not spend much time on inner peace or the philosophy of peace, this is the real work. Of that I am certain.

THE GARDEN

Throughout our lives,
Love was conditional upon judgements,
For one must do what is right,
Say what is acceptable,
Fit into the prevailing thoughts of the time,
To be accepted.

If you do not deliver conformity,
But choose to be yourself,
You will be perceived as different,
Unique if it pleases,
Isolated if it rubs,
One may become criticized,
Or shunned,
Or ostracized,
Made fun of,
Talked about,
For most will follow the crowd,
And the school yard is where these behaviours play out,
But seldom does it bring joy.

Who is popular?
Who is successful?
Who are the winners?
Who will be of benefit?
The bully is overt or covert,
The power game is overt or covert,
For life is the school ground,
Where children pretend to be adults,
Following the crowd,
But not choosing to take responsibility,
For democracy is a shared interest,
In which only a few share.

I sit at the table and view the garden,
I see the different varieties unique and inspiring,
I watch the bees and butterflies playing a role,
Yet nothing in the garden is judged,
All belong in the peace of diversity within unity,
I look into the human world and see the flowers but feel the thorns,
Hurts that are not healed,
Judgements that are not forgiven,
Shadows that are not real,
Yet how do you convince the actor,
That it is only a play,
That the only real part is the quality of the character,
For this is the message that lingers long after the cast have gone home.

For as we judge we are judged,
As we suppress we suppress ourselves,
The garden is pruned, manicured, shaped into the tidiness of our perfectionism,
To be seen not celebrated,
We do not leave it to grow naturally, wild and free,
Allowing the seasons to be the sculptures of our lives.

Life is truly the pond that reflects our own image,
But what do we see when we look at our image,
Do we look at the faults or admire the natural beauty as it is,
For this beauty is not in the perfect face,
It is to look beneath the lines and the grey,
For the real world is a quality of loving,
That is neither arrogant or selfish,
It is simple and accepting,
For there is no them and us,
Acceptance or rejection,
Wealthy or poor,
Each is a diverse part of the garden,
And this is the Eden imagined but seldom lived.

For the true garden of Eden,
Displays the magnificence of talent rising up to greet the sunshine of happiness,
It is allowing others to be free to simply be,
For there is plenty of space on this earth for all to care and share,
It is in giving that we all receive,
For natures bounty was always generous,
For nothing is excluded.

Life is one journey,
That we all share despite perceived differences,
And even this will come to an end,
For a wise man recently told me that some live in the ivory tower and never come down,
Others look back over their garden and smile,
For they are able to see the seeds they planted that cross pollinated many gardens,
And for this they will always be remembered.