JOYFUL PIECE #19
Consulting Jack Gilbert...
Life…
What do we make of it? The shards are everywhere, blood seems to smear our path in every direction; grief and suffering at times assail us.
How do we make our way to joy?
Why not talk to the poet Jack Gilbert through a medium? He died 11 years ago last Monday, November 13. His poem, A Brief for the Defense seems very applicable to these times.
The poem is raw and impactful, and many people find it hard to characterize it. Does it reflect hope or despair? Is it cynical or realistic? Where is the compassion for the human condition?
The poem is certainly existential and makes us think hard about the realities of life.
As I make my way through the poem, the injustices of this world come across vividly and raw. And they are like what we hear from Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and so many other places.
Yet, to me, the point that Gilbert makes is that we are charged with continuing our lives and delighting at the beauty to be found. Everything belongs and is there for a purpose, the beauty, the ugliness, the pain, the suffering, and the joy. He compels us to seek joy and delight in life amidst the sorrows, perhaps in his own mind, to create a balance aboard the ship of life between the savagery we witness and the overwhelming beauty that we can find, every day, in the world.
In these disturbing times, is it not still possible to rely on our ability to find joy in the everyday events that visit us even as others suffer through dark times? How else would we find strength to comfort the suffering?
Does dwelling on tragedies perhaps give undue attention to the dark side?
As talking heads report on the horrors of war and world catastrophes, does the sun still rise and dazzle us with its gifts?
Must we feel guilty because we are, at times, spared from horrors?
Should we not support those suffering from the unjust events in life and do so joyfully?
Can a positive and joyful attitude, as we push back against injustice, help us build a kinder, gentler world?
Here is A Brief for the Defense.
What do you think?
I don't know what god wants. I know that it is important to me to share the stories of violence, suffering and strife, because in doing that, I shine a light on those that perpetrate injustice. No one should have to feel invisible in their situation. A quote from Lorraine Hansberry resonates deeply: "I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care."
I know that beauty exists, right alongside the ugliness. One does not diminish the other. The more overwhelming the situation, the more important it is for me to notice the exquisite flower bud, or the brilliant bee, or the way the light shines through the clouds at twilight.
My daily work involves hearing some of the worst ways that one human can treat another human. The cruelty often leaves me without words. I remind myself each day that love exists. Good people exist. And I also remind myself that compassion, courage, love, and strength exist and that they can come through me, not from me. My capacity is finite and small. My capacity to be a conduit for these qualities is nearly infinite, as long as I remember to open my heart and allow them to flow through freely.
to enjoy ... infuse with joy. In some circumstances, it's all we've got. That, and love.