We Alone

The anger associated with hatred Can leave one so helpless, So open to criticism, that we Are often confused as to our next step. Shall we maim? Shall we walk away? The questions are endless – possibilities numerous. One can run or hide away. In the end, we can make but one decision. Wage war on the helpless? Sign peace treaties with our enemies? Our anger lives on our faces though we hide the truth in our words. Are we to walk away in quiet resolve – as a coward in a losing battle? Are we to face our anger and fight a battle to an unending solution? Why must we face new enemies on a battlefield bloodied from hatred? Why must we bite our lip when we are right? Why must we continue to surrender our pride when we cannot? My friend, we alone can make the decision to run or to stand fast. Is reality such a fight? Is death so certain? Is our hatred of man borne to hold us back from that which we love? No. Our battles need not be bloody – our minds confused. We are but the beginning of that which is unanswered. We alone control our anger, our hatred. We alone live with that decision. That which is made in anger. That which is the product of hatred The attempt to love may prove futile lest we know what It is like to be loved. Our attempts at caring may be useless Unless we know what it is like to have been cared for. We alone live with ourselves the morning after the battle. We alone… March 18, 1986