2020 seems to have exposed more than ever the suffering in our world, and the need to do something about it. I wrote this poem as a statement, and as a reminder, that humanitarianism need not be the making of large and sweeping gestures to help people who are suffering. A humanitarian act can be many sizes and scopes.

The definition of the word, humanitarian, is: “… having concern for or helping to improve the welfare of people. It pertains to the saving of human lives and/or to the alleviation of suffering.

The following poem is my take on the subject. I hope you find it helpful… or at the very least, interesting.

HUMANITARIANISM

Who are we, as human beings,
If we ignore the suffering of others, everywhere?
Great minds and great hearts have commented on this,
And have left us with wisdom I wish to share.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one.”
“It’s important that you act, no matter how insignificant.”
“One act of kindness a day can make a difference.”
“When you live in an unjust world, you can’t remain nonchalant.”

Love grows only by sharing it with others.
(Sound advice to remember, if you would…)
Go into the world and do well, my friends,
But also, go into the world and do good!!

A person’s true wealth is the good he/she does
In the world for others most appreciative.
We make a living by what we get,
But we make a life by what we give.

Humanitarian work is part of your life’s goals.
We are faced with inequality, again and again.
The burning questions we should ask ourselves:
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

The subject for, and the inspiration to write, December 2020’s Poem of the Month came from a Zoom Town Hall Meeting on Brain Health, presented by the Institute for Systems Biology* (or ISB) on December 8, 2020. ISB is a nonprofit scientific research organization located in Seattle.

Dr. Lee Hood, founder, and Dr. Jim Heath, president and professor of ISB, lead a dedicated crew of research scientists hard at work in understanding Brain Health (Alzheimers), Immune Response (Covid-19), Bacterial Infections (Salmonella), and many other diseases for which there, so far, are no definitive answers.

Their dedication to the research is nothing short of miraculous, and I could not help but realize that it must have started for them when they were quite young… with a definite “sense of wonder.”

I believe that a true sense of wonder is the basis for finding answers to most of the world’s problems… approaching the research with an attitude of “What If?”

Perhaps we could all benefit from a dose of “wonder” right about now.

Here, then, is my poem. I hope you enjoy it.

SENSE OF WONDER

From birth, a child is bombarded by experiences
That instill a sense of wonder quite profound.
According to Socrates, wonder is the beginning of wisdom.
Nature is the first place the sense of wonder is found.

Dew on a spider’s web; a robin building it’s nest…
A dog licking an ice cream cone in the park…
Discovering the world around him, the child begins
His journey to make his own mark.

This is what is grand about childhood: Everything is a wonder.
It is not merely a miracle-filled world.
Oh no, quite the opposite! With wonder at every turn,
It is a miraculous world to be discovered and unfurled.

Human growth has no limits; it’s boundaries are infinite!
Your intelligence, imagination and wonder are the guides.
By looking at everything as if you are seeing it anew,
You’ll not lose your sense of wonder. In you it resides.

People love to wonder, and that’s the seed of science.
We’ve been to the moon and back, and then beyond!
We’ve changed medicine and agriculture; people live longer lives.
To the miracles in our lives we are happy to respond.

There’s so much to see — there’s so much to learn;
Our time here on earth is brief.
I would rather have a mind that is opened by wonder
Than one that is closed by belief!

November’s Poem of the Month is not a new one of mine, but one I wrote in 2002! I believe it is quite appropriate for this time… this year… this month… especially! It reminds the reader that, like it or not, we are all in this life together!

Human beings are social beings! We need each other in order to thrive… not only to thrive, but our very survival depends on all of us figuring out how to work together!

It’s not “us and them.” It is just simply us! U.S. (U.S. of A.)

My hope is that this poem, “Separateness Is An Illusion,” will serve, as a reminder, to guide our thinking towards unity and away from divisiveness… not only in our country, but all around the world!

As the last line of the poem states, “Love is the cure.”

And remember, Whatever the question, love is (always) the answer!

SEPARATENESS IS AN ILLUSION

Mankind suffers an illness
Of the illusion of separateness.
We believe the world is made up
Of discrete things which don’t coalesce.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We are one interconnected whole
In the natural order of things.
It’s as if we have but one soul.
We are a part of the natural order
And it’s laws are our laws, too.
We are an endless moving stream
In a stream that is endless and true.
All distinctions are falsely imagined.
Separateness is sickness, to be sure.
We are the eternal mind of the universe,
And Love is the cure.