What we Carry in the heart

“A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.”

                              Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust: First Part

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What do I see out there in the world?

What do I notice?

Perhaps what I see reflects the state of my own soul

Perhaps that fear I see reflects my own fear

That pain, my own pain

That anger my own anger

Or perhaps it is not what is already there

But what I fear might makes its home there

Perhaps I worry that I might become greedy

Hungry for power

A person of the lie

Its possible

It is also possible that I notice that

Which violates my soul

Because I notice the neglect of the poor

I notice the abandonment of the vulnerable

I see injustice and inequity

And hate, and prejudice

I see people violating those who cannot

Help or protect themselves

And what I hope I carry in my heart

Is a love of justice and equity

And acceptance, and generosity

What I hope lives there

At the center of who I am,

Is a desire to help and protect

Whatever is there,

I am sure some cultivation is called for,

And some weeding too!