Group 5 — on Success

Everywhere I go Many people know Of own experience Or intuitively sense That life is not a game In which to win fame, Nor power, nor riches, Nor what life teaches. Although we may win Through goodness or sin We may become rich fast And it may even last In pleasure we may bask But sooner or late we'll ask How we fulfill life's task? Then pull down the mask Find the price we paid Friendships aside we laid, Working with stress Caused us much distress, The toll on our health Was not worth the wealth, Even our head balding Ourselves kept scolding. In this whole affair Games for which we care Urged us do and dare Caught us unaware. We thought we played the game And this life we did tame, Yet when we pull down the mask And ourselves honestly ask We find in this game Life is not to blame For the game played us We the slaves, life boss. So what would we do If the truth we knew? For what should we care? What's not castle in the air? It's love and affection And true communication, To touch someone's soul Partially or whole, To empathize and feel And melt walls of steel, To merge and understand And lend a helping hand To friend and foe With whatever we know. To know and not forget That when life us beget We come empty handed And remain stranded Until naked we leave. We ourselves deceive If we let life play us Our ego be our boss. We are simply souls here Though in bodies we appear. So as one soul to another My friend, my brother, Let's ourselves commit Make our lives worth every bit, As souls flourish Each other nourish.

A friend of mine was under a lot of heat Trying to succeed, desperately avoiding defeat; He repeated a common expression of wit Advising himself to fake it until he'd make it, Trying to be things that he was not, I must admit Made him nervous, insincere, fake and incomplete, But worst of all, in this way his own soul he'd cheat Lie to himself, his conscience violently beat. Why should I pretend to be something I am not? Sacrifice my integrity, the only thing I've got? Only to succeed thus, a little or a lot And in my own fake success, eternally rot?

I met a young man, fiercely driven His heart and soul to success given His first gzillion he'd surely make Before a heart attack his life take. Next to him was a grand old man Through his white beard, his fingers ran. Calm, sincere, gentle, loving, wise Serving others, his exercise. I approached the wise old man To advise our young friend, if he can About life and material success, And what in life is progress. He said sole pursuit of material goal Is to dig our own grave, bury our soul, It's like a great big black hole Draining our life energy, its role. A material goal is a worthy goal Only as a part of a larger whole.

Action leads to progress, I was told This philosophy of life I was sold Relentless action brings pure gold This is the way of the material fold. Go, go, go, I thus proceed For in life, one must succeed Do, do, do, this was my creed My body and soul I took no heed. One day I stopped and asked why I keep on going, try, try, try Perpetually I'd do, then die Thus I saw this great big lie; Took time, listened to my soul and heart Stopped; put the horse before the cart Then I saw the whole, and my part Life was hard no more, a learning art. Now I follow my heart and soul I see the world and play my role Reach for perfection, that my goal Follow my bliss, thus serve the whole. When I need to run, I run, and then pause When sit, I sit, seek my primal cause. Perfection of whole, there are no flaws For this I am now, though that I was. If I don't know where to go, Nor where I am, high or low, Which direction, fast or slow Matters not a bit, now I know; And if I move, slow or fast No matter how much I move past Round and round I may go; at last Surely, slowly, my life away cast. Moving doesn't mean that I get somewhere And if I stand, will I stay there? progress is good, progress is fair Conscious turtle moves past quick hare Is it better to stand and be aware Or be a relentless stream of hot air?

In life we think we pursue riches, success or even happiness Yet in truth what we seek is meaning to our lives and purpose For riches, success and happiness are merely empty temporal shells But to know that our life was not futile is bliss and God's grace.

I wonder why Some won't try Till they die Afraid to make A mistake Chance won't take It is as if A weak belief Is their thief I once was told Of own accord "Being" is gold Whatever we do We go through Much or few Enhance the soul That is the whole Purpose and goal A thing or not Little or a lot No matter what Perfect is "being" Doing or seeing Are all freeing So my dear Intently hear Do not fear To make a mistake In life awake Your chances take You can't go wrong For you belong To Wise and Strong.

Green, yellow, orange, red, brown Early autumn trees will crown Emerald, Amethyst, Ruby and Opal Jewels adorning the crown of Fall; Glorious trees honored with pride Then beneath the snowy blanket hide, Hardship of docile winter they ride Till they get through to the other side. Quit dignified, in height of glory This is what I learnt from the trees' story Then rest, lie low, regroup and heal Before you start on your next ordeal.