-- A Question of Balance -–

John Herlihy

You cannot have the promise of hope,

Without the pangs of suffering.

You cannot enjoy the gift of trust,

Without knowing the ways of mistrust.

You cannot experience the elixir of love,

Without the vinegar of hate.

You cannot have the emptiness of hunger,

Without the fulness of satisfaction.

You cannot fully feel the depths of despair,

Without the heights of elation.

You cannot truly feel the deep well of sorrow,

Without the free spirit of happiness.

You cannot appreciate the misery of being in debt,

Without the security of wealth.

You cannot appreciate the treasures of the senses,

Without savoring their inner delight.

You cannot develop the strength of the body,

Without a discipline to nurture its power.

You cannot understand the weight of the world,

Without the logic of a rational mind.

You cannot witness the deepest core of soul,

Without the Spirit that makes us whole.

You cannot discover the inner sanctum of mystery,

Without an inner eye its essence to see.

These are the things that we can and cannot do,

Based on what we come to know and what we knew.

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(c) John Herlihy 4 December 2018