False Assumptions

In a lush green forest

By the banks of Kabini,

Were centuries-old tribes

Mature in their ways

Of thinking, doing, and living.

The most recurring human phenomenon is

Choosing the collective, immediate good

At the cost of individual suffering -

The suffering of another human, of a living thing, of our planet;

And the suffering of our future self.

The three words that bind the homo sapien - Today, Me and More.

These are three words that drove the tribes away.

Humans create new problems

The other humans try to solve

With our power to do both

We think we are evolved.

What is good enough?

What is the right way to live?

What is aspirational?

We think we know it all

Context is everything

Without a frame of reference, do we know:

Is AGE a function of the mind or the heart or the body or the soul?

Is LEARNING a result of education or evolution?

Is a GOAL just a function of my perceived necessity?

Is survival not a good enough PURPOSE any more?

It's our folly to assume

We understand the problem we solve.

Who am I to control the system

It's only myself I can evolve.

An aware and equanimous individual

A compassionate and empathetic being

Living in harmony with what exists

Understanding the essence of my being

PS: This poem was inspired by my experience of visiting the school and the tribal communities of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Mission in Kabini Forests.