Grains Of Sand

“Keep your hands open and all of the sands of the desert can pass through them. Close them and all you can feel is a bit of grit.” ~ Taisen Deshimaru

A single grain of sand is like a single bit of news or a single idea. The desert is filled with single grains of sand, just as the world is filled with ideas and news and inspiration. I know as well as anyone how damaging it can be to latch onto a single idea and hold it until it paralyzes my mind. It has happened in my jobs, my politics, my loves, and my writings. It happens in our world to the point where our governments are paralyzed in times of crisis or problem-solving.

I have always been intrigued by Free Thought.

Hand a child a musical instrument or a golf club and watch what happens. Give them a puzzle or some paint and a brush and prepare to be amazed. As children we know no boundaries. Our only limits are the ones placed on us by our parents or our teachers. We are many times stifled by people telling us what we can and can’t do. This is the downfall of our current system of education. A child enters school with limitless possibilities. As time progresses each child gets forced into a box. They are taught what they need to know to pass the standardized tests. They are limited by the abilities of the other children in the classes. Teachers are forced into the conundrum of stifling the best for the sake of the rest. I don’t pretend to have a solution for this. I’m just saying.

“The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.” ~ Lao Tzu

I have wasted far too much time in my life worrying about politics. The people who “represent” us are sometimes infuriating in their inability to think for themselves. How can 535 rich folks represent me? Well, they can start by not arguing amongst themselves like a bunch of little… We need solutions. We do not need scoreboard.

“Health Care, Goal!”
“Tax cuts for rich folks, Goal!”
“No trains for the 3 C’s, Goal!”

I don’t hear anyone yelling “10% unemployment, Goal!” Quit bickering and do the work of the people. Quit the name calling and get sh*t done. Solutions are right there in the grains of sand that are running through your consciousness. Quit the ideology and get ‘er done.

“What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?” ~ Langston Hughes

I’m tired of seeing our dreams deferred. Maybe it is time to take the blinders off. Forget all of the lessons on what you can and can’t do. The ideas are there. Stop insulting each other and insulting our intelligence. Use them. If the finest minds in America can’t figure out how to create enough jobs, balance the budget, and make our products more palatable for the rest of the world, then maybe we are truly f*cked. I hope not. In the meantime, Mr. Obama, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Brown, Mr. Stivers, Mr. Coleman, feel free to give me a call. I got lots of grains of sand in this empty old mind.

Namaste,
Brother T