A little something about tolerance It’s not by majority or in ignorance Truth is absolute and not up for vote The new intolerance needs an antidote
This the antidote or speaking truth Something we should from our youth Truth spoken must be from the objective It is not something that is subjective
Not everyone’s opinion is equal in worth Just as one would always want true North There is but one truth and there is one way That provides the saving grace day by day
(c) September 22, 2021 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create whatever the form of government, a real despotism.” – George Washington (1796)
“The characteristic of a well-bred man is, to converse with his inferiors without insolence, and with his superiors with respect and with ease.” – Lord Chesterfield, statesman and writer (22 Sep 1694-1773)
The best answers are seldom violence Despite the circumstances or incidences The toughest battles are fought within The struggle is to find peace again
The one who truly wins this contest Has found the path to tranquility's rest No longer pushed by one's torrid emotions But like water finding form and knowing its devotion
The weight of the world can bear on the shoulders Of a man who has no choice but to be bolder No golden calf is worth the sacrifice To a soul to go against itself or good advice
One must always walk with our integrity Even when the accusations against one are incendiary Instead it is enough to know and find consilience That will trace its way to the needed paths of resilience
Until as water wears away at the cobbled stone And the guitar player bleeds his fingers to the bone We must walk past that proverbial bridge of sighs And at last, truth will be seen beyond whispered lies
(c) September 21, 2021 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
In the province of Henan, gungfu was born To rise to defeat China's enemies as sworn Shaolin's grace side by side with Tai Chi's school Brought honor to their disciples' rule
A battle head was one of strictly set contest Fighting to prevail, which of these was best Glass is fought with glass, brick against brick Who lives to win another day is the meanest trick
The seifoo's rambles his play on the Hollywood set As a kick in the balls that we'll not soon forget Less about the glory and never about possible defeat These are the lessons hard learned from the street
Gungfu is about the disciple developed inside Keeping control and avoiding anger and pride The game is to get inside the other person's head Fights best won are less painfully won instead
A chip held on the shoulder is just extra weight Don't let it be the deciding factor that seals fate Lessons whispered quietly in darkened alley ways If listened to will allow you live yet another day
The lessons we need, we learn as we grow Smoothly connected within gungfu's ebb and flow Step by step, increasing in the ways and skill It's not a matter of if but of when and will
Building up to fall as sadly torn down Keeping true to your path wins victory's crown There is power in the words spoken and unspoken Held in discipline by the spirit unbroken
Every moment holds its deepest importance As life comes to use every choice, chance by chance Graciously shared over warm cups of tea Life is lived strong when lived in all humility
In his penance the dragon is once again born In the restoration of balance that others might mourn But without this, equilibrium is lost in life And all that is left is the path of increasing strife
(c) September 20, 2021 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. [I]ndustry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.” – Benjamin Franklin (1753)
“The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.” – -Greek Historian Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus
Praying to a God of second chances Recovering from life breaks and broken romances We have become one of the family Through the glory and the days of dramedy
We say our prayers in thankfulness Grateful for God's role in all of this Linking arms to make the difference Playing out our parts in His magnificence
Chosen even despite our hard knocks Sanctified by the grace of that three lock box We are chosen by God before we're born This is why we should rejoice and not mourn
Whatever life throws at us, we walk in love Guided by the principles of Heaven above We come together to grow in these ways Keeping the Word close throughout our days
Formerly slaves paying the wages for our sins Through God's grace, we can begin yet again The ransom was paid in full through the blood As we are pushed and pulled from mire and mud
Yet, so many live defeated lives With life cutting us with its thousand knives Instead of surrendering to His abundance We know we are truly free to live in His resplendence
We are forced from the bondage of sin Liberated from bonded chains to live again Controlled by impulse instead of thinking straight Temptation holds us captive to this fate
Sinful nature cannot be our prime authority To face with grace and live freedom's dignity The Holy Spirit is alive in each moment Until we, by Christ, are freed from torment
Pounded nails into a board leaves its hole But accepting God can make us become whole No longer imprisoned on Hell's death row There is offered the gift of hope promised to know
Stepped across the line from guilt and shame We must live free from the curse of blame No longer held back by our past mistakes Nor letting guilt keep us bound by our heartbreaks
Fallen into the trap of Satan's temptation The guilt and shame freed in our contemplation Casting aside the lies with God's amazing grace And on this new path, it's love that we embrace
Awakened to the silence of the Devil's accusation Is to to be set free in our new situation Christ frees us from the falseness of anxiety As we let God be present in life's cluttered complexity
Nothing is changed by staying in life's worry Let life come, un-chastened and without hurry We find our way to peace beyond all understanding Accepting God's will as our own and not demanding
No matter how much I see just how I often fail I also know that God's will must and will always prevail God loves me and you in all that we do Standing between two pillars, we echo goodness from this view
Freed as we are to live life in its new creation Walking by an intentional spirit in our situation The gift of salvation has managed to free us now Shoving us across the line of victory we've come to somehow
Living godly lives in a godless world We must face each day with our faith unfurled Giving over in surrender into a new capacity to love We are freed by the spirit to walk by His will above
Right out of the gates, Adam and Even lived in sin Yet, we can find our way back to relationship again From Genesis to Revelations, this then shall we learn Because, if nothing else, this is what we must discern
We are chosen by God to live this sacred life Freed from bondage to serve without strife Our gifts and talents must shine without blame Suited up to play out this glorious game
Serving not out of obligation but serving in love And dedicated to serving our God from up above Christ laid down His life that we should live free And to live this life in the beauty of God's poetry
(c) September 19, 2021 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
