The Art of Decency

First. Let us give a sample of Indecency-

“Rain at Night” by W.S. Merwin

after an age of leaves and feathers

someone dead

thought of this mountain as money

and cut the trees

that were here in the wind

in the rain at night

it is hard to say it

but they cut the sacred ‘ohias then

the sacred koas then

the sandalwood and the halas

holding aloft their green fires

and somebody dead turned cattle loose

among the stumps until killing time

So, now, what is Decency? We know it not. We are certain that if we had left the Garden as we found it there would be absolutely nothing to get excited about and no fun. But Merwin reminds us in the first lines of his poem-

This is what I have heard

at last the wind in December

lashing the old trees with rain

unseen rain racing along the tiles

under the moon

wind rising and falling

wind with many clouds

trees in the night wind3

Are we not those trees?  Have you ever really seen a tree? Until the day you do you will not be ready to begin a life of decency. Once you see it as it is you will then and forever after know yourself to be decent naturally. Ignorance of that fact is the source of all our problems, past, present and future.  We only need glimpse what in us is human.

It is like this-someone complains of a problem. SOMEONE WISE REPLIES YOUR REAL PROBLEM IS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE. FIND THAT OUT FIRST THEN SEE FROM EYES THAT ARE AWAKE TO REALITY. IT WILL BE ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT. YOU REPLY, BUT WHAT IF I DO NOT LIKE WHO I AM? THE WISE ONE TELLS YOU THAT TO DECIDE NOT TO DISCOVER WHO YOU REALLY ARE BEFORE YOU JUDGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES IS ABOUT THE DUMBEST THING ANYBODY EVER CONSIDERED DOING AND REFUSES TO WASTE ANY MORE TIME WITH SUCH A ONE AS YOU. THEN TELLS YOU TO GO AWAY AND THINK ABOUT IT. COME BACK IF YOU FIND YOU ARE READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO ALL THE NUMEROUS AND CONTRADICTORY CONCEPTS OF WHO YOU THINK YOURSELF TO BE TO MEET A STRANGER YOU ACTUALLY LIVE WITH.