The Calmness of the Heart - Part II

Don’t believe what everyone believes But what you understand Don’t be part of an entirety Which is not part of yourself Dare to dream and to disappoint Don’t do what is expected from you But what you don’t even expect from yourself Listen to people But don’t admire them Respect experience For it possesses a precious value Share your own experience With the inexperienced Without dictating to them For they only take what they need Accept the unknown Without deploring it For in the eyes of the unknown You are a stranger yourself Don’t close the door to it For transformation Comes when you doubt what is familiar Accept our own finitude Acknowledge that we are not in possession Of the absolute truth And thus, our truth is part of a far greater truth Delight in the mysteries of life As life delights in your curiosity And only be content Once your heart has found fulfilment Don’t reach out to the one Who decides to lie on the ground For this person will only debilitate you Without understanding Realize that we are responsible For saving ourselves And it is not cruel To walk on Yet reach out to the one Who needs and accepts your help Not for your own sake But in the knowledge that They will help you in return Should it be you who is lying on the ground Don’t give without taking No one is a hero Forgetting themself out of sheer giving Don’t seek fame Nor power nor money For those come as fast As they go And poison your mind Take up the struggle Even in yourself And be aware of your capabilities Don’t be someone you aren't For a duty Carried out for whatever noble purpose And not exploiting your full potential Is a waste of time in the end Don’t try to change the world But change yourself For this works much faster and easier Don’t criticise the deeds of others But suggest possibilities Of how to do it better For the critic principally Often forgets on principle That the world doesn’t get better By simply being against it Be yourself For this is what it’s all about in the end