A Connecting Outlook Poem by Savita Tyagi

An Individual Outlook

I am an individual
A living, breathing cluster of flesh and bone
A bundle of emotions
Joy and happiness
Misery and sadness
My problem is not that millions are stuck in the swamp of misery
I am engrossed with the thought that
Why am I stuck in it?
Sickness and poverty is global in its magnitude
Yet my tears are only for my being swept away by it
Confined in this body my soul knows only my suffering
How do I know that a being next to me is hurting just as much?
Society is an abstract I am forced to deal with
I accept communion just as my need
I work towards it only for my own self
If not fruit full I will brush it aside as easily
As I weed out the lawn to keep it healthy
So is there anything wrong with it
If every one will take care of oneself
We all could be much more happy
Self-reliance is a virtue we all need to cultivate

Now here comes another out look

A Universal Outlook

We may come and go alone
But we depend on others for our survival
Alone we perish together we thrive
We are part of a whole
Confined in our body
Our soul is part of this vast cosmic consciousness
Obscure is our vision yet it shines and shimmers
Like water shimmers under rays of sun
An illusion it may be but leaves an impression
Deep enough for us to feel a longing
For this universal consciousness
Some time only way to experience it
Is to feel the pain of others
To wipe somebody’s tears
Ignore your own suffering
To alleviate pain of a grieving heart
To our surprise often
We help our self in the process
A sense of calm satisfaction
Working like a balm upon our wounded ego
Self-interest in reverse action

This is the secret of our survival
Key to unlock the door of happiness
We have to remind our self constantly
Though we can’t follow the highest ideals
Yet don’t want to become selfish individuals either
There is a middle ground, a middle out look
Just as valid as a dusk or dawn
A small connecting point
For you and I.