As already mentioned in a previous post (in fact, my very first post on this blog), I love simple statements that are both rich and straightforward in ways that encapsulate a lot of meaning, meaning that is so true, and so vast, and general, that it is impossible to get one’s head around it in words alone. Such wholistic perspectives fascinate me which I think are crucial in understanding this world.

A wonderful chill-out piece, very ”leger” but still going deep down the surface of things, is ”Every Soul upon the Earth” by Space Brothers. It is a great example to illustrate what I mean. You can listen to the song on You Tube: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ude8PPV-jU

And here are just some of the lyrics: …

Every truth that’s ever spoken … Every voice that’s ever heard … You all share the same emotions …
Every soul upon the Earth …

Every man from your beginning … Every woman, every bird … You all share a common reason …
Every soul upon the Earth …

We can only love you … We can only love

Everybody says there’s danger … Everybody feels the hurt … You all share a common future …
Every soul upon the Earth …

Travel home to your self … Find your place in the world …

Every heart that’s ever broken … Every dream that’s ever cursed … You all share the same emotions … Every soul upon the Earth …

We can only love you … We can only love …

Travel home to yourself … Find your place in the world …

The song comes across a lot better than just the lyrics, and so I would encourage you to just listen to it. It is nice, no?

In terms of one travelling to their place in the world, things may not only seem too meaningful and so it is important to see beyond the words in order to know our journey. The good news is that there is a meaning. The not so good news is that it is sometimes difficult to see it. In order to see it, you need to have some emotional knowledge and poetry (and any other art that you like, or sport, even) can help you get that. Try it. It works.

And so, if the meaning is not there, it is important to search for it. And simple statements, and poems, of this kind, can provide some good guidance when one is looking into oneself. If it happens a lot to you, do not worry, just connect with your emotions instead of looking too much.

Another example of the power of poetry , or poetry in action, is the work of Drew Dellinger, a poet I found out about during my CSR Certificate studies. Check out some of his work under the links below – nice, no??

http://www.drewdellinger.org/llmw/hymn.php

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=XW63UUthwSg 

Drew’s work I find saturated to the utmost with politics, concerns about the environment and sustainability, personal responsibility, collective responsibility, love, emotion, time and non-existence of time, urgency and buddhism. I find it a great example of how poetry can be that door, or just window, which enables one to look into themselves and understand things better. It works for me because I like it.

To conclude, at the very bottom of it, poetry is very emotional; yet unless there is emotion, there is no understanding, either.  And so, if you are feeling lost, just read through a poem that makes you feel. That would bring key emotions into the picture which would enable you to understand what is going on, for you, in that picture.

As a friend once told me: rational thinking does not help you make sense of things; emotional thinking does.