Poetry

The world is dew...
The world is dew...
And yet...
And yet...


This is a poem written by an ancient Japanese Poet named Issa. He wrote this poem soon after his wife and children had all died, presumably from some kind of disease or accident. Issa was Buddhist. In Buddhism, the belief is that all of the world is God. Buddhists also believe that all of reality is really just an illusion, which they call maya. The way to become a buddha and get to nirvana is to fully realize the illusion, overcome it, and overcome all of your desires too. I won't get into any theological argument about Buddhism at this time because I really just want to show how profound this poem really is when you think about it with that kind of worldview in mind. That all of the world is just dew...here one second, gone the next and that you must recognize and accept that...and yet, there is such pain. Such personal, serious, deep pain. So many events that happen to people on such an individual level. How hard it is for one to accept that all the world is one and no one is truly an individual, that that is just part of the maya (illusion) while such personal and individual pain, joy, and intensity exists in life.

Something to think about. Despite its shortness, this poem does not lack in depth by any means. It kind of shook my brain for a while.