good and bad

“Be good,” our teachers taught us;

our parents, grandparents too!

So, we grew up believing…

“If we are good, our lives will be fine.”

 

And then, life taught us more -

good wasn’t the guarantor of good.

This world of reality that we live in

challenges our thoughts and actions.

 

Being good isn’t a recipe, or formula.

Life is an evolving process;

the good and the bad co-exist

to keep life balanced.

 

The good meets the bad,

there is a chaotic dance.

They accept each other -

a win-win pact.

 

Life goes on, not a smooth sail;

there is storm,

the ship rocks,

souls breathe hard.

 

And then, the cloudy sky

turns blue and clear.

The sea is calm, the sun smiling.

Souls rest awhile.

 

Gain or loss from the sea voyage,

souls have to bear.

Succumb to instability

and they risk death.

 

Souls are seekers -

what do they seek?

To survive? To come alive?

Or, subdue the bad?

 

And I wonder,

"What would the world be if all good?"