FREEDOM AND JOY


	Praise and glory
	    for the joy of living
	    and moments of clear understanding
	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

	Joy and freedom
	   is an option.

	But discipline of self to allow others' joys and freedoms
	   is not an option
	   unless--
	     Unless we prefer to pretend joy and pretend freedom
	     all the while pursuing WAR.

	Joy and freedom is a gift,
	   the gift borne of love and respect for the self
	   that transcends temptations drawing us
	   towards war and hatreds.

	If transcendence is our lot.

	They say we are sinners,
	   they call us to repentence--
	     but what do we need to repent of?

	We don't.

	And non-transcendence remains our lot as we prefer 
	   hatreds and wars
	   powers and dominances
	to
	   freedoms and joys.

      - - - - - - - -
	Release is a most precious gift we can render.
	We hold the key to our bondage...
		for release is release into bondage
		of a different sort.

	Joy is not thoughtless;
	Freedom, not careless of anothers' feelings.

	These are not irresponsible concepts nor actions.
	They are the most responsible.
	They're WORK!

	For it takes solid, loving work to give others
	their freedoms, their joys--
	    and even more work to let others give you yours.

	One can let go to be open to giving and receiving.
	Even those of us with the most violent hearts.

	Joy and freedom
	   can be gifts--
	      BUT ONLY IF HEARTS OPEN
	      and only if Mistrust fails to serve.

     We can believe the disbelievers; we can selfishly serve ourselves
     and be open to nothing but what the manipulators would have us be
     open to.  We can feed the power-mongers of our world by feeding
     and heeding the selfish habits that uplift no one and desecrate all.
     Our empires and bureaucracies and humanly-invented structures can
     dominate our vision, and take away all warm human behaviour and
     caring, worrying us to death....
	...yet what are we without structure?  What are we without
	   dependabilities and interdependencies?

     As humans, the power to choose what we collectively see has always
     been and always will be in our very own hands.  Me, as human, has
     the ability and the reason to free myself from serving the bureau-
     cratic ideal of disinterested fairness... dislodging me to free me
     to care about those who I serve.

          The paths, many paths, to freedom and joy are to me made 
     manifest by every thought and feeling I choose to employ in this 
     business of being human.  Yuck!  What responsibility!  No fun!  
     Or is it?
	  My path treads through much muck, some indecency, occasional
     bouts with the pull between violence and nonviolence.  But what
     impresses me as a most critical need, at least for me, is the being
     mindful in being joy, the being careful in being free.

	   Liberty is NOT a mindless institution.


	-David Eisenstein