Personal Growth Whether you go down the nearest available rabbit hole, Or, take off for the furthest stars in the heavens, The dreamer and the dream remain inseparable. To boldly go, where none has ever gone before, Requires each of must first learn, how to be still, And, how to truly embrace the silence as golden. For there will always be more in heaven and earth, Than dreamt of in any of our childish rationalizations. Ask not, what you can do for any religion or government, But, how do these help you to become a better human being? Forget about all the stupid labels, and endless ideological nonsense, There can be no greater personal satisfaction, than growing as a person. There can be no greater good that can be accomplished than to know thyself. Which is why me, myself, and I always agree to not just take each other's word for it. My father often loved to chuckle and remind me, "Without heart, ya got nothing!" So I would joke right back that he was my heart and my personal hero, For if it were not for him, I would never have been born!
This poem is an interesting Socratic expression of typical Asian views. Asians tend to practically worship their parents and, frequently, would never dream of disrespecting them in any way whatsoever. But, without a gentle sense of humor about ourselves and each other, personal grow is impossible, and filial piety, religion, and government all become more counterproductive. Many Asians would say you require roots, but these should ideally not only be deep, but flexible like the tap root of a weeping willow, which reaches for the heart of mother earth. Don't tell my father, but he really is my personal hero and can make me laugh like nobody else.
