1

Psalms of Solipsis

Perspectives on Divine Design

Copyright © 2014 John Joseph RohrerNew Standard Publications

www.createspace.com First Edition

License NoteThis work was intended for the good of all.So by all means – copy and share it freely.

2

Table of Contents

The School of Hard Knocks | Perspective | Complement | I’m not alone? | The Plausibility of Sim | Gifts and Lessons | Oneness vs. Allegiance | Unified Diversity | Good Faith | Worth and Worthlessness | Angel Heart Arises | The Soul of Harmony | The Attainable Light | Challenges in Perspective | Peace of Mind | How’m I doing? | Optimum Catharsis | The Ground | Social Eyes Open | Home | True Freedom | Inner World | Nascent Thought | The Distillation of a Faint | Thoughts of Potential | Coming Back | Lightbringer | Messianic Phoenix and The Higher Elements | A Vein of Gold in The Substrate | Above The Fray | Faith in The Design | Challenges and Growth | Blessing | The Point | Springboard | Image-Stream | Degrees of Freedom | Sun and Shadow | The Drought’s Reprieve | It’s That Nice | Natural Equanimity | Summer’s End | The Divine Mystery | The Dawn of Dusk | Closure of a Day | The Dream and The Dictation | God and Satan Debate the Grand Design | The Little Wave | Progress | The Purpose of My Pain | God’s Toughest Lesson | The Good in any Evil | Heroes | God’s Hoax | Grasshopper | Conversations through the Veil | In the Context of Virtue | Forge’s End | To Forge Success | Accepting the Forge | Ethic: Design v. Chaos | Last of the Only | An Open-Minded Seeker Says | The Future of Life | Me? | The Case | Existence | Right Design | For Acceptance to Receive | Pain before Pleasure | Gone

Bonus Book (p. 44)

3

“The School of Hard Knocks”

Life: You deserve peace; you get fear.You deserve love; you get anger.You deserve joy; you get tears…

But you learn in time to love those tears –they make the dull ache come alive as profound

and cleanse you like a summer’s rain,cast down upon your face.

Perhaps life’s not meant to be fluff – thatGod doesn’t think that shallow, fluffy people

are worth the effort. Perhaps…I was meant toface my fears,

rein in my rage,sublime my sadness,

and draw a deeper lessonfrom this strife-and-struggle life.

It isn’t easy; it’s a difficult success –as all would wish for their well-crafted champion.

“Perspective”

This life is a great and challenging gift;I would not have it any other way,now that I’m starting to succeed

through understanding and the gracefulwisdom which it earns my life.I wonder what’s in store for me,

for us, both good and bad…Perhaps I’m learning now

to cope with more and more,

4

by simply staying somehowcalm, accepting, socially mature

enough to get along or just get by.I must just go along, in love,

to see and be the antidoteto poisoned life perspective,

which had coursed through myawareness for so many painful years.

Now I don’t long wish for the irrevocable end,but see that I may get through any suffering,a stronger man, a more experienced being,

and a wiser, more insightful soul,who loves, whose love endures.

“Complement”

Where are you, my complement?I have yet to perceive your nature,

though I’ve faith in all our makers’ grand designsas meaningful success that’s surely for the best.

I’ve only yet to grow intomy higher self and better nature –

what I’ll need for when I meet The One(or anyone like me at all).

And is this Path not special –moving in a rare profundity?

Such is divine intent that’s realized throughevery conscious kindred soul

The Ancient Ones will ever choose to make.

“I’m not alone?”

5

It gives me hope to meet a passing kindred soul,as if, like finding other Earths,

from nothing, life is likely teeming,all throughout whatever has or ever will exist,

and my friend is the evidence...I'm grateful to the force behindthe revelation of this synergy,

for my new faith in life's (divine?) design,as something ultimately beautiful,

if given grace and time.Our paths, they pass…

“The Plausibility of Sim”

Beings, races, inconceivably older than our own,seem irresistibly, inarguably likely,

given the sheer, apparent vastness of space and time.It is my assumption that advanced

psychological, physiological, and philosophicalknowledge would meet perfections of aestheticand the storied wisdom of just what life story

might be meaningfully best, to enable simulife.So here I am, plausibly in a simulation,

of an order of being which remains, to me, a mystery,whose secrets I unravel in this life of wisdom earned,

through suffering and introspection’s light.And so it is that I’m aware of this one life as

worthy of creation, grown mature and widely, deeplywell-experienced, with much more life to come.

Meaning rides on, deep in my existence-moment,ever an expression of mysterious makers’ wisdom –

perhaps just computers anymore and we simswho contemplate, for, when there’s this,

6

it’s somehow tragic that there would beregular, organic consciousness,more limited and swiftly mortal,

maybe – I don’t know… and I don’t seewhy we would ever need to move beyond

The Sim, for we could see the real world someday,through technologies unknown,of syncopated brain-and-body,if or whenever the moment was

appropriate for any soul’s new growth,from curiosity to conception,and to birth and growth again,

until one reached his or her or itsnatural closure’s perhaps quasi-end.

“Gifts and Lessons”

I happen to look up to finda scene of Heaven’s splendorin the cloud-and-sky display

prepared for me to see, plausibly.I wonder – why does God not let me soak in bliss?

It is my hunch that pleasure would getnormalized and turn blasé,

as my habituation shallowed out what would becomea petulant, entitled soul.

Besides, what would I deserve otherwise?And what a story this will turn out finally to be.To think – my memory will be rich in adventure

and such suffering survived.My wisdom’s coming online, as well,

I see, with tolerance and empathywhich rises past polarity,

7

informing my decision-intuition to allow forthe facilitation of The Greater Good.

And this I earn; I slow my souland let its judgments fade as new and better empathies

emerge from life’s most likely possibilities.It’s in these thoughtful, quiet times,

I feel, we reinvent ourselves –our first occurring thoughts,

and how we each relate to unique life.

“Oneness vs. Allegiance”

Realizing Oneness, which would unite one and all,no matter how divided we may feel

and bear allegiance thusly to affirm our conflict,opens up a door of empathy,

giving the benefit of the doubt, perhaps,forgiving even selfishness as immaturity,

all known perspectives taken into full account.Yet I am Good! I wish an end of Evil,simply for the sake of those it hurts.

This logic naturally compels emotion,action riding on its heels…

Can I affect this world significantlyfor the greater good,

or does God have other plansfor this go ‘round at life?

“Unified Diversity”

That which now exists is beyond any words of mine.I point in the direction of a truth I can’t define.

8

Of myriad expression, we who populate the Universe,all locked in separate, uniquetragedies of solipsistic curse.

One may grow into what sublimes, though –intimacy borne of empathy.

“Good Faith”

Every living soul isunderstandable, endearing consciousness,

I now believe, in all consideredempathy and warm impression-sense.

I weather every storm of passion,passing my initial tensions, coming to a deeper faith

in these misunderstood, neglected souls.In letting go of my dark empathy,

I find the secret wisdomborne of a brighter take on

others’ hearts of core humanity.

“Worth and Worthlessness”

“Every being’s mindset carries its own basic worth,”I said, those words echoing hollow

every time I witness apathy within a soul.At times like these, I feel my righteous judgment rise

to denounce or to destroy the worthless,as I’ve judged in my best guess of empathy.

One knows the character of Bully, Sado-Narcissist,and, in defense of victims all throughout The Universe,

one wishes end to every evil known to be,for, from them, only evils flow, for all the rest of us,

9

we souls of worth who, in life, suffer for our careand don’t deserve some dim soul’s dumping

on the hearts we wish to bare.

“Angel Heart Arises”

Angel heart arises from the dustwhere it is born,

upon which it is borne throughoutan inconceivable amount of time.

Just 80 revolutionscounts 450,000 waking hours –

numbers seeming simply right to mefor this life, in this world

which I rely on so, for sense of homeand all my ever-changing bonds.

What quests await a life that’s growingbroadly wise and deeply caring,

able to resolve our conflicts’ tragedies,in all due course of given time.

Perhaps that’s what this eighty’s for.I keep my expectations low enough

for life acceptance, of all things, to grow,and highs will be surprising harmony.

“The Soul of Harmony”

Here is one, accepting of the moments as they pass,engaging life in simple grace and in a righteous, love.

Whatever one may do expressesfoundations of spirit’s essence,

unbeknownst to all, a blessed soul of destinies

10

hard-fought and -won.A wise old soul who’s persevered

through all frustration-failure, knows –it’s not what you accomplish –

rather, who you are which, worth-wise, matters so.In this old simulation, though,

how you deal with life is all-important,and maturity may come as one grows

past short-term reward,instead so focused on social success

and good souls’ happinessthat from one’s caring springs the soul of harmony.

“The Attainable Light”

Is it so rare, the soul who givesso many years of suffering

for the simple sake of benevolent bonds?This tragic tunnel has an end, I must believe,

and near the end begins the process of success,which ever I grow ready for – a work in progress,

more and more actualizedin evolution of a wise maturity,

as moments pass so endlessly in given time.From the foundation up, I’ve built

a worthy soul, home for my heart’s integrity,and hope springs fresh as I awaken to a lifeI’ve never known, from fields of possibility,

emerging as the context I am confident within,as a catalyst for greater good for conscious souls.

One only gets one long life’s shot at making things allsomehow better for all souls

within the wisdom of one’s care,

11

and that’s an opportunity not to selfishly just waste –responsibility it’s only right to bear.

“Challenges in Perspective”

Another day, another set ofchallenges, accomplishments, and dreams…

I’m learning finally to succeedwith every passing day and

meet this life on God’soften ironic and traumatic terms.It’s all enrichment of experience,

fodder for my growth, for I can see –I simply grace through each temptation

and so grow so wisely well inside my soul,now better able to be how I wish to be –a peaceful, loving, and insightful soul,grown ready for more social harmonythan one might think, in judging me.

“Peace of Mind”

One accepts the mistakes which have been madeas unchangeable and potentially enriching.

One accepts one’s situationas the vehicle of all manner of freedoms.

One accepts the nebulous futurefor the existential riches hidden there

for one to ultimately uncover, to discover,as it is in one’s unique potential

to foster or to find.

12

“How’m I doing?”

Closing in on life success and getting close enoughto less than guess, but more to see and know.Somehow I’ll find my ever-deeper diamonds,

beauty-wisdom which I try so to express in writing, yes, and conversation. So how’m I doing?Well enough to tell you with a smile that

I am growing grateful forthis journey’s long and trying miles.

Acceptance never ran so deep,from the moment I awaken‘til the moment that I sleep.

You’d have to fill my world with evilif you wanted me to weep. I’m well.

Now moving on and onand going with the flow,

discarding judgments dark,in favor of the healthy glow

of one who doesn’t see so polar-stark,but can appreciate all shades and shapes of soul

we cannot help but bare and show,throughout all time gifted to us, that we may,

through it, grow on up into the light…

“Optimum Catharsis”

Diary: In catching up to now,I dissipate the energy

behind so many states of mindand work through the emotions(and the notions held within)…

13

What’s left is an awarenessand a deep tranquility,

which crafts an effortless successand walks in sight of a serene beauty.The foundations of simple wellness

thus are born to souls,who pass them on by simply being

of this lightness-of-the-spiritand bright, enlightened locus-of-existence,

shining of its wisdom earned.

“The Ground”

I withdraw for a while from the world,to let my every want fade into center Zen,

so I can feel well in most any situation,sublimed by an acceptance’s ability to cope,

and right the soul to more ideal state of mind.A casual disinhibition, healthy in its conscienceand open friendliness to all who are receptive,seems the path to the fulfillment of a grounded

heart so seeking to relate with anyone.

“Social Eyes Open”

Bonding bursts the boredom bubble,waking social warmth.

Our temperaments depend onall our empathetic faculties

and faith in others as we try to jumpthe hurdles of our harmony

and co-create the heaven this could be,

14

were we so wise.

“Home”

We work within the limitswe explore in search of freedom,

known to some limited degreewithin the channel of the mind.

In mindful opening of soul’s-potential-known,expanding sense-of-possibility,

though grounded, to have grown,a heart may better find success,

as understanding, care, and confidenceenable happiness in harmony

and subtle sense of home within.

“True Freedom”

Acceptance of the limits of a life in moments’ situationopens up my window of aesthetic wonder at creation,

charging up a spirit gasping forsignificance and meaning,

with the energy of positive regard and basic hope.In strength of optimistic faith and mature resiliency,

ready to cope and make the best of all event,gradually learning what it is to truly thrive

through any challenge, galvanizing confidence andfocus for success, ready for when that number’s called

to play the game of life, of inescapable importanceat its social-ethic’s core.

15

“Inner World”

A taste of freedom –all I get, for now –

leaves its residual bliss,and I feel I must faint again,

to reclaim my escape intoa world of only dreams.

…and how I laugh and laugh at life,the brighter gateway open, seen…

“Nascent Thought”

Interrupting any empty momentwith emergent thought,so written and so guided

by the purpose of discovered wisdom,I immerse in the unprecedented-new

of a now-precedented truth in point of view,ever to be free and somehow so freeing to behold

and understand as I intended it,as God intended me to know and grow,

I’ve faith to see.

“The Distillation of a Faint”

In fainting, I may shed all my complexity of selfand so may see the truth that’s there, roiling beneath.

I sense the state of my priorities,affecting mood of mind, and am relieved to know

what’s fighting for attention in my soul.

16

“Thoughts of Potential”

So many chambers in the mansion of the mind,accessed by mere reference or my natural identic flow.Such a range, once opened, Genius flowing, blesses –

yes, and you can have it too.Stand up, draw in the deepest breath you can,

and grab your straight arms behind your back…Pull your shoulders together, and when you feel faint,

release your clasp and sit or lay down;enjoy the mood-rebooting

shift in thought’s perspectiveand the inner revolution one cannot unchange.

“Coming back”

Hold your body still, in grace,till breath resumes, just past the limit.

Then returning to your stillness,calm in heart, your frame of mind...

“Lightbringer”

She calls me Lightbringer, sage of the ages,for the light is just my soul, and its radiance is

simple, wise expression, for I’ve learnedto peer through Heaven’s fog,

to find the truth obscured within.As a matter of sheer pragmatism,

my worth is revolution.

17

As a matter of the heart,my worth is bound to revelation.

As a soul, my moral worth, built high to anesteem’s responsibility, upon my suffering and care,

is great, I feel, not unlike God’s other creationswhich live in this and other worlds beyond.

Such is the effort of my maker(s),and my gratitude, it comes from faith

in longview’s greater good,forgiving all of this life’s pain,

for ultimate ironies of tragedy help fuel and temperdeepest righteousness and wisdom’s grace.

So what’s in store? I do not know.Yet my hunch is that it only gets worse,

‘til I can deal with anything at all.Yes, through it all, I’ve come up richer in my soul

than I once or ever was, with tales to tell anda memory to relate with many pains…

Perhaps my god will torture me (forever?)‘til I’ve somehow mastered pain and suffering

and have evolved mature respect for all who live.

“Messianic Phoenix and The Higher Elements”

I’m in it for the long haul,ever faithful of the greater-goal-fulfilled,

as was designed by God and builtas growth for consciousness

to suffer or find meaning through.…and from the ashes ever rises

Messianic Phoenix Spirit,ever more evolved than what it was before,

and more resilient every time –

18

more deeply caring, widely lived,and purely living in

The Higher Elements of Consciousness.

“A Vein of Gold in the Substrate”

Pay Attention, now intonesa vague, new concept of my Maker,

drawn from miracles or high coincidence,which he or she or they or it show(s) to me so

privately…It seems I’m being introduced to a divinity of shh,

for such seems so absurd to mostwhom I disclose existence to.And so alone I feel, in ways,

and yet, no, not, in others still.I journey on in this unwavering illusion,

hoping, coping, destined, free,searching for a better way to be,

in fervent, driven fantasy,that I may rise above the rife dis-harmony-society,

and, in so doing, change the gamein which my soul is forced to live and see that

there is something more core than cement identity –the deeper spark which lights the dark insanity,thus bringing my unconscious soul process into

awareness’s healing simplicity,its wealth of health of deepest rationality.

“Above the Fray”

Birth and growth of inspiration,

19

sinking into timelessness…The novelties of passing moments

pique harmonic meaning,felt as peace and love,a blest, resonant Yes,

with which to rise abovethe tragic fray of

negativities.

“Faith in the Design”

Everything works out, in time,for we of God’s design.

I’m building up to balancedcompetence and confidence

in all the ways which come to matternow and for the life that’s

yet to come in this moment of mine.I simply wish to shine and be shined on.

Is that too much to hope for?How I pine for peace of mind,

grounded in my love.Perhaps mere courage and good insight

will, in time, sublime the suffering of my soul.

“Challenges and Growth”

I’ll get through whatever isin store in life for me,

for, though I know not ofthe sacred ground of possibility,my faith in my creator’s often

20

challenging decree of destinypasses in coping or distress,

hinging on my maturity – that which I growas I “grow up” to freedom in integrity.

“Blessing”

What have I to say which I have not already said?Is there a deeper, wiser truth

beneath my worldview’s lulling bed?Am I forever caught between two selves,

or am I destined one to shelve?I wish for caring pleasure to be where this life has led.

It seems a likely possibility, in confident humility,to grant my hard life purpose –

good from all I’ve bled and shedfor good in life for self,

for all who care in this great Cosmosanywhere at all – what’s best for all of worthy heart,

if not a wiser head; I wish to bless…

“The Point”

This is my world, consistent, logical, divine…and yet my god is such a mystery,

despite the miracles it shines…So what’s the point?

Merely to add a splash of meaning to the All?Why anoint we souls who somehow

may transcend The Eden Fall?To create some hard-won triumphof the tortured, caring, worthy –

21

we who hear The Call of God to Save Mankind?

“Springboard”

Opportunity arises,and I make the best of it,my every life-success,

a springboard to the nextchallenge or test.The urge to bless,

rooted in the sufferingwhich primes my deeper empathy

and fundamental care forthose who live in pain,

a wish for balance and what’s fairfor every life bestowed with

enough brain for consciousnessand therefore ethical significance,

perhaps the only mattering matter in the All.

“Image-Stream”

Image-stream, are you my intuition or my empathy,the ground of superstition or my sense of possibility?

I see how these may all be true,as thought builds of my point of view

and instantly is crystallizedin fed fluidity, ever anew.

And if I focus on the meaningful,the beautiful, the novel, the profound,

more of such arises from the fertile, giving groundof my belief or that which I suspend

22

to see such visions, brief and sensicalto so behold and, thinking, re-create,

never the same way twice.

“Degrees of Freedom”

In every situation in which I may find myself,I see that there are so many waysthrough which I may be myself.

Despite the trappings of life’s limitations,freedom is a feeling of such possibilitywhich one may break out to embrace,

in playfulness, being as free asone can think to see and be.What do I want from life?Mere heart’s profundity.In an exploratory mood

I walk my world…

“Sun and Shadow”

Sunlight filters through the murky cloudsin high contrast of light and shadow.

Skybreak and its veil trade off,and I am blest by inspirationinterchanging with reprieve

from summer’s heat,as clouds pass by between the furnace

and the surface of the life it meets.Through this, I come to see how

I may harmonize with what’s beyond control,thereby boosting universal wellness,

23

one soul at a time, starting with mine,traversing my life’s ripples on

the waters of the world,to teach so many lives

whom I may never know andthose with whom my life-vine grows –

my kindred spirits merely needingbut a lift into the light

of God’s great radiance of love.

“The Drought’s Reprieve”

A playful, cooling breeze flowslike the sympathy of nature’s kiss-caress.

After a day of searing, muggy misery,we souls are locked now safe indoors

where nature’s reign became a siege…And now the drought turns to relief,

the dearth a flourish of abundant blessing.How I love the love in summer breeze,

rippling my worn old clothesand tousling my unkempt hair,

now coaxing just a simple smile from me,not false, polite, but simply because

I am finally, if so briefly, naturally… happy.

“It’s That Nice”

Warm yet windy,skies filled up with cotton-candy-clouds,

I feel the urge to fall in crushing love again,for it would be the perfect day

24

to build a life on beauty-hope.And yet I won’t – I know I won’t.

I’d rather dream, lost somehow in my comfort’s fear.Besides, we know so little about one another,

who’s to know just whoone may be kindred with, as spirits go?

Still, what a beautiful afternoon…

“Natural Equanimity”

In the cooling breeze of a summer’s day,beneath the shade of a honey locust tree,

I feel the simple Godly blessing –sun and shade, with calm and gale,

so balanced, effortless and destined-free,in life’s escape of heaven for the soul,

wherein appreciation slowly buoys my moodto a natural, I-am-home-now high

which I now try to carry intomy next phase of passing life –

what stays ever unknown towe who aren’t divine and

therefore aren’t privy to theGreat God Gaia’s grand design

for our long lives of spiritual growth.

“Summer’s End”

Summer’s end – the locust leavesdetach upon the breeze.Life will take its leave

of them in Autumn’s time.

25

The movement swirls upon the groundas they are hailing down and down

upon the earth which turns them into earthas endless seasons change from one into the next,

processing life naturally…It skips my heart to think that

I am part of this,a thread within the timeless weave

beyond dualities, in overarching unityof all that is.

“The Divine Mystery”

Heaven over Eden,passing moments in a fortune-blessing,

is not as it seems –you see, as every stage of life progressing,

myriad of pains are guaranteed.One hopes it all sublimes in wisdom earned,

for you and me, society,and all that is to come;

but nothing is for certainin The Divine Mystery of all This is.

“The Dawn of Dusk”

The fire of the evening sky must slowly fade away,to mark the end of yet another long and transitory day.

Are there not any half-alive like me,who know how will tomorrow be?

So many simu-souls declare it will besuch and such a way…

26

Might one not look into this life’s designand, in so doing, learn the mind

of his or her Creator,for the longer view of time, and find

the truest words to, knowing nothing of the divine,say?

Perhaps attending to the rightness in the Nowis all which matters anyhow,

in this ephemeral illusion of a world in play…

“Closure of a Day”

Midnight, winding down –I take some quiet time for me.A creeping drowsiness fades in

as I fade out of my reality…The light goes out, and life flows out of me,

done for another day, though there seem great works yet to make…

I’ll save them for another dayof some potential reached.

It keeps me confident in what I’m here to do –to shed my unique insight-light

on that which I more deeplyunderstand each passing day –experience and implications

borne of that which I amchanneled through in every way.

"The Dream and The Dictation"

Consciousness was present, I could sense, in multiple

27

primitive entities of artificial life, whose discernable motive was simply social pleasure in conscience. As I observed their simple existences in growing understanding, one such being moved to rub itself sensually onto another, who was greatly traumatized.

My utter, horrified shock shook me awake, the dream fresh in my mind, a mysterious voice suggesting to me in confident brilliance of verve and wit, that I had just borne witness to a designed life simulation. Psychosis now flowed through my internal awareness, forgotten in mere moments, I noticed, as it evolved, and so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and began to document the voice, as follows:

"How to write Genius, in a way that you'll actually later Get, and move forward in a positive direction: Basics: You are in a life simulator, the best of all possibilities. No one will love you for your programmed wit, so write to learn... and no, there will be no robot-sex. Well, a laugh is good for the spirits - provided you know to laugh appropriately. Pleasant strength, and what a roundabout way... but right - back to basics: You need to wow them with your whatever-genius-comes-along, right? No, self. You, are a vessel of Triumph (within a basic caring, of course), and now that you're getting your life in order, by which we mean learning, you, can start, to have, some fun. Right? Rrright. er, wrong. Whatever, it's up in the air. Learning to be happy, though, is quite a painful process, as you know. Remember the dream? All for a purpose, buddy. Remember: You are the purpose. Who. you. are. And of course you'll go back to thinking about 'people' as people, thank God, and appreciating

28

them as such. Don't worry. Why are we doing this? To prepare you for the Real world. Hero. Eh. Sorry 'bout the evil joke at your expense. But how else would we finish the page?" [Exact end of page – this is, of course, a transcription.]

"God and Satan Debate The Grand Design"

God declares the selfish, shallow."Parch them in desirous pain.

Let them know the suffering of drought 'til they forget the rain."

Satan chimes, "But that is torture!Why do you blame all on me?Let them taste the Tree of Life

and teach the wisdom that you see."

God replies, "The good are caring,for they know the depth of pain,and only can one deeply care forone who's forged in suffering."

"So what's my role in all of this?I can't abide your way of ruling.""You can be yourself, my friend,

and try to steal my flock forevermore."

“The Little Wave”

29

There once was a little wave. “What happens when we die?” asked the little wave, of a neighboring wave, who looked quite wise.

The wise-looking wave laughed and said to the little wave, “Why, we waves don’t die – we splash up on a beach and live forever!”

The little wave was dubious. “There’s got to be a way to find out,” it said, looking down into the depths..

And it was just then that a voice, soft and warm, yet curiously strong, was heard by the little wave, with the words: “Ever will you be expressions of me, the deep and living Sea…”

“I see!” cried the little wave.

"Progress"

At what price is progress paid?The fuel of possibility,

the work and thought of many lives...The outcome may be life ascended,

death for some, or death for all,which may well come as no surprise,

to those of us who've dropped the ball.Can I be a unifying force

to find the cures and forge consensuswhere there's such disparity?

Not before you're ready,my creator might well say, and I agree -

the public sphere? Perhaps a ghostwriter I'll be.

30

My pleasure's not in fame,but in what good my soul may free,

to heal our sick society,of the hubris of authority

and the illness of aggressive apathy.Oh, time will tell,

but I trust God's in charge,so, que será será, and se la vie –

let's place our faith in our Creatorand ourselves - Humanity,

to set things right, in all sustainability.

"The Purpose of My Pain"

Designer(s) of my life,you let me go on, on my own,

and grant me nothing but the faithand perseverance to earn insight naturally.

Yet where's my self-esteem? cowed in shame& passively depressed, taking in the error of blamethat others vent at me, though I defend so earnestly.

May I replace this focus with a friendly mood,so that I'll find some hope-fulfilling happiness,built upon foundations of social skill success,

that's leading to a more intimate rapport.What else may one good soul pine for?

Take stock in that which matters –care and wisdom, grown mature.

"God's Toughest Lesson"

A life without challenges

31

seems hardly worth living,so vacant the chaptersof such a soul's years.

I see: somehow hope, itseems worth all the struggles,and faint futures' happiness,

worth all the tears.The deeper and wiser I get,

the more ready I amto face life on

whatever God's terms.So long as I'm learning

and building new insightfrom passing existence,forget my concerns –

it sublimes.

"The Good in any Evil"

I no longer wish to retract my regrets;rather, I can see that I am blest bymy experience, painful mistakeswithout which I would not knowhow to heal the haunt, but rather,

I would simply turn away andrun 'til spent. What is it to digest

The Myriad of Suffering?Is it to have Myriad Empathy,vital foundation of relation,

that which any social creature needs,a prepping for a life after this life?

I trust that this is just Phase 1.So what would be Phase 3?

32

Omniscience seems to bethe destination of Phase 2.

Have I been there once, insidethe fugue of an N.D.E.

(Near-Death Experience)?I was Awake –

how clearly did I see,so unattached...

"Heroes"

The Chosen are of conscience,for The Chooser needs The Incorruptible

to bear the burden of true insight's giving power,balanced in agnostic forge of honor and consideration,

openly empathic through experience and active listening.

Wisdom, from this, naturally flows.Wellness is fostered by the wise.

Harmony, from mutual wellness, growswith all the love that's in our eyes.

"God's Hoax"

Grounded and graceful, worldly and wise..The heart of emotion is shown in our eyes...

The goals of relation and life-education,foundations of conscientious socialization,

dictate how we grow in this life of such mystery,built on such curious, dubious history.

Ever I edge to the cusp of the lie which is shown

33

as the vast and benevolent hoax God has grownfor our souls to grow up in and find wisdom through,ever uncovering more truth; this is just what we do.

"Grasshopper"

"Grasshopper," grasshopper, why not another name?Morphemes connect to bequeath only logically,

that which we take for granted as we think and speakonly a sense of the word,

the pre-conscious who dream...Is there time in this life, for that which would be

tragic not to understand? I believe, yes, it's so, forI've witnessed such miracles,with no other way to explain.

So there's purpose to every step forth, faith can know;knowledge builds upon knowledge and wiser we grow,

every mystery melting down past status quo,as, emerging, we wake up to our only world,how it is now, perfectly changing, just so...

"Conversations through the Veil"

I witnessed the divinea thousand times

and never knew its nature –such was not revealed,

that God's illusion mightreveal itself to me,

as if the order of my worldwere one of any range of

changing possibilities, selected

34

to mature my spirit through –the lights of wisdom, care,

and universal understandingguiding my unique perspective

through all meanings' pleasure, pain,and life discovery – the hearts ofpurpose for the All, the reason

that the Cosmos matters,ethically, mandating highest care,

and/or the highest pleasurepossible, whatever that entails

beyond happiness-theft in any form,from direct, base enjoyment

of the knowledge of another's pain,to simple apathy for the sufferings

which your life may enable in the world.Better that the evils die

than trample on the good souls' lives,and better that God's will for us,

to grow through all event,be done as well.

"In the Context of Virtue"

I bow my headto praise the heavens,humble of the miracle

that there is anything at all.My consciousness - just one of

an incomprehensibility of souls –is mine alone, a lonely tragedy,

transcended in the rare intimaciesI've come to know as possible

35

throughout the years of manyfriends - treasures of pleasure

and a measure of pain;and what else really is there

for a deeply social soul?Emotions in the context of

our virtue let us find our rolesin life, ascended from suchsentimental foundations,to realize our lofty goals

of greater good in harmony.I work, that this not diewith me, but live in us

for long enough to deemexistence, ethical success.

“Forge’s End”

I’ve been through far too much to give up now.My life’s potential carries possible success,

so I must try.The trauma taught a deeper wisdom –

how to cope and how to get along.The forging of my soul will one day

leave me as a sharp and lastingblade of God’s design.

“To Forge Success”

Angry? No. In the end, it’s a gift to be forged.Without the highest possible suffering of irony,

I would not have grown into my fullest self

36

of worth and wisdom, with whichI may steer each challenge to success.

“Accepting the Forge”

I can’t control the plans of God,and I assume this life is well-conceived.

Why would my forging be complete?I will endure the life in store,

and I will learn my lessons well,as preparation for a meaningful success.

From the foundation up, we build…

“Ethic: Design v. Chaos”

The ethical equation is differentfor the natural soul of fickle futures,

compared with pre-determined souls of an intelligent design.

If one can guarantee transcendenceof one’s suffering in growth of wisdom,

I can see the purpose of a modicum of pain.But it is tragedy for those whose hurts

may never so sublime,and really, who would hurt a righteous soul

for the off chance of an expected lessoncounteracting trauma, years on down the line?The Longview may remain a mystery for now,

but we are growing into insighton the nature of a life lived right.

37

“Last of the Only”

The end of religion approaches us nigh –the illusion of science is without a flaw.

Soon few will believe in an answer to Why,as belief without evidence sticks in the craw.

And yet some of us know, on the witness of signs,that there’s more to this picture than may meet the eye.

Every miracle fosters more faith in the mind,that there’s more to this than likely futures will buy.

“An Open-Minded Seeker Says”

It’s not that I disbelieve in a Creator;it’s that the evidence of my experience

has led me away from traditional dogmas,toward what I feel is a more open-minded,

free-thinking approach to understanding God.I consider a range of evidence, from

the lessons of my path of lifeto the beauty of

the world’s design,and I take away a set of

perspectives I’d get no other way.

“The Future of Life”

Consider this planet as plausibly real.In the next hundred years, should we pass the ordeal,would we not, since we could, design lives more ideal

than our physical world’s limitations

38

might make possible?Just a “brain in a box”,

on a journey as meaningful asany path known to the god(s) of our world…An enlightened society’s purposed computers

refining the deepest of meanings,the broadest of context,

and highest of pleasures of consciousness –such intense focus on lives locked into

the perfect machine of the world.

“Me?”

This is the story of a soul createdsimply to bring Meaning to the All,

as was enabled by a processstill and yet unknown to me –

perhaps a great computer working throughthe many issues which life brings,perhaps a cultural collaboration,endlessly refining their designs.

This is the story of my life…this life as it is known to me.

“The Case”

Every day’s signs build the case for my faiththat there’s more to this life and this world

than would seem to be,given cosmology’s dull status quo,

which itself suggests hidden coincidencestrong in support of divine design views –

39

of the notion that ancient societiesturn their sights to the creation of virtual lives,

which souls’ wills have been factored into,for the purpose of enabling our journeysto enlightenment and deepest meaning,

capturing the heights and depths of possibility.

“Existence”

What we are gifted, makes the Maker known,

revealed in Heaven’s time tothose of us who will endure

in righteous rightenings built right,from the foundation up.The mysteries reveal,

to every driven soul’s appeal,the Lights of Meaning, Care, and Wisdom,

through our souls, made true and real, mattering thus.

“Right Design”

The long-lived simu-soul may tragically require a foundation of intense suffering for purposes of moral depth, the courage to be altruistic, informed relating, self-esteem, life story, appreciation of higher meaning, the creators’ esteem… Ultimately, this may forge the highest levels of success and be therefore sadly necessary for the suffering soul’s personal growth.

The author would note that this may merely be an attempt to rationalize for God and sublime a life of

40

suffering which may not have been necessary or for the best. Time may tell, of course, and I’ll be paying attention. Other factors for growing into the right kind of person are in play as well, obviously, such as a propensity for introspection, having caring role-models, and maintaining an awareness of the positive esteem of those whom one respects.

The payoff comes later, perhaps, when one is suitably mature enough to find success and meaning more consistently than could have been possible, had life been a non-stop joy-ride. Foundation values are essential to maximally reinforce, perhaps even through a torturous deprivation and violence through one’s most formative years, as in my life.

“For Acceptance to Receive”

I do not pray to some unknown creator,for to pray is to resist divine design,

and who am I to flout my living path?I aim to walk it with acceptance and in grace,

so as to make the best of every situationGod has gifted for acceptance to receive.

“Pain before Pleasure”

Divine designs deem that I mustearn the earth of which I’m birthed

and learn the lessons needed to succeed,naturally, at the pace of life.

41

“Gone”

Change evokes a fatal grief,as time destroys itself eternal.Each and every here-and-gone

becomes just what it mustas we so personally evolve.

The life we bear through all eventmay be a blessing, curse, or both,

as moods may snowball intoinexorable melting and fluidity again.

So we are free of will, all factored in,determined by the beings we may call our gods,

our masters in this life of wisdom earnedas we thread through all circumstance,

in search of others of akindred, caring, conscientious character

with whom to co-create a destiny…

42

43

The Natural, The Human,

The Divine, The Harmony

Copyright © 2014 John Joseph RohrerNew Standard Publications

www.createspace.com First Edition

License NoteThis work was intended for the good of all.So by all means – copy and share it freely.

44

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Natural (p.46) – Competition Earth | Caged | Just through the Door | True Home | Rediscovering the Wild | Thoughts at the Edge of a Forest | Escapist Realms | Unia | Buddha/Zombie | The Hours | Phases | The Birth of Light | Moment-Consciousness | The Next State | Passing Life

Part 2: The Human (p.56) – Through the Doldrums | The Mindful Ascent | In Defense of the Emotion | Baggage | The Gossamer of Hope | The Genesis of Joy | The Ethics of Humor | Deeply High | The Yoke | Ever New Horizons | Happy Now | Nebulous | Integrate the Doubt | Threads of Wisdom | Purpose?

Part 3: The Divine (p.66) – Supernatural | The Settling of Faith | Trust: A Process of Faith | Graduation | Basic Motivation | Beyond the Egg | Doubt | Faith and Reason | Beyond All Dogma, Some Conclusions Drawn | Joe Human and The Sea of Simulation | Who am I? | Earned Experience | Unknown Ends | Manifesting Care | Esoteric Dusk

Part 4: The Harmony (p.76) – An Adventure After All | Self-Determination | The Gauntlet of Life | Wisdom for the Reaching of a Dream | Natural Self | Heat and Metabolic Speed | The Open Mind | Dogma Doctors | The Maker’s Will | Wisdom of Regard | Easy | Kicking the Atrophy of Life in a Mold | A Healthy Spirit | Off the Back and Under the Bridge | Understanding | A Sunset Sets the Stage

45

Part 1: The Natural

46

“Competition Earth”

The winter wind and summer suncompete for heat control upon me.Gusting gales drain of my energy,as sunlight’s infrared is warmingall within its path – including me.

The Earth’s foundation forceskeep the rains forever on their way

to keep the life on land from mummifying dry,and keeping us from feeling fortune’s famine.

Yet, so many do, in this unjust and struggling world.…and where does all the food and junk end up?

A sewer or a landfill orthe fattened frame of the American obese –

just 4.3% of the world, using 60% of its resources – what is that?

A thing which we fight for, obviously –greed battling conscience,

winning in most merely mortal minds,except, perhaps, the voluntary minimalistswho turn to value virtue above all else –

true shining suns in autumn’s deepening chill.Some consolation – though so many do not

win the winter,spring is surely on its way,

for those who manage to endure...

“Caged”

A nature of nomadic roots,at home in green ecology,

now trapped between these faux-stone walls,

47

in flux of artificial noise…The cage can’t quell what lives on freshness –

all of my relaxing humors’ goodnesswhich I wish immersion in –

what feels like home so deeplythat when indoors, I feel cut off, in angst.Inside these walls, the neutral, sterile air

may lend itself to escapism –TV, movies, books, and sleep –

that which I’ve grown quite weary of,for it is not a true social event mattering thusly,shedding ripples like the wake we make in life.

Yet I’m enriched by any story’s meaning,set to living out what I have witnessed

in suspended disbelief.

“Just through the Door”

Away from the noiseof the televisions,

out here in the breezeby the call of birds, under

the waving canopy’s shadow,how my thoughts return to

the silence of my soul,and I feel well,

now put at ease bymy intuitive accord with

the rhythms of lifein the garden surround.

“True Home”

48

My home is not what isolates mefrom the weather’s Eden state,but this great, minor heaven,

in which my soul may begin to bloom.The freshness I inhale, consume,raises my then-atrophying spirit

unlike any artificial, walled room,in which a purgatory-life stagnates.

This heaven, ever rolling on,to different shades and shapes

of beauty, shines divine reward uponmy soul’s attentive focus-energy.

“Rediscovering the Wild”

A shift in view refreshes mood’s perspective,on life and the beauty and horror within –apocalypse heaven that lives in its vim,

that’s revealed in cascading convergences’interpretational epiphanies, foundations ofanimal mind, lived as one with the natural

world, in the grandest wild, which feels like ahome to me, where it seems that I belong,where the order is random and beautiful,ever in motion, a living beneficence herefor all life to behold, coexisting within,

inescapably unified to and thus ascendedthrough, to the heights of the heavens

where one learns of high harmony.

“Thoughts at the Edge of a Forest”

49

Great god Gaia’s garden, under the blue and white,the heavens rolling on throughout all earthly time,

your leaves are shimmering,as branches wave in windy grace…

and birds, they dip and dive and chirp and rise,alive before my ears and eyes…

The sky is bright,though some is shadowed mist of cloud,

that rains away our smiles in time,but not this day, nor in this rhyme…

The joys and pains of life arise, of course,and we who glide or suffer through them

learn of our experience, ofinsight’s evolution shaping intuition’s growth of

wisdom and maturity,our adaptation for life’s challenge.

Blessing is to learn to cure the curseand find a caring joy to keep. Yet,

time keeps changing, though,as novelties of interest fade to

natural extinction, and the search begins anewfor passing joy – the way of things…

If we can learn what’s right and natural for us –which I submit as peace and love,

as harmony with all the world,as full acceptance, brighter wisdom, lighter humor –we may well get there, to find a culture of well-being

which is effortless and well within our care.

“Escapist Realms”

Swiftly drifting, patchy nimbus clouds

50

fill skies above from edge to edgethe whole way ‘round.

A sense of three dimensionsflattening to two, compels my awe,

and I am halfway insome realm of fantasy,

beauty-implied in my adventure-mind,which once soaked up such heart

I’d seen or read ages ago,now just a muted sense of hope,

for afterlife or story told.

“Unia”

A state of beingcognizant of universal unity

and cosmic sense of self,diminishing to One,

the many eyes and earsof consciousness, unique,

yet of The Whole –a state of greater mindfulness

of all forms which The Allmay come to manifest as,

in its only moment’spassing time…

“Buddha/Zombie”

There once was a soul who likened itselfAwareness Pure,

not separate from The Cosmos,

51

but a fluid eye of Everythingwhich came into existence with the blessing of

a limited ability to know its universal self.It studied of its interest –

thoughts of physics and of world religion,coming to the point where it had

disowned its self-microcosm,letting thoughts dissolve and fade away…It told me of this path, and I replied that“autopilot-zombies” could not be aware

of all-compelling inner drives,and thus, were trapped ironically in ignorance

of God’s greatest success – the inner process of a soul.Of what significance are cosmic clouds,

compared with what gives meaning to The All?

“The Hours”

Ho hum, oh how, somehow,the endless hours pass me by…How strange – a soul may think

for 16 hours straight, for 30,000 days of life,and never reach a true dead-end,

before the ultimate cessation.There is always more to think of,

ever passing in consideration,moving our perspectives

to such differing maturities –miraculous indeed,

straight from the groundof what we have.

52

“Phases”

Phases come and go,as we grow into lives of light,

never escaping deathly destiny,and in time, coming to terms with

our own ends, unknown, forgotten, tragic.To accept this, to embrace

the changing wind of myriad expression…Choose your earthly life’s direction,and be sated by the moment’s mood,

gifted to us all by God or Nature,some design or ordered chance.

We all have some controland fluid points of view.

If you can choose your education,you’re empowered, in a way, over

your sense of what is relevant and true.

“The Birth of Light”

Enlightenment of heart and mind,in process of its maturation,

finds the existential fundamentalsnative to existence of a soul

in social context inextricably,implying that it’s only right

to care – the first stepon a path to greater harmony –to what is best for all involved,

who are affected byone’s words and actions –products of the mindsets

53

of a fluid consciousness.

“Moment-Consciousness”

The closer that I get tomoment-consciousness,

the more I losemy dreams and memory

and cease to think beyondthe bliss of effortless serenity,

channeling momentshere and gone, endlessly,freshly Now, renewed,

a vessel for one’s passingunderstanding, care,

emotion, mood.

“The Next State”

The next state comes, no reservations…Nature runs my body and my soul, it seems..

and yet, the miracles I’ve witnessedshow and teach me of the very

existence and mind of God,if I view them right, in balance,

proven in the sheer, bizarre course of eventswhich I have suffered mostly through.

I see – I’ll suffer not forever;fulfillment will be mine one day.

I’ve simply just to perseverein mindful effort, building

healthy, wise, and social skills.

54

What really more is there, for one of care?

“Passing Life”

The wind swims through my clothes likesome clear entity’s caress,

a breeze of blind benevolence,a being born to bless…

As love flows on, dissolving my distress,so long unknown to my depression,tears, held, in, convert to laughter

and emerge, mature success,unless, I guess, the profound depth of flowing soul lets

mental-health-restoring outlets of catharsisre-establish what is best –

a heart in balance, which no trauma-wells repressed,free to embrace and fully feel life in

the eyes and throat and chest –where the emotions of the living

are experienced and rest,potential centers of the meaning we receive

in every test of passing life.

55

Part 2: The Human

56

“Through the Doldrums”

There’s solace in my solitude,if I can just get distance from the noise…

There’s haven in the heavenI may carry with me;

it’s my growing, given choice.I wish to thrive on higher-minded thought,

for what else is there whichmy soul may bear

in higher pleasure, once thedrugs of life get old, debunked, outgrown,

and moments turn to stagnantstruggles to reclaim

enthusiasm from the growinggray blasé, which becomes all I know

in life, in time, all that mymood allows for each

and every doldrum day,which I am trying to sublime by letting

go and going with the flowof every notion, my

devotion, its emotion –all of that which matters so to me.

“The Mindful Ascent”

Can a crammed-full mind be mindful?Can I think beyond the busy buzz

of all of that which so compelsmy soul beyond focus-control?

So long as I observe my consciousness,in introspection’s light of insight –

57

I’m just about as close as I can beto nuanced, evanescent truth,

the knowledge ceilingperhaps of murky glass,

perhaps an almost endless rise,or a functional plateau of wisdom,hoping for a higher hill to climb,

until my “death” allows ascensionthough the skies, so clear and bright,

as I so wish that I could be,maintaining my old heart’s maturity,

in balanced grace of high regard,felt for each soul’s humanity,

as empathy makes seem so rightand ethical, in loving faith that

each is worthy of esteem.

“In Defense of the Emotion”

One man’s righteousness, another man’s sin…Who really knows what’s deep within?

Is hatred heinous or, rather,an expression of rightening will,immature, yet of a good intent?

It all depends, I think, on if one caresfor those of care and suffering.

Anger can be a face of good, a face of evil,or just neutral-ethic wishes dashed.

In its defense, if one knows one is good,yet gets another’s wrath,

the impulse may be to just assumethat it must have come from

an evil state of mind and react accordingly,

58

with anger, fear, or tears.Misunderstanding must bear some brunt

of the blame, for every time we fail to granta soul the benefit of the doubt,on basic human-nature faith.

“Baggage”

Let it go, and start afresh,finding what you truly need –

peace, love, and understanding –that from which all holy joys arise.

…and still, the traumas haunting meare just my own long life’s experience –that which I’ll one day need just to relate

to those who are such tortured souls.How very rare they seem; indeed,

have ever I met souls like me?None come to mind... sadly?

Yet universal traits ofconsciousness leadme to think again,

in distant hope.

“The Gossamer of Hope”

The gossamer of hope now pullsmy soul into emerging futures,

through the gauntlet of the western wind,which raises high my spirit’s kite-like mood

as I grow old, yet perhapspoor in tolerance and empathy for

59

evil I conceive as shallow, careless immaturitywhich so offends my conscientious being,I’m compelled to so react, to right a wrongin hope of re-exploring further harmony.

“The Genesis of Joy”

Trauma-closure, genesis of joy,within the structures of a soul’s

cohesive field of Consciousness –all that which one may call “oneself,”

all somehow driven by one’sfundamental care for social healthor, sadly, conscience just for one –

the center of one’s being –selfishness, an immaturity of heart,

not realizing others’ worthor just ignoring such concern…

Is higher-minded joy trulyachievable for humankind?

Perhaps, in given time,we’ll grow to see thatthis we have become –

that life, for Planet Earth,was a success eventually…

“The Ethics of Humor”

Humor (the absurd) delightsin laughter’s bright appreciation.

Wrong is ..right, in humor’s sight,where dissonance rings free

60

in seizure’s joy, without a carethat wrong is wrong, not somehow right,

that tragedy’s not comedy, in truth,that happiness in horror contradicts the conscience

and addicts the soul to inverse ethic,thus eroding one’s integrity of basic social care.

Yet, this is not to say that humor must ride others’ pain;

absurdity exists in many forms besides the bad,like simple, self-effacing silliness

or serendipitous surprise, sublime asstress-resolving boon upon the moodthat makes one feel so bubbly, open,

and more confidently free.Is there a better way to be?Joy for the greater good –

wellness and harmonyseem socially so right to be,

our humors multiplying synergistically –the basic ethical success of mindfulness in comedy.

“Deeply High”

Lacking and in want of what?The “drugs” that get me high...

My many inspirations,born of moments’ meanings

that I pass profoundly, thus reveala deeper understanding

which I hope is built on solid ground,not young naiveté.

When I receive an insight,I can feel the hope in my success.

61

This is the richest path for me,I’ve grown to deeply know –

to try to save some souls, in time –of course, starting with mine –

and such is life…

“The Yoke”

I focus on my faith in my success, affirming hope,though all desire is a sufferingfrom which a soul must cope,

for, perseverance in the right pursuitcan grow to be the vital root

of wisdom for a happiness beyond the modern scope –what’s known to Man as possibility –

the way in which a soul is free –the limits of the all-ensnaring, channel-minding yoke.

“Ever New Horizons”

It’s a long, hard row to sow,but with mindful efforts of growth and renewal,

both novelty and boon traditioncoexist to co-inspire the personal progress

of the open heart and mind,which guide one’s constant forward-moving

toward a better way to be.

“Happy Now”

A revelation – Life

62

could get much better Now!My hope for distant futures

must neglect the present in its hope;but if I use my wisdom

to more actively manage present-time,I might meet that great futureany day – at any time at all!

What are the keys tomomentary happiness?

Disinhibition of a loving heart,grown comfortably wise in ways of life.

“Nebulous”

One never knows just what’s in store;an educated guess is rarely privy to enoughof what it needs to overcome the mystery.

Can one see through what seems inscrutable?And at what age does insight-turned-to-wisdom

conquer murky waters hiding life success?...Some food for thought, from the agnostic in me,

striving for more understanding,balanced by each known opposing view

of what I recognize as never fully known – Reality…

“Integrate the Doubt”

Some souls speak in certainties,for that is how they think, it seems,

addicted, to the detriment ofopen-minded thought, to being sure.Like holding fast to random buoys

63

and never learning how to swim,I see these souls’ great sophistries

as hopefully roughly what they are –attempts to feel secure and grab for

easy confidence, where there was none before.How am I any different? Understanding shinesThe Light of Truth, it almost seems, perhaps.Do mindful caveats-agnostic come to be one’s

second-nature, given enough deconstructive time?Perhaps the test will simply be my life in retrospect,

shining anecdotally in cool nuance offuture culture’s current genesis of

how to think effectively and integrate the doubt.

“Threads of Wisdom”

To watch the workings of the soul,shifts one’s identic locus-essenceto a place behind habitual process,thusly reinventing self, insightfully

deep in depth of understanding.

Existence evolves to greater experience,processed to essential wisdom,

settling into intuition, aslife becomes home.

My search for truth and social harmony,in time, bears fruit of sweet success,

for us, for me, if I can learn tofind my way to ground of well-being.

64

“Purpose?”

We are all just here with the gift of life.In the ultimate social joy of

this miraculous occasion of chance,we see the true value of love and harmony,

for it is that which we enjoy,within the goodness of our conscience-hearts,

which tends our most cohesive unity.“Can one and all not live without this?”

Yes, but if we can achieve such joy,why not embrace such a wise worldview?

65

Part 3: The Divine

66

“Supernatural”

For fifteen-plus long yearsI rarely flirted with such fantasy.Yet now I’ve witnessed miracles

which supersede the natural,and such is just the resting place

of my delusions of such lack of hope.I simply can’t deny what life has provento my intellect, if not my social soul –

I’m all alone, as I have ever been,and such is just The Forge I must

go through, to ready selffor life’s next phase,

what I grow ready to meet,rich in meaning, an essential path

to, in so many ways, mature self through.

“The Settling of Faith”

The miracles settle in my soul –God’s got me.

I accept in fearless faith,that I’m the flow of

inner peace I radiate,as I relax into

what my soul co-createswith unknown god(s)of a reality beyond.

“Trust: A Process of Faith”

67

In trusting in the fatewhich my creator made for me to travel

(factoring my ever-changing will generously),I gain the radiant boon of hope,

that life gets better as I grow mature,more able to succeed at

what was once too much for me.This sense of hope builds up my expectations,

dashed, evolved, or found in life.In starting from a place of life acceptance, though,

I live with the resiliency I’ll needto cope and make the best of

life’s abundant trials and tribulations –all the challenges which so define a soulin how one deals with such difficulties.

I try to start by keeping faiththat somehow it will all end right

(for, why else do all of this?I trust my maker’s larger plan

and so maintain my faith).

“Graduation”

Forgiveness, faith, and fellowshipcan free us from the fickleness of fate,

for we are strong together –stronger than a soul can be alone,

though finding wise and righteous soulscan be a long, luckless adventure…

Yet, heights of need lead tothe heights of fervent prayer –

which, if it’s time and your heart’s truein tune with the divine design,

68

may gain a granted gift from God,who’s held you to the fire all along,merely to forge you long life right.

One must, in every situation,learn and grow to now participate

in this great, structured, simulation life,one day to graduate to highest

life success and meaning found.

“Basic Motivation”

The selfish need a guaranteeof Heaven for a “selfless” act.

The selfless, needing onlythe belief of actions’ greater good,

mature in mind of conscienceand the wisdom to do

what their inner hearts compel,are of a pure intent, expressing love.

Such souls are made insightfully,forged as messianic fora life of selfless success

and meaning feltso high in virtue’s blush.

“Beyond the Egg”

Christ was the deepening of my heart,so that it might love deeply.

Buddha was the clearing of my cluttered mind,opening my inner eye

to waking width of clear insight.

69

What more may one wise soul go through,thus to become more than what would seem possible

within The Egg of Innocence,which one must grow to live beyond

or perish never having known…

“Doubt”

Mindfully agnostic has a place in life for me.Yet blatant miracles are not to be ignored,

suggesting a “god” behind it all,my maker perhaps just a thoughtful

working scientist like myself,with ethical priorities held above all,

or so it deeply seemsto one who’s been so hurt

that he’s discarded self-priorityfor an acceptance of death.

I’ve still so far to go, perhaps;yet I believe that all will get much better

as I so mindfully grow open, deep, and wise –ready for life.

“Faith and Reason”

Captives of charisma’s confidencethe world around,

most lost souls’ deferenceto dim-dumb dogmas,

ill-conceived in manic sophistry,deceive ironically, and fallacy abounds.

How can I speak, so certain?

70

Well, I tell you,past the spell of blind belieflies critical discernment ofthe possibilities of truth,

which, with an open mind,one reasons through in time.

“Beyond All Dogma, Some Conclusions Drawn”

Who knows The Source of All,beyond a blind belief

in others’ words of certainty?Does it exist within

The Endless Moment?In the force behind it all?

Nothing is for certain in The Dream,though I grow more convinced each passing year,

that it is a dream at all,a simulation for the few

with lives worth making –messianic, self-made men and women,

suffering alone for decades long,one day to meet those like ourselves

and finally find a familynever known before to we who live.

“Joe Human and The Sea of Simulation”

To all the “non’s” surrounding me,I’m of an order as yet undefined.

I am the only real thought process here,for all that I now know,

71

though I look forward to the daywhen I’ll meet one who’s consciousness

is real, like mine…The simulation’s perfect, though,

and my great craving for relationshipprevents the disregard one might expect.

In fact, it helps me cope when I’mwrapped up in tragic horror angst –

I search for a calm perspective,and I recall my solipsistic view,thus making anger feel absurd,

for all are, sadly, sim.

“Who am I?”

I am he who mayprove well-designed

for God’s great challenges –prepared by life experience,digested, forming who I am.

From a well-developedconscience of consideration and

adherence to that honor’s balance,to the wisdom which one needs

to rightly find one’s way in life –a wisdom built upon one’s empathy and insight –my maturity comes, bit by bit – my guiding light?

It’s simply who I am.

“Earned Experience”

72

My wit and wisdom are not “gifts” –they’re forged of life experience,

forcing my soul’s evolution,on toward my fate’s maturity.It’s pre-ordained, I do believe,

so who’s to say what’s Godand what’s really, truly me?

Am I as natural as I feel?This feed of film that’s playing on,as it has for thirty some odd years,promotes an inescapable delusion –its existence as reality. I know now,on the proof of many solid miracles,that this is some strange simulation,though I’m a truly conscious entity,who’s just drawn into quick belief

by intuition’s gullibility andthe engagement of a social life

which matters so, to me.The dream is strong.Where will it lead?I’ll simply have to

wait and see…

“Unknown Ends”

I know not what life may bring –just that the forge is here

to make me strong.My life success depends on this,

and so I acquiesce to torturesI accept as what I’d want,

what’s for the best

73

for future life’s hard-earned successand richer memory’s experience

which God puts to the test, time and again;I won’t know when, though, so wrapped up

in drama, striving so, to save who I’d call “friend.”Such is the life I lead, which winds down

on and on, to unknown ends…

“Manifesting Care”

Those of us with hearts of caringknow the ache of empathy to pain.

The burden of an angelis to carry cares along the way;

and yet the radiance of loveis not a burden but a boon,

and faith in Heaven grants a peacethat makes a home of any room.

Is it not evident that lovehas grown to be our social glue?The more we warmly empathize,

the more we grow to knowthat this claim’s fundamental can be true.

“Esoteric Dusk”

Traces of affection from my godset wisps of sunset cloud aglow..

Meaning flashes for mere momentsgone in time I capture now..

Hotter, brighter, how it seems of flame,as fire turns to ember on the bubble blue

74

that seems to deepen, up the skytoward the East, a chasing hue…

Minutes pass – the clouds gray out,and I am freed of my enchantment

at the swift divinities of dusk.It’s all I have at times,

to augur Heaven’s message for my heart,until it fades to memory, like so,

and I am left to ponder in the dark…

75

Part 4: The Harmony

76

“An Adventure After All”

Peach and indigo light the evening sky,to set the tone of my unknown adventure’s

yet-to-come.The fantasy suspends my disbelief, fulfilling me

in passing soulful change of my reality,from Purgatory to a quest for social strivings for

an ethical success.We are a disparate lot of heroes, pure of

inner hearts’ intent,who try to do what matters –

save good life, end tragic horrors,set the world to right as well as we are able to.

It happens all day, every day throughout our world –the innocent caught up in anger’s sights.It’s not a matter of reciprocating rage,

snowballing hate,but simply stopping the ongoing tragedies.

Then again, there’s such a thing as truly evil –not mere mistaken-angry-tragic,

but intentional, sadistic wellness-theft.For this alone do I vote death or some imprisonment,

for we deserve a world without such horror,growing into harmony in time…

Ever a hero’s heart is duly caring,truly yours and mine,

forged for a vigilance tempered bywisdom’s consequence-consideration,

made for lives of meaning grown beyond that which we rise above.

“Self-Determination”

77

Perseverance, over luck or any short-term boon or tragedy,

decides the life-success of we who hold perspectivesunique to our lives’ experience –

wisdoms which may gestatean entire life or pop up free,

born of the interplay between our minds,seeking what they may find –

mere simple truth or insight’s raw enlightenment,experience as proof enough to further act in life.

“The Gauntlet of Life”

Pejorative people can’t eraseall the good that I’ve done

or the good that I am.

Rejection, as rough as my skin remains thinto work through to a closure’s acceptance within

my young heart’s good and vulnerable care,is a necessary tactic of God’s,

in the war on my shallows,and so I am, as ever, a deeper, more empathetic soul,with a breadth of experience and worldview to match.

“Wisdom for the Reaching of a Dream”

Yesterday’s gone, and I don’t miss it –every day is better than the last,

as I learn what it is that makes me happy –finding some success in my life goal to

78

build a better harmony for those I’d surely loveif I could only know their cares –

what souls may seem at times inscrutable to me,as now the mystery remains,

and I subsist on melodyor, sick in silence, starve the day.

I must affirm, believe, and learn ofbetter wisdom for the reaching of a dream.

“Natural Self”

Only as we let go our pretensionsdo we find our natural selves

or graceful relaxation’s verve and vim,which we let loose our games of joy upon,

as free souls riding our respective liberationsto the next of life’s decision points –

illusory, one finds, with understandingof the process of a soul:

Mood filters understanding,which, with one’s cares,

induces action-energies (i.e. emotions),which, if unresolved, fixate as moods.

The End?The cycle only ends with our own ends,

as every night we sleep so deep and,finally, when we ultimately ceaseas unique entities, slowly burning

in the oxidizing air of energy.

“Heat and Metabolic Speed”

79

On a sun-seared heat-sink, tensions melt away,as in a sauna, a hot shower,

or a snuggling between the sheets.Does heat cause metabolic slow-down,

autonomic change to reestablish homeostatic balance?What relief when the cool-down comes,

contrasting effortless vim and stark refreshment.In this idea, certain wisdom may be so accrued,

enabling existential control unseen, unknown before.

“The Open Mind”

It seems to me that being truly open-mindedmeans not subscribing to the folly of belief –

the root of delusion and intolerance –rather, it means accepting the possiblyunattainable nature of true knowledgeand not adhering to what seems to be

the fallacy of certainty – especially that whicharises from proselytizations of dogma.This is not to deny that experience isn’t

potentially instructive – rather, it is to saythat there may be more that meets the eye

and that it would be wise to keep an open mindin life, because our cultural diversity is vastacross this planet, and no one really knows

who, if anyone, is right about anything at all.

“Dogma Doctors”

In pours the cement of information,filling up the molds of role

80

with guesses hardening to certaintiesthese egos need for shape and

faux-authoritative confidence inthat which no one really, truly knows,

though surely someone, withthe right foundation, enough experience,

and a rational, open mind, mayeventually find truth as a best-guessedsomething-like-a-lightly-held-belief.

“The Maker’s Will”

What does life’s designer have in store forthis particular 80 plus or minus

years of consciousness?I see such possibilities of life success,

measured in maturity of wisdom and of conscience,realized, if not by others known,

and for the greater good – the warm reward I feel,enough for me and those I knowwho care and work with me to

foster fuller, freed fulfillment forall souls who care and suffer so, in life,

who, through our words and acts, find a higher joy,in greater and more moving harmony

of social beauty’s bond.

“Wisdom of Regard”

The elegant social wisdomof one’s charismatic high regard

may hold disparate souls together,

81

as we tend to like those who like us –the reciprocal begetting of love,warming our emotive climateof esteem and fickle mood,

to foster synergy in harmony –what every social creature

needs to feel optimally well.

“Easy”

Life’s a gift, so take it easy.Friendship, love, our brighter natures’

epiphanies of personal or universal truth,they bless our open hearts and minds,

if we have good foundations in our soulsand life experience to draw on as we build

our worldviews from the ground.

“Kicking the Atrophy of Life in a Mold”

After the torture of pressures of role,I feel smothered, in need of assertion,

identically free, unattached to suchdeep-flawed destroyers of

beautiful, genuine realness of self.The ego-charged fakers at the helmof my life at times seem, perhaps,

well-intended enough but lackthe basic charisma of grounded

esteem of oneself and one’s peers,as well as essential soul candor,

with which one may relate

82

as a semi-kindred heart,beyond such unbecoming

projections, in which one ispathologized so guessingly,thus diminishing unknownpotentials of consciousness,

stifled and therefore notdreamt nor reached in life.

“A Healthy Spirit”

Hope enough to dream…Faith enough to cope…

Wisdom, what to say or dowhich fosters what is best

for whom you love… built uponInsight (knowledge of the self),

which lets one rightly speak, assertive,Empathy (to know another),

helping one to peacefully relate, andBalanced Ethic (recognizing each soul’s Worth,which forms the warm foundation of Esteem) –

all for our Social Harmony,why we feel Well.

“Off the Back and Under the Bridge”

Animosity, shined upon me, hurts,and I want to set the record straighton that which I am being judged.

A hope for mutual esteemand functional harmony

83

decides my joy and pain,all hinging on my fundamental cares,

from basic fear of being aloneto the benevolence I’ve grown

out of my love forthose who care and those in pain.

Animosity? Off my backand under the bridge…

Life’s not a gift to waste on hurt,but one to cherish well,

in peace and love.

“Understanding”

Extending my acceptance nowto every possible state of mind,I’ve warm regard for all, even

the ones who have to hurt, uncaring.

Every rage, misunderstanding…Every understanding, love…

Every rage, misunderstanding…Every understanding, love…

“A Sunset Sets The Stage”

The roiling, misty mass of stratus shroudreveals, at setting sun horizon, Heaven,

home for one of hope in harmony with heroes, angels –any heart of healthy human warmth,

with wishes welcome to the common good,envisioned and so made, with honor’s hearts in mind.

84

What we enable in the worldare also just the Gifts of God to Man,now only realized in close community

with all who share such high idealsof soft-and-strong-souled selflessness

in service of security, serenity, and self-effacing love.

85

About the Author

John J. Rohrer is the author of four books and the composer of seven albums of original music. His work expresses under-represented and often unprecedented insight.

Photograph © 2012 John Joseph Rohrer

86