Val enjoys writing prose in rhymes by always leaving a message of a life truism in each piece.

Introduction

Despite all apparent evidence of a much less than perfect model of human coexistence, we are actually doing pretty well -- considering our enormous differences.

For the love of a herd mentality, or to say it nicely -- a collective consciousness -- we have been making an enormous effort to bridge those differences by establishing a pretty well scripted cultural paradigm. What we couldn't remove was this reduced, not to say phony, sense of self which we are selling to others as our personality.

But, we can't really help there, because we are in truth strangers to ourselves, while that censor in our mental structure holds back all unwanted unconscious material that might bother our precious vulnerable ego.

So, how can we be true to others if we are not even true to ourselves. Sages and scholars of every epoch keep asking "Who are we really? -- but we just the same keep interacting as if we are some open books.

In truth, we are all selectively revealing our genuine humanness to each other, and that's why I am calling it a "carnival", a masked global feature of coexistence.

Is it something "bad"? No, it's only all that we've got going on, because there is no a known "good" that it could be compared with. So, here I go with these three pieces of my prose in rhymes that depict the theme of it.

The city is full of people that you just see around.

-- Steve Maraboli

All Just Some Familiar Strangers

Nobody know mw better than I

and I'm still discovering who I am

no matter how hard anyone may try

it would be like extracting fruit from jam.

People are strangers much more than they know

disclosing selectively how much they choose

so it's all nothing but a spectacular show

either upsetting or meant to amuse.

Actors also audience at same time

laboring hard to meet at half way

all confessions not worth a dime

enigmas no matter what we say.

Language we use doesn't make us closer

for there are lies we collectively cherish

and trying to read others' mind -- no sir

good for us, or else we might perish.

So here I am, a stranger to me

and more of it to you as well

it's the only truth I can see

others, reluctant to tell.

Honest differences are often sign of progress.

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Bridging Our Different Worlds

We try to bridge our worlds to call them one

and love may allow us to clumsily succeed

but, even though those bridges may be fun

they don't present one world that we need.

Even god didn't get to be one for us all

as we chose to have our different fathers

each one with his own distinct and holy call

making of us neighbors -- more than brothers.

Here and there our bridges crumble and fall

their structure somehow not meant to endure

under weight of something looking like a wall

erected on our bridges when love turns impure.

Or we make some dams slowing down flow of river

with their silly purpose of connecting both sides

denying differences with passion of a beaver

using others' minds instead of inner guides.

Why not allow all unique selves to be

instead of playing role models to follow

for our life is best when it's flowing free

and we play it best when we play it solo.

Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, or any other theology, learn to be human first.

-- Shannon L. Adler

Do We Genuinely Care?

At the very bottom truth hidden in our heart

we don't fear events but how we may react

then we play empathetic or we play smart

but it seems like irrefutable human fact.

We wouldn't help blind man across busy street

if that "caring" act didn't give us a certain joy

even without trying to pretend or cheat

no matter how this truth may annoy.

When we lose a person close and dear

we don't really think of their cruel fate

but there is something like a secret fear

that we'll go as well on uncertain date.

We express concerns over our beloved nation

all noble as it sounds, what else could it mean

oftentimes it's nothing but our procrastination

to address our own life and keep our act clean.

It might take an effort in our heart

to separate wheat from all that's chaff

otherwise we'll never be able to tell apart

what's genuine care and what's worth a laugh.

Video of an honest example of perfect strangers opening up to each other

© 2020 Val Karas