They say that these are not the best of times
But they’re the only times I’ve ever known
And I believe there is a time for meditation
In cathedrals of our own
There is, for those of us fortunate enough to experience it, a slippery—if silent—ascension and declination to our passage through life. Times are what they are. We make the best of it and do what’s necessary to move from one point in our timeline to the next—and when we can’t find it within ourselves to summon the strength to do so there most always seems to be something, or someone, with a presence of spirit to help us get to our feet again. Take care of ourselves (and maybe even each other) and the next dawn will come.
Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lover’s eyes
And I can only stand apart and sympathize
For we are always what our situations hand us
It’s either sadness or euphoria
Transient, yes, but powerfully tangible. You can build your wall as high as you dare, but if within the confines of your heart you posses even the slightest shred of compassion or humanity, then assuredly you can peer within another’s eyes and feel the looming precipice of melancholy. Hide behind whatever you like, but the chasm will find you . . . or more likely, you will stumble upon it and your own coldness will still you in your tracks. Which situation lingers in your eyes when you look in the mirror?
So we’ll argue and we’ll compromise and realize that nothing’s ever changed
For all our mutual experience our separate conclusions are the same
Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanity
A reason co-exists with our insanity
And though we choose between reality and madness
It’s either sadness or euphoria
Heat and chill, freeze and thaw. We’re all steeped in our own microcosms to the point of inflexibility. We steadfastly cling to the one viewpoint that matters: our own. Why, when so much can be gained from simply listening and considering. Polarity is strongest when two opposites are near each other, but find a way to gently mediate or slowly distance the two and the influence of one upon the other weakens.
How thoughtlessly we dissipate our energies
Perhaps we don’t fulfill each others fantasies
But as we stand upon the ledges of our lives
With our respective similarities
It’s either sadness or euphoria
~lyrics by Billy Joel
That was… I don’t know how to express it exactly. Beautiful doesn’t cover it. Nor does wonderfully descriptive. I feel like saying “wow” over and over but that doesn’t really explain how much I loved this post either.
It’s just fantastic, incredible, wonderful, beautiful use of language, and it drew me in wholly and completely.