New Horizons by Max Roy

                   A New Year! We are the living witnesses to this new year. I and you, are fortunate. Whatever inner turmoil we face, we have a place to sleep, access to food, not facing any immediate threat to our lives. There are so many people out there who cannot say that about their situation. I don’t know about you, but I am taking a moment to hug myself and feel gratitude. I am counting my blessings. I live with the love of my life, and I brush away the fifty years that I did not have that pleasure. And yet, I have also been blessed to have shared bringing four other creatures into being who, with their appearance, have yielded a multitude of joys. Maybe they can recount occasions when my behavior has warranted these awards. Or not. Don’t we have to leave those judgements to others? And we reap what we have sown. You, out there, have your own equations to examine, your own stories to contemplate, your own accomplishments and afflictions to unravel. We are in a state of be

           Questions And Answers?   How can we know what we are When we do not know why we are here?   We do not understand what we do, While we say we do. Like random shafts of light From a life-giving sun We are here, and we act Knowing not how or why, We are here, To do what we do. We act on our random thoughts Shafts of light flashing through our brains, Finding whatever whys we can For the things we do. Wherefore this celestial construction? We stand our ground On this tiny speck   In a whirling mass of matter In a colossal emptiness. Wherefore this spark of life Where once was nothingness? Does our passage matter? Does a kindness matter In a world filled with horrors? Will I/you be remembered tomorrow For an evil deed, For a thing done, undone? Do things matter? Do futures matter? We stumble, struggle, Turn darkness into light, Wonders flowing From our hands and minds. We are here. We have hopes. We have dr

               TRUTH AND CONSQUENCES We are born with no set of directions. We get our hints on how to get along in this world from the adults we find around us, either by them teaching us or by observing their behavior. What about telling the truth? Not just some of the time, but all of the time? We get plenty of advice. Throughout history, many individuals we know of have shared their opinion. We don’t always tell the truth. Sometimes we think we have good reasons to hold back. We are reluctant to hurt people we care for. We keep secrets we think may alter people’s view or good opinion of ourselves, or others. So, sometimes, we hold back. Or we may just want to avoid the controversy we believe telling the truth about something we know would possibly generate. Or we may be worried about criticism of ourselves that may be generated as a consequence. There are always consequences whatever we choose. Nietzsche said he was not upset about a lie told by someone, but more that he co