THE SHIP IN THE STORM
Brian Bosworth
February 21, 1998

Our society is a ship in an unsteady sea, rocking to and fro with its precious cargo of achievement impeded by its anchor of values dragging through the silt of deterioration. We continue in our ageless pursuit to better ourselves, but are pulled back when we surrender to our carnal desires and passions. The squabbles and fears on the news are merely small details, small battles in the silent war we are all fighting, the ultimate issue: the decay of humanity. But within the shadows of our mortality, there is a light in the soul that illuminates the path to where humanity will triumph at long last.

As we climb up the mountain of advancement and technology, we also slide down, covering ourselves in the mud and slime of our imperfections. Our innovations are double-edged swords: Television is a teacher tainted with violence, Radio is a communicator infected with profanity, and the Internet is an explorer stained with immorality. We bound and gag our conscience so as to fall in the pits of the soul-destroying resources that we have created for ourselves. On the city streets we sell drugs to our children and sell women to their fathers. The foundations of our civilization are old and cracked, but that is what mortar is for.

Rumors of impending war boil in the Middle East while praises of olympic peace are celebrated in the Far East. The world is full of hypocrisy that holds us from our destiny. We cry out in rage when a person abuses her children, but when she kills her unwanted unborn child for the sake of convenience, then we look the other way. And what way are we looking? It is towards our destruction, for in our hypocrisy- in the disintegration of our values- is our doom.

When hearing these words a small voice in one’s soul wails that it is not, can not be true. It is in this dim but persistent light where lies the hope of humanity. Our society has fallen, but it can not, will not fail.

It reminds me of a poem almost identical in subject I wrote some time ago.......

Brian Bosworth
September 9, 1996


THE FALLEN SOCIETY

I once did know society,
But fooled I was- it’s vanity.
Experienced I the falling world,
Armageddon’s banner is unfurled!
We’ve conquered our minds and our souls,
But soon we’ll have to pay the tolls.
Oh, can you hear the children’s cries!
This world is full of endless lies.
While bombs erupt on US soil,
The innocent live in strife and toil.
Earth’s Spirit, now by man, is crushed,
With pride and greed our hearts are rushed.
Worse now than sewers are our streets,
Where tribulation man secretes.
Our cities great, now are crumbling,
As our values we are fumbling.
We do not aid the many in need,
Warnings of doom we do not heed.
In God’s forgotten face we cow,
For money has enslaved us now.
Our lungs die from polluted air,
And still we think Does any one care?
In a fallen society,
We live not in propriety.

In this downward spiral we go,
Chance is there to resist the flow?
From whence have we fallen? How and where,
Society did itself tear?
In a fallen society,
Can we live in propriety?

Now tattered much like man’s last hope,
Grasp we must at our last strong rope.
There is a light within us all,
And in the dark we must stand tall.
The light therein is dim but firm,
From mistakes once made, lessons we’ll learn:
Care for the sick and for the poor,
And win we will this inward war.
The Earth needs us to care again,
As does God and our fellow men.
And in this fallen society,
Live we will in propriety.........

That perpetual light within us, a lighthouse beacon illuminating our values, our ideals, our hopes and our dreams, is what will end the decay of our civilization and ultimately bring humanity to triumph over all. We must realize that CHARITY is not the job of the philanthropist alone, but even of the poverty-stricken themselves. We must all help each other fight this battle of life if we are to overcome it with honor. We must realize that SERVICE is not only “extending your hand, but extending yourself” as a human being [Emerson]. And to pick ourselves up, we must realize where we have fallen.......

Where have we fallen? Our culture has been dissolved by the acids of our modern day. The fruits of humanity cannot come to season while growing in the barren ground society has created for itself. The inspiring hymns of the Victorian composers are not echoed in our day by modern composers. The majestic cathedrals of the Renaissance are not consulted when constructing the sterile functionalistic office buildings downtown. The parks and gardens of the ancient cities are lost to the rising of strip malls and gas stations. We as human beings need to reclaim the beauty of the culture we once had and build upon it, for that is where our hopes for triumph lay.

Once we improve ourselves as human beings and as a culture, humanity will aspire higher and higher. We must realize and work for the goals of our society and dreams of our hearts. And our indomitable determination for mankind to ultimately succeed will someday be achieved. For that is what that light is..... it is the silent, strong hope and assurance that no matter the odds the human spirit will triumph!

Like the ship in the unsteady sea, we must pull the anchor out of the silt of deterioration. Then sink it where it can grip the seabed strong and true, where the ship can weather the turmoil of this storm. Imbedded in strong values, morals, dreams, and culture, the ship carrying the human spirit and its achievements can not, and will not fail.