black & white

life is black and white

according to written law

since when is that true?

 

moral absolutes

rules to live by, not to judge

find the lens of love

 

"Love one another."

if only we were all wise

and loved perfectly

 

no easy answers

no perfect system of laws

we cannot do it

 

"Love one another?"

only in relationship

will we find our way

 

moral absolutes?

forgiveness and compassion

a good place to start

 

life is black and white?

leaving no room for mercy

the gift of our God

Author's Note

Two things:

I am a firm believer in moral absolutes, but I think we have a hard time recognizing (or accepting) what they are. I also believe that we have a long history of doing a very bad job at codifying them - probably because we like to think we "get it" when it may not be "get-able." (For Rick: I mean "fully expressible in nice tidy rules that cover all circumstances", i.e. judging morality demands a level of discernment that can't be codified into law.)

There's a reeeeeeally fine line between questioning and being judgmental... And I have no idea where that line is. I hope no one feels judged by this.

Reviews

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Mason,

Humm... I thought I had a good idea about what this poem was about because it seems to question the "black and white" aspect of morality. But then you say in your author's note that you are "a firm believer in moral absolutes." You also say that we (mankind) have a hard job of getting it right because it may not be "get-able". Humm.

I am not a firm believer in moral absolutes because I don't think that there are absolutes. Morality to me depends on the situation and you'll have different people arguing over what is right in a given situation. So unless you have a God to tell you what's right, then I don't think there is an absolute moral position. And even with a God, I think that the rules of morality would have to be kept very simple and applied with a lot of leniency. If a person does what he absolutely thinks is right is he/she a moral person even if it turns out in the end that he got it wrong? I think he/she is.

A wonderful poem and very thought provoking, especially when taken with your notes.

Best regards,

Rick

[Freder Fredersen (aka G..]

Wonderful piece Mason. There must be space for grace. There must also be space for learning. Universal truths must have some "wiggle room." If not, our comprehension of them will bust at the seams as they grow.

Cheers!
G

[Mark]

Very astute, my philosopher friend, how you began the piece with three stanzas using "Love one another", "Moral absolutes" and "Life is black and white" as STATEMENTS, as though they were the presumptive norm, but in the final three stanzas, change all three of them to questions, giving the clear impression that these are not OUR standards to enforce at all! Which is what the transitional stanza, Number 4, clearly states: "We cannot do it!" Very thought-provoking, Mason! Good Work!