Love Hate Relationship

We cannot well do without our sins; they are the highway of our virtue. - Thoreau

i hate myself because of my propensity to sin

i love myself due to my proficiency at it

Author's Note

"Alas! This is the crying sin of the age, this want of faith in the prevalence of a man. Nothing can be effected but by one man. He who wants help wants everything. True, this is the condition of our weakness, but it can never be the means of our recovery. We must first succeed alone, that we may enjoy our success together." - Thoreau

Reviews

[Amber Stone]

this 2 lines poem, Pete...sooo well said in just 2 lines...
this is the very true center of human condition,
and i love the way you found to synthesize it in just 2 epic lines.
thank U, once again! sincerely, Amber

PS- following your work carefully and closer, i admire both, you and your work.

[Pete]

that epic battle between the good and bad / pleased or disappointed in ourselves. thanks so much amber ... :)

[Gee]

I Enjoyed my drunken sinning ways at the time, but now a father I regret any upset this may have caused to the women I crossed paths with

[Pete]

that's not what they told me - they said you have no regrets (just kidding). realizing our iniquities is an important step in growing... :)

[barleygirl]

My love-hate relationship with myself would require several volumes to summarize, even using brief witticisms like this! *wink! wink*! Besides, I don't believe you are a fraction as sinful as you make yourself out to be here! (((HUGS)))

[Pete]

lol. my parents didn't love themselves. it's hard growing up in a house of anger and depression and listening to arguments about whether the shades should be up or down and the lawn should be cut high or low ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

Powerful brevity. We are all sinners Pete. Unless we love ourselves, we are going to find it a difficult task to love others.

Chris

[Pete]

don't i know it. have been learning the hard way ... :)

[lightsong]

another powerful deep wisdom brilliant and one dear Pete, I agree to a degree and I don't to another, some people need to walk into the road of sin so they reach a higher being, other don't need this at all, I've said before You don't need to feel hate so You can feel love, and exactly as your words suggest, acceptance is the key... accept your self as it is, the road You must walk in and that's not necessarily like others roads, people tend to try to fix the world before fixing themselves, things don't work like that, fix yourself first then go fixing around, You are a whole part of the whole world, when You fix yourself You've done your job to this whole world.

[Pete]

how would we even know that we are good except for the existence of sin. i guess adam and eve made that choice for us. i'm the fixer type, perfectionist looking to fix everyone. as you say we must be the best we can be and let all else fall into place ... :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I am pretty good at sinning...but loving myself, no thanks.
But I do wonder if I had been in the garden way back, would I have taken a bite out of that apple?

[Pete]

i think i'd probably have apple all over my face and a core of regret ... :)

[John the Baptist]

Hey, skill is not to be sneered at. An accomplished sinner is every bit as good as a plaster saint. He has more fun, too.

[Pete]

good point. i think the sinners practice more though - practice makes perfect ... :)

[Fran Marie]

Well if you're going to sin
might as well be good at it
a well crafted piece of brevity,
Pete, nicely done..

[Pete]

lol. well they do say that we have to go with our strengths ... :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

this wonderful piece of writing really resonated with me. Which probably isn't a good thing but hey I'm honest about it haha. Excellent work Pete. I wish I could have come up with something this sublimely perfect.

[Pete]

thanks carlos. if we can own up to them we're doing a lot better than most i think ... :)