'When there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.'- Rumi
Poetry for a desperate world on fire: Finding hope in a hopeless world
We are not victims of the dark times, We are the ones who hold the spark of the new beginnings
‘When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.’- Wendell Berry
'A poem can create an inner room in the mind, a place of shelter from a threatening and precarious world.' -Caption and photo: DowntoEarth
Anxious and confused by constant barrage of national and global crises, 24/7 exposure to relentless, negative news cycles, never-ending threats of war, tariffs & sanctions, trade wars, wildfires, droughts & floods, cyber-attacks, climate change, cost of living, unemployment, being replaced by AI and robots, plus our increasing inability to trust and believe in anything or anybody are amongst the modern-day challenges and uncertainties affecting us all around the world, physically and mentally. We are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, hopeless and helpless. There is a growing sense that we are living in an age of crises and that our collective survival is at stake.
However, this negativity and pain need not to remain a permanent state of affairs, defining who we are. We can change, we can begin to think more positively. We can become more hopeful and resilient. We can begin to imagine a better future.
How, you may justifiably ask? To answer this pertinent question is the gist of this write up.
Nota bene
Bullying, arrogance, narcissism and indifference has caught up with many
Time is now for a poetic revolution
Throughout history, at every moment of our lives, poetry has been the inspiring words that have unfailingly restored beauty, hope and imagination by using quiet language to calm our anxious and troubled minds. Poetry helps us see the simple wonder of the world again. It encourages us to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Inspiring poets, their joyous poems, their timeless words of wisdom, remind us that peace and light, wonder, awe and miracles still exist, even in difficult and challenging times.
‘How to make sense of this time of chaos? Read poetry.’- Charlotte Higgins
‘Poetry offers a vital, human-to-human connection for processing times of societal crisis and violence, providing a means to navigate chaos when standard communication fails. It functions as a tool for documenting survival and capturing the shared human experience.’- The Guardian
‘All writing is about connection, even when it’s not. But the immediacy of the connection between author and reader is somehow easiest in poetry: when it works, there’s a direct shot to the heart, a human-to-human hot-wiring together that compresses time and space to get to the point…
‘This is how poetry thrives. Poetry needs the new so that it can keep on telling the oldest stories we have: love, despair, grief, hope, joy, community, companionship. Long may it live.’ – Ella Risbridger
The Antidote to Chaos
Poetry to restore beauty, hope and imagination to our chaotic and anxious world: A Pick from our Archive
“Reading or writing poetry creates a space for empathy, for seeing another person, for bearing witness to our common humanity. Poetry, and the arts more generally, allow that chance to be human together with our patients…Empathy is essential for our survival . . . without empathy, how would we heal?”... “When we hear rhythmic language and recite poetry, our bodies translate crude sensory data into nuanced knowing . . . feeling becomes meaning.”-Poet and physician Rafel Campo, M.D.
Poetry is the key which unlocks the gates of hope, healing and wisdom
Illustration by Tyler Varsell via The Yale Review
“A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone's knowledge of himself and the world around him.“ — Dylan Thomas
The time is now to sing the praises of poetry
‘Poetry, The Landscapes of the Soul, The Path to Serenity’
‘Poetry has a power to inspire change like no other art form’
Poetry to calm the anxious mind
Beauty in words, others' and mine
A Poetic Pilgrimage to Wisdom
“Now I am made one with You and from that Union my heart is consumed with rapture and my tongue is bewildered. By union, I have been merged in the Unity, I am become altogether apart from all else. I am You and You are I - nay, not I, all is altogether You. I have passed away, ‘I’ and ‘You’ no more exist. We have become one and I have become altogether You”--Farid ud-Din Attar, one of the most ancient poets of Persia
“Poetry is often written during times when people are feeling intense emotions.”
‘I think over again my small adventures
My fears
Those small ones that seemed so big
For all the vital things
I had to get and reach
And yet there is only one great thing
Only one thing
To live to see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.’- Old Inuit Song
“In fact, the emotions often drive the poetry. Much like a good conversation or therapy session, poetry can provide a release… Poems often emerge in the midst of strong emotions. While part of what the poem does is describe the painful experience vividly and creatively, there is often a component of trying to make sense of the experience through understanding it more fully or through finding meaning in the suffering. When this second component is part of the writing process or the reflections on the poem, it closely parallels therapy… Processing emotions often leads to greater self-awareness and new insights. There are many ways poetry can bring new insights. For example, when I write a poem from a strong emotional experience, I generally try to lay it aside for at least a day or two and then return to it. Often, when I return to it, I discover new elements of the poem that I had not originally considered.”- Louis Hoffman
Reflecting on Life: My Childhood in Iran where the love of poetry was instilled in me
The Healing Message of Simurgh
The Conference of the Birds - Simurgh portrayed by Attar
Simorgh: Majestic Persian Bird of Healing, Wisdom, and Prophecy
‘In the famous epic Persian poem "Conference of the Birds," the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their king. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary Simorgh, a mythical Persian bird. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represent a human fault which prevents man from attaining enlightenment. When the group of thirty birds finally reach the dwelling place of the Simorgh, all they find is a lake in which they see their own reflection. They realize that they were the Simorgh (which in Persian literally means "thirty birds") all along. The leader they sought was each and every one of them.’
‘Hundreds of birds embark on a perilous journey across seven treacherous valleys in search of a king who can right the wrongs in their world. They are led by the poet Attar, who has been transformed into a sharp-beaked, crested hoopoe. The troubles that spur them into flight — "Anarchy — discontent — upheaval! Desperate fights over territory, water, and food! Poisoned air! Unhappiness!" — are of course all too familiar in our world.’- Discover more about Simurgh
The time is now to sing the praises of poetry
‘Poetry, The Landscapes of the Soul, The Path to Serenity’
‘Poetry has a power to inspire change like no other art form’- Kate North
How to defeat hatred and fear: Don't Despair Walk On
World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of Poetry
World in Chaos and Despair: Let Wordsworth be Your Teacher
A Poem on Hope: Embracing Place and Possibility
Celebrating Peace with Wendell Berry's 'The Peace of Wild Things'
An Ode to March and Poetic Wilderness
In Search of Meaning and Purpose: The Poets' Guide to Economics
Make Economics ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and Build a Better World
How to find inner peace and calmness in a world of Chaos, fear, self-doubt and Anxiety?
Connect a painting by Jacky Gerritsen