Humanity

Life | The Big Picture

Vernon Kerr

May 28, 2023 — 1 min read

Photo by Mohan Reddy on Pexels.com

The Big Picture

Is Human Life Futile?

During my furious writing activity, especially after retirement, my thinking on the “big picture” has evolved. I wrote the following poem in 2009 as a despondent cry, when I realized that my own life and that of others was so temporary. The span between the darkness of pre-existence and the darkness of death is so short. We leave but an echo, which soon diminishes as our contmporaries begin to die-off too. Oh, yes — we can leave great works of “art,” but civilizations and even planets are also temporary. Here’s the Poem:

I  N   T H E   I N T E R I M
©2009 by Vernon Miles Kerr

In the interim ‘tween dark and dark
We scrape, we scratch, we endure—
Assuming import.
As that interim narrows to a slit
We scramble anxiously to gather
Shreds of legacy,
Scraps of relevancy,
Hoping that they will live on
In the interim of others,
Until we remember,
Their interims
Are narrowing too.

Think about it. Is physical existence that shallow? Is human existence that futile? I thought about it. I decided, no, If physical existence were purely temporary matter, then these miraculous brains of ours, being able to do stuff — like my even posing THIS question — are a huge JOKE. (And so is the Universe.) To resolve the “dissonance,” our lives MUST BE recorded on sone permanent “essence” that isn’t dependent upon the existence of matter.

A Needed Introduction to "Poetry | Farewell to Earth"

In contrast to what he Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914—1953) wrote: “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” I wanted to offer you dear people a more positve and up-to-date

Poetry | Farewell to Earth

Fellow condemned: Can we let down our petty competitive veils for a moment And admit what we have had in common? Yes, we've all had moments of joy that kept us enduring The grief, The failures, The disease, The loss of our senses — of smell, of sight, of

Thanksgiving | Waves of Gratitude

On the day after Thanksgiving I sat in front of our gas log in the dark of early morning, as the valley outside filled with fog and my neighbors' rooftops took on the expected white coating of frost, and I felt grateful for the warmth and for being able

A Fair-Fight

I love how President Biden acknowledged the results of the 2024 US Election and I love his promise to allow a peaceful transition from his Administration to that of President-elect Trump. Much like the "ideal" Christian does, President Biden is "walking the walk" not just "