Not from books do we get it. Not all who are old
Have attained this grand virtue. This is not to say
That books cannot contain it and that older folk
Are all somehow demented. One can yet evoke
Genuine wisdom from anyone anyway,
And the way it’s distributed is manifold.
Waiting for circumstances to change so you can
Feel good is like looking into a mirror and
Waiting for your reflection to smile at you first.
It’s of no use and it is harmful at its worst.
If you want change then it is by your own command.
Search the depths of your soul to come up with a plan.
Remember, even false beliefs will seem to be
Justified in terms of physical data, since
Your experience of the world that is outside
Is its realization. It can’t be denied.
It takes only its repetition to convince
Everyone of its truthfulness uncannily.
With the raw material of you ideas
Work with exclusively though the data may seem
To be true obviously. Your experience
If it is changed will give you a new common sense.
Ideas will alter to express a new theme.
You will learn to dispense with the thinking that was.
