Forgot to Count

A life of wealth and glory

always has its pull.

People come into this world

and seem to keep striving for these things.

 

The question is,

how do people choose

to pursue their idea of success?

 

Some go about things

step by step.

They are told:

A slow mind leads nowhere.

 

Some work steadily,

day by day.

They are told:

The honest and upright end up with nothing.

 

So some begin

looking for shortcuts.

 

If they succeed,

they are called capable.

If they are caught,

they are called unlucky.

 

In the pursuit of wealth,

some harm others

for their own gain.

 

Busy calculating how to take from others.

Busy evading the law.

Busy defending themselves.

Busy flattering and trying to please.

 

Always calculating

only what is before them,

never what lies beyond.

 

Often I see animals

trapped in filthy surroundings,

enduring constant mistreatment.

 

Seeing their fear and helplessness,

I feel a deep sense of injustice.

 

Seeing human cruelty,

hearing animals cry.

In an instant, I saw:

their roles

had reversed.

 

What had long troubled me

slowly loosened.

I was no longer caught

in the injustice before me.

 

A Buddhist saying goes:

“Cause and effect, karmic retribution,

never fail.”

 

It is not that anyone deserves to suffer.

Every life is simply moving

within its own causes and consequences. 

 

People are busy calculating

what they may gain or lose.

Yet often forget:

a single thought

can lead to a choice.

 

And the choices made along the way

slowly shape the result.

 

Clever calculations,

fleeting success,

brief pleasures.

If the calculation goes no further

than what lies ahead,

the account is not yet complete.

 

What a life finally adds up to

comes, little by little,

from a thought in this moment

and the choices made along the way.