The Moderation-Compromise Imperative for Survival

The Learning Experiences of Canoes and their Occupying Crews.

When Canoeing with two or more Occupants

Lean too far Left

Lean too far Right

The Canoe will list and possibly flip - capsize

Emptying all of the Canoe’s Occupants out

To take an un-comfortably un-planned dip

Into the Drink

Giving One and All Time to Think

While dog paddling, sputtering, gesticulating, cursing bad luck

And one another

The Occupants will point the Blaming Finger

At the weather, the choppy Waters,

Some unseen, fear inducing, mysterious Water Monster,

The Captain (Who was that, anyway ?)

And Perhaps even the anonymous Collective Crew

For their soggy Plight and Fright

Hopefully, EveryOne Knows how to Self-Sustainably Swim

But even if they don’t,

The discombobulated Crew of the Canoe

Will probably find themselves clinging for dear Life to possessions,

Life Preservers, seat pads and paddles that fortuitously happen to Float

The Canoe’s previous Occupants will eventually

Begin to capitulate to the Situation

And while bobbing like corks,

Gradually drift away from their fear based huffing-and-puffing

And Blaming Finger pointing and falsely anointing

And begin to Discuss and Theorize the Necessary Actions

To upright the overturned Canoe,

Re-enter the Safety and Function of the Canoe,

And with Utilitarian Practicality paddle One and All to Shore

Ta-Dah !

Once back into the Canoe

All of the disgruntled, upset, thoroughly wet, and resentful Occupants

Must then continue to find accommodating ways

To Communicate, have a Meeting of the Minds and Work Together

In order to return to the Safety and Familiarity of Dry Land

Or, if the Occupying Crew so Chooses,

To Consider continuing to Journey Forth,

Exploring, Discovering and Wondering in Awe

At the meandering and ever changeable Waterways of Oceanic Life

And the undulating World of Ideas and Deeds

No more whacking one another in the back of the head with paddles

Or snarling, gnashing of teeth, baiting, sabotaging or back biting

No ! No ! Canoe Crew !

Whichever and Whatever the case may Be

While paddling Cooperatively and Steadfastly

Toward their Chosen Destination (and/or Destiny)

The front, middle and back Occupying Crew Members

Must Industiously stroke, stroke, stroke the Water

With Energetic Synchronicity and Rhythmical Musicality

From Left-to-Right, Left-to-Right……

Why ?

If the Occupying Crew Only strokes continuously to the Left

The Canoe, and its Crew, will only go around-and-around in Circles

If the Occupying Crew Only strokes continuously to the Right

The Canoe, and its Crew, will, once again,

Only go around-and-around-and around

In Circles within the capricious Waters of Life

Going Nowhere in particular

Energetically stagnating, circuitously twisting off, and Drowning

The multitudinous Variabilities of Many, if not All, Choices

And Ripple Effects

Making the Occupants Dizzy, Dis-Oriented, Dis-torted

And Myopically Short-sighted

While busily stroking

At whatever Speed the sweating Occupants Decide to exert

Or not to exert

Round-and-round the Merry (or not so Merry) Canoe-go-Round

Pop ! Go the Common Sensically Reasonable !

Pop ! Go the Far-sighted Inventions, Imaginings and Envisionings !

No ! No ! Canoe Crew !

With Balanced and Harmonious Efforts

Stroke left-to-right, left-to-right……

The Communication, Hypothesizing, Analysis, Values and Work

Needed for the Occupants of the Canoe to eventually Return

To the Stability of Land

And the Comfort of their own Ideals of Home

Are all an integral part of the difficult Processes of

The Moderation-Compromise Imperative for Survival

One for All - and the Canoe

And All for One - and the Canoe

Funny, how the Energetic Physics of

Communities, Countries and Nations

Are so similar to Floating Canoes and their Crews