I occasionally like to use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap, an organic, bio-degradable soap. Besides being natural, it also brings back happy memories of when we used to splash around and take baths in the Seven Sacred Pools of Hana, Maui! What I also enjoy about this shampoo is reading the “Moral ABC’s” which have been considered eccentric by some. They can be found all over the bottle in small print. The particular one below is a poem originally written by the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer who lived between 1340 & 1400  and who was the  author of the Canterbury Tales. It is a version of the Ballade of Good Counsel with some adaptation by Dr. Bronner himself. I try to read it often to keep my mind clear and remind myself of what’s really important. It reads:

“Flee from the crowd & dwell with truthfulness. Be satistified with what you have, it may be small. To hoard brings hate, to climb brings dizziness. The crowd has envy and success blinds all. Be happy with what to your lot may fall. Work well with yourself to counsel others clear. And full-truth, hard work, God’s law, shall make you free! There is no fear!

Torment yourself not, all the crooked to redress, Nor put your trust in fortune’s turning ball. Great peace is found in little busyness. And war but kicks against an age-old wall! Strive not your earthen pot to break that wall! Subdue yourself and others you shall hear! And full-truth, hard work, God’s law, shall make you free! There is no fear!

What God does send, receive in glad-whole-someness! To strive for greater wealth foretells they fail. Here is no home, here is but wilderness. Forth pilgrim, forth! Up best & leave thy stall! Know your country, look up! Thank God for all! Hold to the higher way, that soul within you! Be pioneer! And full-truth, hard work, God’s Law, Shall make you free! There is no fear!

Therefore, poor beast, forsake thy wretchedness! No longer let tis world be thy stall. His mercy seek, who in this mightiness, made you of dust, but not to be a ball! Work well yourself and work for all, who see for larger life and deeper cheer! And full-truth, hard work, God’s Law, shall make you free! There is no fear!”

How simply straighforward , truthful and intelligent! Unfortunately, many of us have lost the truth along the way by overhearing lies and embracing clouded visions. More and more, we are searching for happiness and inner peace but yet we seem to be looking in all the wrong places. We look to the material world for what we assume are blessings and overlook the very natural and unique grace each and every one of us has been gifted with. We have been trained to aspire to be like each other, aim for the same concept of success and accept that only a few of us will achieve it because of some notion of divine selection by an almighty god that leans towards some more than others. How do any of us expect to be happy when we are competing and struggling to achieve the same ultimatly defying goals and when our happiness is determined by acquiring material wealth, maintaining egotistical glory, paranoid defensiveness, astronomical selfishness and shallow intelligence.

Dr. Bronner as well as Mr. Chaucer, believed in the goodness of humanity and the unity of all people, no matter what their religion. He wanted everyone to wake up and see the brotherhood; that we are all the same and if we let go of our predudices, what the crowd leads us to believe, accept and appreciate where we are at any given moment for whatever the purpose, we will find true happiness and peace.

What I find to be eccentric is how people annihilate life in the name of elusive Gods, lands, money, ego, secrecy and more. Somehow the world has not evolved but rather just naievely mastered how to justify such freakish, inhumane, unconscious acts.

One thing is for sure, there will never be change with silence and numbness.

Have your say, what do you think?