We stand within ourselves, outside
the darkness, and alone
And see the world after half a lifetime
for what it was:
A place we never knew, and a place that
remained unknown;
Thinking, though many try to change it,
no one ever does.
But because life is a process of change
and endless growth
That leads to increased wisdom or increasing
ignorance,
We have reasons enough to choose either
or ignore both
If only to live long enough to have gone
the distance.
So we sometimes stand outside ourselves,
distant and alone
Accepting what is and mourning the way
it ought to be,
Till a stranger comes among us who has
seen and has known
How clear and simple does change become
when one dares to see!
And when we dare to see and then dare to
know and believe
That we can change the world and fill it
with honor and trust
(And with other noble qualities!) - then
will we perceive:
The stranger who came among us ... is the
hero in us.
