greater vs. lesser

every moment a test

every moment we live is a test,
a test of our truth,
our truth of vision,
our truth as effort,
a test of our wholeness of self
as the way gets hard
and lesser selves within us
whisper of shorter, meaner paths we might follow,

for example, a self-righteous anger can feel good,
though it usually get us nowhere, fast,

sometimes we’ve already run a good race,
we’re tired,
and then a hill appears in front of us,
how hard it is to reach even deeper
and find the wherewithal to win our way up another challenge,

I’m sad when a student chooses the lesser,
seduced by the illusion of feeling greater
by treating others as lesser,

each test is real,
and we only succeed when we choose the greater self within us
over that which diminishes us.

by Henry H. Walker
May 13, ’11