We are not here
Just to please our selves
We’d get bored very quickly
If we tried
There’s a purpose to our life
A journey to be made
A maturing of the spirit
Deep inside
We belong to one another
And we need each other’s help
The give and take of kindness
Every day
A life of simple living
The taking and the giving
Encouragement to help us
On our way
In days of dark depression
I found wisdom in a friend
A counsellor who listened
To my heart
And I learned from that day forward
To banish from my mind
The power of negative thoughts
Before they start
The truth is we are good
And yes we have our faults
And for our sins we willingly
Confess
But negative drags you down
And would willingly wear your crown
It’s an upstart crow deserving of
Bad cess
You are a child of God
And that’s the truth
So learn to find yourself
Reclaim your youth
The joy you knew as child
Is hidden deep inside
Go look and see
You’ll find a smile
So wide
Brian Fahy
2 November 2021
+ Aaron Beck, the pioneer of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has died, aged 100. This science does not deal with our childhood history but with our present ways of thinking and behaving. Most importantly it stressed how damaging negative thinking is on our lives. Negative thoughts do not express the truth of who we are, but they claim to do so, persuading us that we are worthless.
When I recovered from a period of depression the greatest benefit I found was an ability to recognise and banish any negative thoughts about myself. It is a tremendous relief to emerge from the darkness and to live in a positive world.
Erris Poetry 