The Art Of Being Human

By Manasi Rakesh Dwivedi

In the mirror of souls, I see,

A dance of dreams of what could be.

A heart that learns to understand, 

The pulse of life and touch of hand.

With empathy we share the load,

Compassion is what lights our road.

Though from what that empathy stems from,

Is a darkness we seldom outrun.

For is kindness our natural forte,

Or just mask for a darker score.

In the depths of our primal core,

Does altruism truly endure?

Is it a mask that we wear,

To hide our urges, our darker snare?

Do we feign compassion to appease,

While selfish motives lurk beneath the seas?

In the labyrinth of the human psyche,

Ego whispers, its voice quite sly.

It whispers lies of grandeur and might, 

Entwining truth with shadows of the night.

Altruism wanes when ego reigns,

A puppeteer pulling unseen chains.

Beneath the guise of selfless deeds,

Lie the roots of darker truths of seeds.

Narcissism or altruism,

Dark and light captured in a prism.

Our actions, tinged with dark desires,

Feed the flames of hidden fires.

Hiding the parts no one wants to see,

A struggle with our own duality.

We cloak our sins in a virtuous guise,

But the mirror reflects our darkest lies.

Jealousy, something we try to ignore,

Yet it persists within, a silent roar.

Our noble acts, a desperate plea,

To mask the envy that gnaws secretly.

Yet, in the shadow of ego’s grip,

Lies a spark that can uplift.

For when ego and empathy align,

It births a strength that’s kind.

Ego and pride, when balance right,

Fuel the fire of a brighter light.

In seeing ourselves through others eyes,

We learn to value and empathise.

For in each act of selflessness we see,

A glimpse of what we strive to be.

A heart that learns to truly care,

A soul unburdened and bare.

Though shadows lurk and whispers deceive,

We still find a way to believe,

To hold on to that last string of hope,

That there lies a goodness we can’t ignore.

Kindness may be tainted, flawed,

Yet it’s a path we revere and applaud.

For in the struggle of black and white,

We inch closer towards what’s right.

So let ego and empathy blend,

In a dance that never ends.

For in this union, light and dark,

We find the truth, the vital spark.

Ego restrained, compassion pure,

Together makes the heart secure.

In this dance of dreams and fears,

We fight our way through doubts and tears.

For in the mirror of souls I see,

The potential of what humanity could be.

A future bright, a world reborn,

With hope that arises even after the storm.

By Manasi Rakesh Dwivedi