On Learning

You live and then you learn
Are the words we say
As if lessons came inevitably,
You could live no other way.

But learning flees us when we're closed,
We do refuse to grow
We see only what we choose to see
The Truth, we'll never know.

When hatred, violence, apathy
Blind out hearts and minds
We cannot grow, we will not learn
Do not seek, you'll never find.

For Truth can hurt and change brings pain
And challenges abound
It's really much more comfortable
When ignorance surrounds.

But.

If we bury Curiosity
with Knowledge at her side
Without a single tear
What part of us has died?

No!

Growth is not inevitable
It's a choice we daily make
And if we choose to shut out Truth
For calm and comfort's sake,
How can we reach beyond ourselves
It's humanity at stake!

If we are closed, we'll never reap
What fruits life has to give.
It's not in living that we learn
But in learning that we live.