

It is seductive and comforting, but it closes my mind. Do not give me certainty.It is seductive and comforting, but it closes my mind.

Give me curiosity.

The desire to know and understand experiences other than my own.

Give me scepticism,

So I challenge what I hear, what I see, and what I know.

Do not give me comfort,

If it blinds me to suffering or conceals peril in my future.

Give me capacity,

To give comfort to others, and to find comfort in ordinary things.

Do not give me peace,

If that peace is not shared by all.

Give me insight,

To understand the truth that underlies appearances.

Do not give me joy,

Except that I may share it without restraint.

Give me strength,

That I may use it to make things better for others, not just myself.

Do not give me love,

For love is not love that is only received.

Give me warmth,

That quality that cannot help but be shared.

Do not give me satisfaction.

The satisfied know no call to do what must be done.

Give me light.

Without it, we cannot see the clear way we have yet to find.

Most of all, give me hope,

For hope is the truest thing we can know.

Written June 2019