There are some few precious things that
Death cannot destroy
Lies cannot corrupt
Violence cannot defeat
Suffering cannot overwhelm
Money cannot buy
There are,
and always have been,
and always will be,
some few precious things.
What are some of these precious things?
The mighty winds of love,
The hunger for justice,
The sustaining warmth of simple kindness,
The ineffable joy of peace,
The thirst for understanding.
There are these few precious things,
hidden amidst the horror and
delusions and suffering of the world.
Never let anyone,
no matter how powerful,
convince you otherwise
and thereby dump you into
the desert of nihilism and despair.
Because living deeply shows
there really are these few redeeming things that
Death cannot destroy
Lies cannot corrupt,
Violence cannot defeat
Suffering cannot overwhelm
Money cannot buy.
There are some few precious things —
love, justice, kindness, peace, understanding
And they save our souls
in the infinite waters of
divine love.

Vincent Kavaloski, Ph.D., lived for 37 years in these Uplands in an intentional, eco-community devoted to peace and harmony with people and the land. A contributor to this space since 2017, Dr. Kavaloski passed away in Madison on Sept. 10, 2020, shortly after sharing this, his last column. His obituary can be found at www.fosterfuneralhomes.com. Mary Friedel-Hunt’s “Living Well, Dying Well” column will return next month.