If we humans are
Nothing but
A lump of material substance,
How can we believe in
Ourselves and others?

If there are
No solid connections
Between us all,
How can we give
Our hearts to such a world?

In a life that perceives
Everything as “material,”
There is no deep
Inevitability, reason, or meaning,
Without awareness,
We will be swallowed up
In the darkness of emptiness.

When we accept humans as a “soul,”
When we believe in the world
Where the network of bonds is stretched out,
We can resist the erosion of nihilism
And can open a future of hope.



Keiko Takahashi
2022.3.1