Power, fame, money, pleasure;
These the goals our ego treasures.
We climb our ladders to the top,
Thinking it’s the way to stop
The pain we always feel inside,
The guilt we yearn to cast aside.
But the ladder to success
Never satisfied our quest.
We think if all but know our name,
Communal praise will ease the pain.
Or having all the best possessions,
Will somehow teach us all our lessons.
We seek for all this earthly pleasure,
Only finding sorrow’s measure.
Each a ladder to aspire;
Just to find the world’s a liar.
Rung by rung, we upward climb,
Thinking grief is left behind.
But once we reach our pinnacle
We find ourselves still cynical.
Nothing’s there to make us whole.
And so we set another goal.
Striving still to gain a prize
Falling for the ego’s lies.
Up each lifetimes’ wasted pole,
Just to find an empty hole.
Never filled with real joy
While we play with childish toys.
We’ve descended into hell;
Enclosed ourselves in fleshy shells.
Living mindless, mostly blind.
Forgetting Love we left behind.
Ignoring what we feared the most.
Casting off the holy ghost.
Covering our face in fear.
In guilt, we mute our eyes and ears.
Until we finally say “enough”.
Until we call the ego’s bluff.
For seeking outward never finds
The ladder to a state divine.
But on Heaven’s ladder’s bottom rung,
We rise to go where we’d begun.
Steadily climbing up to Him,
Earth’s curtain finally closed. Amen.