Soft Focus

Why do we want everything to be in sharp focus?
Always clear-cut, no ambivalence, no equivocation
When our lives are more characterized by light and shade
As if we are peering through a pervasive mist

Of course there are situations where clarity is essential
How much do I have to pay? What time do I check in?
On what dates can I take my holiday?
When will I be entitled to the Sate Pension?

But much of life is less precise or predictable
What course should I study? What career to pursue?
Where might I live in the future? What can I afford?
Will I find a life partner? Do I want to!

And so perhaps it is as well to accept that a soft focus
On future events is the best we can expect
This is not just some simple fatalism
But an acceptance we have no crystal ball

And sometimes I think that a soft focus
Is useful when advocating one opinion or another
On so many topics which divide the world
Dare I mention Religion and Politics – two prime candidates

But others would say this camera aberration on vital matters
Is a cop-out. Tighten up the focus – tweak the lens
There are right opinions and wrong ones – make no mistake
It only requires clarity of thought to get us off the fence

And in yet another aspect of living perhaps the soft focus
Would serve us best. In the matter of criticism of others
Their failures, their inadequacies, their incompetence
And to crown it all – they don’t seem to care a whit!

Well perhaps some of these observations are valid
But how do we handle it? Decrying all in its stark reality
Or taking a more reasonable stance, softening the focus
And realizing our judgments too quick, our verdict too harsh

So this is my plea for the soft focus approach
Let us accept that we cannot ever know the whole truth
And even where we feel we have right on our side
Let blurred vision engender tolerance

Ken Fisher