The pride of men
O’er strides of times
Three steps fore
Two steps back
A standstill—
Footsteps repeated
All hailed as progress
The fall of men
At calls of times
Three steps back
Two steps fore
A standstill—
Stumbles recovered
All blames on others
Colin Lee
Note: A 44-word quadrille containing the word “still”, prompted by dVerse’s Quadrille #31, written in a tangle of misunderstanding and discord.
Photo Courtesy: Alphacoders.com
The Pescetarian Poet 
Interesting. They myth of progress, the arrogance of Sapiens.
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Rocking and spinning us like a dance partner.
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I liked the contrast of the two stanzas, the bullish one followed by the bearish. The first hails and the second blames. The question is whether there is a net movement in some direction.
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I don’t know, Frank, but I find your reference to “bull” and “bear” an interesting illustration: it is not the tangible (change in accounting value) that dictates an investment’s movement; but our intangible perception (change in market value) that gives birth to the bear or the bull.
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The net movement I was referring to was not a change in a particular account’s value. That might completely crash and never recover, but a more global net change one way or the other based on social mood.
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No, of course not — we aren’t talking about investment — but like you said, which way and how much as a world, a society, a company or a family altogether are progressing. I think how we come to see the movements are often interpreted by PR techniques, political rhetoric or some social cultures or norms. Consider what a staunch republican and a hardcore democrat see in America, then we have two entirely different countries, wherein the pride of one is the shame of the other, you see. That is why, right from the start, I said I didn’t know. What I am certain of is our nature to exaggerate achievements and shirk the blames. It takes courage, wisdom and humility — qualities which I lack — to see things as they are. On that end, I’m still blind.
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still figuring but then the poem makes us stop to a standstill – erudite!
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You’re too kind, Ma’am. Standstill for an instant — then I must take two steps back. 🙂
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Indeed… progress is slow and blame is put elsewhere.
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Welcome back, Bjorn. You were away for a while.
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I guess whatever the situation.. there is always someone playing the blame game. Lovely write ❤️
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Thanks, Sunny. I wouldn’t say it has to be someone else; it happens to all of us. The fairest judgment one can pass is to judge that there is no fair judgment. That’s why we need democracy and corporate governance. 🙂
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