Survival of Everyday men and Women

Title:  The everyday men and women of the world and how they survive
  Regardless of your religion, nationality, race, gender most of us live in a real world unlike what we hear from our religious leaders, our politicians, and yes, our TV and internet connections. And over a hundred years ago, Edwin Markum wrote a poem that vividly captures the real world of the everyday men and women, It was titled “The Man with the Hoe.” Here it is:
“Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans
 Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground,
 The emptiness of ages in his face,
 And on his back the burden of the world.”

  That burden is still there and it always will be. The everyday men and women of the world still are the foundation of all that takes place on this planet. Most of the everyday men and women handle this burden with great pride in what part they must play in keeping this old world moving and spinning ahead. Pride in what I do and who I am has been the backbone of all great civilizations.

  But the sad thing for me is how many of the everyday men and women are now handling the burden of the world on their shoulders.  They no longer see the pride in carrying that burden. Instead it is a depressing position, not one of pride. These men and women wrap their burden in things like  depression, alcohol, or drugs. And in the new electronic era many are wrapping themselves up in the internet and twitter world to escape the reality of their true burden in life - the world.

  To rid ourselves of “the emptiness of ages” we take the advice of others and wrap ourselves in every new medication that is designed and promises to free of us of our burden and enclose our lives in impenetrable stupors. We even believe them when they assure us we are “victims” of something greater than ourselves. And we happily line up like sheep, passively leaning on our hoes gazing on the ground with almost empty blank faces because we believe we only carry these burdens as a result of the actions of others.

  But is the man with the hoe a victim filled with despair? Not the way I read the poem.
  “Bowed by the weight of centuries” recognizes we are all components (large and small) of a long history of hardworking peoples. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our ancestors and our children and their children’s children. How can we be depressed or feel like victims if we ourselves as reflections of others in this long line in history? We are proud members of the human race!

  “Gazing on the ground” tells me that this man, like myself and millions of others, is a man who contemplates life. In the earth he sees his survival in the fruits of his labor. He does see dirt, he sees earth that sustains life. As I gaze into my world I see it is as a place that allows me freedom to survive and enjoy the fruits of my labors, no matter how limited they may be.

  “The emptiness of ages in his face” illustrates to me that he is a man of peace, who does not need to escape reality with depression brought on by loneliness. He does not need a drug legal or illegal to anesthetize him from his reality. He knows life is what life is going to be. None of us were promised a rose garden, only a chance to smell the flowers we have planted and nurtured.

  “On his back the burden of the world” lets us know he shares this planet and life with others. Therefore he will never be alone in this life. Depression will never visit this man. This man is not a victim. The everyday man with the hoe is part of something beyond his vision and comprehension, but his faith in the greater truth sustains him every day of his life.

  Oh, the burden of life is always there. What can we do about it? Accept it as the normal terrain of life. Hold any judgements of it being good or bad. Simply approach it as a garden you must work in side by side with others. Escaping life is a futile folly because there is nothing to escape to or from in life. Our lives are where we find ourselves at birth and on each day as it unfolds as a chapter in the story of our individual lives.     

  Burdens are not negative, they are the exciting purpose of our lives. They are unique to us and ours to savor and enjoy as we enjoy all the facets of life. Wishing I had another person’s burden and escaping into a fantasy is nonproductive and never removes the actual burden of my life.

  The man with the hoe knows that things like depression, alcoholism, drugs, and any means of escaping his burden are for men and women who have never actually stopped and leaned on their hoes to gaze at the soil they have worked and think upon the other men and women, who have shared their burdens. These poor souls see themselves as unique and victims of something greater.

  The man with the hoe does not see life the way they do. The man with the hoe sees that he is part of the ages and stands shoulder to shoulder with the everyday men and women of the world and he is proud of it.  Lean on your hoe and gaze upon what your toil has produced and remember it is a small part of a greater story. This where true peace is found.