Life as it is

I've lived for over 40 years and I've seen
Life as it is
Pain
Misery
Cruelty beyond belief
I've heard all the voices of Gods noblest creatures
Moans from bundles of filth in the street
I've been a soldier, and a slave
I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash
I've held them at the last moment
These were men who saw life
As it is
Yet they die despairing
No glory, no brave last words
Only thier eyes
Filled with confusion
Questioning why
I do not think they were asking why they were dying
But why they had ever lived
Life itself seems lunatic
Who knows were madness lies?
Perhaps to be too practical is madness
To surrender dreams, this may be madness
To seek treasure where there is only trash
Too much sanity may be madness
But maddest of all is to see life
As it is
And not
How it should be

- Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia