Claude Schryer, September 28, 2021, Duhamel, QC
one step at a time
(September 28, 2021)
We make choices by not making choices
And we live with unbearable consequences
We hear alarm bells, but do not respond
We cling to uncertainty like a sad song
We act as if unaware and innocent
We are cognitively dissonant
We write feeble poems, like this one, to lessen our pain
We accept our fate and wait for the last day
We know that exploitation is the cause
And we know that we are it’s children
We try to change our ways but the draw is too strong
We are so comfortable, so selfish and so tragically wrong
We know that one day soon we will have to tell our kids
That we knew far too much and did far too little
We think that art can change the world if only we listened
But we know that listening is an inconvenient truth
We made a choice by not choosing
And now we live with the consequences
And yet, we know that it’s never too late to start a new
We know, deep inside, that this, is true
One step at a time
One step at a time
Stop, listen
One step at a time
One more step at a time
Stop, listen more deeply
One step at a time
One step. Stop. Listen.
Me recording a monologue while I walking in the forest...
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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES
Hey conscient listeners,
I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020 on un-ceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory (Ottawa).
It’s my way to give back.
In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I Ipublish free ‘a calm presence' Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.
Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads,BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube andSubstack.
Share what you like, etc
I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible.
Claude Schryer
Latest update on July 8, 2025