It’s as if
They’ve lost
The ability to
Feel anything,
Empathy replaced
By a grim,
Cold numbness.
Only the victors matter.
If you don’t win
You’re a loser.
Expendable,
Ignorable,
Worthless.
You either
Make it or
You don’t.
It’s up to you.
We’ll make sure
You get no help.
Formidable castles
Surrounded by
Afterthoughts.
The impulse to
Help someone in need,
To assist a fellow
Human being who is suffering,
A trait we all possess
In our hearts because we know
Deep inside that we
Might be there too but
For fickle chance.
The ability to feel
Someone else’s pain
And respond with kindness
Is in every one of us.
A moment of unexpected,
Irrational fear,
Fleeing from a predator
Where there is none,
Subconscious poison
Introduced long ago,
A passing observation,
Furrowed brow,
Explicit statement,
Unanticipated display
Followed by shame,
Though not in some,
Which is why it
Persists.
Please stop telling me
Who I am, what I need
To be doing, and how
I should do it.
Those decisions are best
Left to me, the person
Most affected by purposelessly
Following well-meaning but
Entirely ill-suited advice;
I’ll fare much better when
You let me find my own answers.
The group walks
Into the room,
Apprehensive faces,
Some bored.
They’ve learned that
These workshops are
Often a frustrating
Waste of time,
Nothing ventured,
Nothing learned.
Today, one at a time,
They look at a
Fellow co-worker,
And say something kind.
They thought the move
Would resolve everything,
That their lives would
Shift in some wondrous
Direction, all problems
Left behind, entrenched
Patterns eradicated,
Complete transformation through
A simple change of scenery.
It never had before,
History being what it is,
Past behavior a reliable
Predictor of the future.
A ruler non-pareil,
A visionary of
Exceptional brilliance,
A seer who will
Steer us into a
Brighter tomorrow,
On the wings of
Freedom and individuality.
A true prophet
Who will guide us
Through the turbulence
With unwavering valor.
His mighty plan is upon us,
His genius plain to see:
Demolish programs for the poor,
Destroy unions,
Obliterate government.
Kindness ends war.
How do I know?
Think of all the
Things that cause conflict:
Fear, greed, jealousy,
Lust for power,
Competition,
Unfilled holes,
Misunderstandings,
Unresolved issues,
Hurt feelings,
Pride, ego,
Inner brokenness,
Insecurity,
Pain from the past;
None of those things
Has anything remotely
To do with being kind.
Imagine a world where
People heal themselves,
Let go of all
The awfulness,
Learn how to love.
It’s possible;
We just need to
Practice kindness.
