An insidious myth
That pervades both
Casual and supposedly
Expert conversation:
Both sides are the same,
A point of view easily
Debunked by even the
Most cursory of examinations,
The difference between
Cruelty and compassion.
It would have been nice
For someone to have asked him
A question on occasion,
See how he’s doing,
What he thinks,
Instead of the obligatory lectures.
Not a single instance
Where his voice was
Deemed important enough
To listen to,
A dreary one-way conversation
The only practice.
He learns how to
Feel unimportant.
Rugged individualism
Corrodes the bonds of society,
Which only thrives when
People work together
To build a greater whole,
Realizing that nothing
Happens without help
From others, that one’s
Life is richer because
Everyone agrees to
Participate sincerely.
One hopes people
Understand the
Difference between
Using one’s voice
To protect the vulnerable
And screeching to
Keep someone down.
When asked why there
Is so much acrimony
Between opposing camps and
Whether it’s worse now
Than ever before,
He responds in a manner
Devoid of self-awareness
That we could all benefit
From a more civil tone,
The exact opposite of
What he did when he
Was in a position
To set an example.
I can tell
As he’s talking that
He’s somewhere else.
I ask him about it
Without receiving
A clear answer.
Sometimes
Questions
Aren’t welcome.
The myth of the
Self-made man:
He rises from poverty and,
By sheer will,
Determination, and
Hard work becomes
Wildly successful,
All on his own.
The truth behind
The myth: The man
Was born into a
Society that allows
For success and provides
The governmental framework,
Social conditions,
Public services, and
Physical infrastructure
That permit someone
Like him to
Enjoy great fortune.
Another often-overlooked
Detail: The staggeringly
Monumental chance that the
Man is born in the right
Place and at the right time
To prosper.
Countless equally
Hard-working people don’t
Get the same breaks,
Don’t arrive at
The ideal time.
It could just as
Easily been him
Struggling for a lifetime.
Throughout the square,
People walk quickly
And slowly, with
Purpose and randomly,
Going to wherever it is
They have to go or
No destination at all.
A woman looks at her watch,
A child runs after a ball,
Two men chat animatedly,
Pigeons take flight,
A statue quietly looks on.
Having reached a position of
Considerable affluence and influence,
He begins constructing an
Origin myth about how he made
Everything happen himself due
To his extraordinary talent and
Superhuman efforts, unlike the
Rest of those lazy slobs
Who are unworthy of success.
For all he cares, they can
Keep toiling away in his factories,
Relegated to their station in life,
Beneath the exceptional people.
