They dismissively state
That peace and love
Are dead,
Were never a reality,
But I know otherwise
Because I see all the
Wonderful things
People do for each other
And the great reservoir of
Kindness that exists
Inside each of us,
Ready to be shared
With our fellow
Human beings,
Building a caring world
Together.
A frightening sameness
To their looks,
Their words,
Their beliefs,
Their passions,
Their ends.
Marching in lockstep
To some concocted lore
About superiority and
Unparalleled greatness,
And the wretchedness
Of their enemy,
There always has to be
An enemy to rally against.
Their inner bonfires
Precursors to the
Inevitable conflagration.
He promoted himself as
An enlightened, educated,
Open-minded gentleman
Who could analyze
A thorny situation and
Deliver an even-handed
Verdict on what was
Really going on and
How it might be handled.
He presented himself as
A wise individual with the
Ability to understand the
World from a variety of
Perspectives, as long
As his proclamations
Were not challenged
In any way and nobody
Pointed out his bigotry.
One small action
That makes a difference
In someone else’s life,
A smile,
Reassuring word,
Listening ear,
Sympathetic heart,
Rippling through the cosmos,
As love does,
Gentle, peaceful gestures
Building upon themselves,
Transforming the landscape.
How to be kind?
The answer is inside you.
Walking through the city,
He sees the transition
From shiny skyscrapers,
Elegant apartments,
And stately homes,
To the buildings
Fraying at the edges,
Unmaintained for
Lack of resources,
People hanging on
For mere survival.
He wonders where
It is written that
A few should prosper
At the expense
Of so many,
Why a minority who,
But for chance,
Would be like anyone else,
Struggling to make a living,
Should amass obscene wealth
And leave everyone else
To fight for the scraps,
Somewhere else,
Out of sight.
When there is
A profit motive,
We endure
Permanent war,
More people rot
In prison longer,
Vital services are
Slashed to cut costs,
Regulations are ignored,
Altruism is kicked
In the face,
General well-being
Is sacrificed to
Line a few
Avaricious pockets,
Corruption and cronyism
Are the norm,
Everything becomes
More expensive.
You, lovely people,
Surfing the web
Late at night,
Or during the day,
Or anytime at all,
For any reason,
On any device,
Rest assured that
We’re taking good
Care of you.
We have a record
Of everything you’re
Doing on there,
And you can trust us
To not use it in
Any weird way.
Please remember we’re
Only doing this for
Your own good,
Because the world is
So scary and we
Have to keep you safe
From our conveniently
Fabricated threats.
They see themselves
As the chosen ones,
Which unfortunately
Always seems to mean
That someone else is
Not quite as special.
Thus begins a campaign
To assert their supremacy,
To put others down
In order to buoy their
Own status or sense of
Self-importance.
A never-ending cycle of
Feeling superior and
Fighting rabidly to
Maintain their position
Regardless of how it
Tears up the world.
How easy it is
To dismiss an
Entire segment of
The population,
Of human beings,
By simply saying
That they’re lazy,
Or that they’re
Lucky to get the
Pittance they receive
To barely subsist
Instead of meaningful
Opportunities to
Succeed on their own,
Or that they should
Just go out and get
A job when there
Aren’t any.
Tough talk is cheap,
Real solutions require
Nuance and compassion.
