Tuesday, October 30, 2012

War

Strident pronouncements from the
pulpit of state
proclaiming superiority,
demanding loyalty,
stirring the shimmering
cauldron of fear,
tsunami of emotions
assaulting the senses.

War grinds on
poking desperate holes in
the fabric of reason.

Humans stand astride
the abyss of the damned
and plunge without reluctance
into the chaos of their own making.

War shreds humanity
under the staggering weight
of bountiful corpses
left bloodless,
discharged from the living
in a torrent of metal and fire.

Cycles of endless violence and
retribution,
falling upon
sharpened spikes
of hatred
ignorance
fear.



War glorifies pitiful death
upon the altar of
the unrelenting darkness.

I mourn for all the pointless killing,
for the gravestones piled high upon
the beleaguered hearts of all the mothers
who have wept over the ashes
of their vanquished children.

Wars' hollow victories
give succor to the void
and offer the promise
of future grief upon the bones of
fractured peace.

I mourn for needless suffering,
for the compendium of horrors,
for the blood and sinews of the
armies of victims who
fall to the earth so
thoroughly shattered.

War is carnage
unredeemed by the rhetoric of
shallow righteousness or
the politics of punishment
and retribution.

I long for a time when peace is
no longer a sentiment
reserved for the prophets,
not just a word used on
special occasions.


I long for a time when peace is
not simply a sweet turn of phrase
laced within the rhetoric of
the politics of deception,
but a way of being
within the substance of humanity.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

A Fundamental Question

At this time close to a major election when we pride ourselves as a nation in regards to our democracy – in our apparent ability to direct our own government, it is of utmost importance to assess the state of our nation and use our collective intellect to project into the future in regards to what kind of country will it become given the decisions that are made now.  To the degree we have impact on our own destinies, the future, after all, unfolds based on what transpires in the present – every choice has its own particular set of consequences.

In my view, any sane and viable civilization must constantly assess its own condition.  The fundamental question in this regard is, "What kind of future will result from the worldview and policies that we choose to embrace in the present?  This question represents the ultimate test of our political and social systems, for it requires reasoned judgment based on an understanding grounded in science and an essential trust in human ingenuity, resourcefulness and ability to grapple with real problems. 

This is a critical area in which this nation is failing.  As a people we have collectively "bought into" a life style that demands immediate satisfaction to often trivial and inconsequential problems, where relentless acquisitiveness plays a central role and the real living conditions of our people, the actual state of our natural resources and even a basic understanding of truly democratic principles become of secondary importance.    

There is a necessary corollary to this fundamental question and that is – "Do we want a society where the lives of all of our fellow citizens are regarded with the quality of  love and compassion we so readily demonstrate to members of our immediate families, or do we choose a future where there is no room for personal misfortune; where there is no provision made for personal tragedy or grievous illness; where there is no consideration made for those who suffer from mental and physical defect; where poverty and needless suffering is ignored and where there is no acceptance of our undeniable role in the deterioration of the natural environment that sustains us all?

These are questions that we should, in my estimation, pose to ourselves on a daily basis.  Our collective answers will ultimately determine our fate as individuals and as a people.