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This poem and others are available in my books, Nothing Works: Meditations on Aikido, Buddhism, the Tao, Zen, and other inconsequential things....and, Nothing Special, and Nothing Matters..., available thru Amazon.com, in print and Kindle editions and Barnes & Noble websites.....Also available as an e-book via Smashwords.com. Try this link: www.nothing-works.com for the full array of options.
When critical thinking is lacking
And the public embrace of implausible beliefs
Creates a context of credulity
When the psychopathology
Of the fundamentalist remains unchallenged
When injustice becomes law
When simple truth is considered treason -
Or, heroism....or, even heretical
When people of good will
Keep quiet and stand aside
Then society is in trouble
Then, what is left?
What can be done?
Who will do it?
We can look at the past
We can look at the present
We can look at Authority
In all its guises
We can look deep within ourselves
Can we then see the future?
What do we see?
What do we want to see?
Each of us must do their part
Each of us, every day, must stand up
Stand up and say no!
No, not here! No, not now! No, not ever!
This is when defiance becomes duty!
And civil disobedience becomes a responsibility
If not an obligation!
This is when we determine
Who owns the future?