Poetry – The World is Run – a poem about the rat-race, lust for more, and the way those who are extreme are lauded.

Posted on by Opher

Everything is excessive. The mantra is more. People are rewarded and looked up to for having and doing more. It pushes people into consuming, exaggerating, and living up to the image based on excess.

It is the cause of many of the world’s problems. If society is not expanding it is failing. If the economy is not growing we have failure.

Perhaps it is time to reduce our forward momentum, consolidate and value the quality.

Life can be a gentle, pleasant pleasure rather than a hectic rush for more. We could be content with less. The lust for more is relentless madness. It should not be ‘how many?’ or ‘how much? as much as ‘how well?’.

Doing or having more is not better. It is often a lot worse. Doing one thing well is much more worthy-while. But then I am more guilty than most.

This poem is a lesson for myself.

This world is run

This world is run on how many books you’ve read

Those that have read more are better

This world is run on how many miles you’ve run

Those that run further are better

This world is run on how many exams you’ve passed

Those that have passed more are better

This world is run on how many meetings you’ve chaired

Those that have chaired more are better

This world is run on how many promotions you’ve had

Those that are promoted higher are better

This world is run on how many faces you’ve punched

Those that have punched more are better

This world is run on how many people you’ve fucked

Those that have fucked more are better

This world is run on how many strangers you’ve stabbed

Those that have stabbed more are better

This world is run on how many people you’ve shot

Those that have shot more are better

This world is run on how much money we’ve amassed

Those that have amassed more are better

This world is run on how many ‘things’ you own

Those that own more are better

 

This world is not run on intelligence, compassion or love

It has no care, respect or fairness

 

This world has become a race

 

This world has become what we make it

 

We are sometimes stupid, cruel and vicious

 

Perhaps it is time to respect those that do less better?

 

Opher 12.6.09