Once Upon A Time
It seems to me that mankind’s intellect has outgrown his instinct. Where once we roamed freely in small numbers using all our intelligence and skills to battle the elements, fight of predators, feed and clothe ourselves and stay alive, now we are in the business of sanitising life.
In the plastic universe of our creation, where nature is banned or tamed, we are shackled by our laws. We still have the tribal instincts. The skills, camaraderie and bravery that once meant life and death for all the tribe now count for nothing. Health and Safety rules. Life has to be saved. But life has no substance or meaning.
Our young people are aimlessly drifting.
It is no wonder that some of them drift into religion as an answer. They are searching for purpose. They want more than gang violence and the endless, vacuous night out on the town.
Once Upon A Time
Once a tiny tribe
Roamed, following the meat,
Now a teeming mass
With more than it can eat.
Once wild and free,
Bonding in brotherhood.
Now restrained by law,
Rampaging in the neighbourhood.
Once master of skills,
Living by their wits.
Now a gang of fools
With whom no purpose sits.
Once proud, strong and true,
Now posturing on corners, wondering what to do.
In the concrete and plastic
Of a man-made universe,
Where decisions are all drastic
And answers perverse,
The human race has come to this –
A smoke, a shag and a lot of piss.
Opher 19.12.2015
What is out there for the young people of today, homelife many have no idea what real family life is about, mothers with different men in the house – children who have no idea who their fathers’ are – drugs/booze, no respect, no hope for some as no work, the rich getting richer. This Country is in a state, not saying there are worse Countries than ours but it is this Country we should be concerned about and the children. We have a government who will not listen, we have an opposition who are too bothered infighting. What the hell what can a single individual do to change it all, just talk!
I don’t know. Sometimes I despair at the mindlessness of it all. But that’s what the capitalist system wants – mindless consumers.
I guess what the majority of us do is just plod along in our own way making the best of it all.
Yes. I think the majority of people stay out of the way.
I like the way you step back from the usual kneejerk reaction to something deeper and more considered. Fundamentalist religion and short-term hedonism are both ways to blot out life and we need to start there …
Too true Dave. Stopping ain’t that possible this far into control.
We need to stop and reinvent a better way of living with more meaning and integrity. This capitalist dream is in the interests of a tiny minority and is gobbling up the world.
They diagnosed shellshock … how about cultureshock (where culture = consumerism)?
That sounds about right. We’re all suffering with it. There’s a constant bombardment.