Poetry – Nobody likes Taxes

Posted on by Opher

Nobody likes Taxes

Nobody likes taxes

But most of us like roads.

Without structure

Society implodes.

The schools are important

And we all like to be secure.

That’s what we have

The police and army for.

We like all our services

To run smooth as silk.

But moan about politicians

And people of their ilk.

We all want our freedom

But don’t like being bombed.

We expect the secret services

To stop us being wronged.

We don’t like to be controlled

Or our liberty constrained.

But we want all the terrorists

Locked up and contained.

No, we don’t like paying taxes

Until things start going wrong.

Then the daggers start coming out.

It doesn’t take too long.

Opher -25.11.2020

Once we were free and now we’re not. We have 68 million people crammed in this island. Most of them are OK, if a little awkward at times, but a minority are a real problem. We have thiefs, murderers, religious fanatics, rapists, scammers, bullies, violent idiots, crazy fools, paedophiles and obnoxious troublemakers. Without law and order we’d be in trouble.

We no longer live in little tribal groups where we can easily sort matters out. Even back then, when we could, there were always bands of brigands who rampaged around killing, raping and plundering. We had to build great walls around our cities to keep us safe.

We need to get around. We need an infrastructure – roads, train, air. It needs to be secure from the idiots.

We need safety, police and army. There are threats from inside and threats from outside. It’s sad.

We need laws, courts and justice to control the lunatics and violent people.

We need a health service to help us when we’re ill, a welfare system for those who fall on hard times, a pension system.

We need energy and water, sewage and garbage collection.

We need local services.

It needs organising and paying for.

If anything goes wrong we soon start to notice. It doesn’t take long.

It needs organising.

With 68 million that takes a lot of doing.

We don’t like interference. We want to be free.

I think it’s a question of balance.

We don’t like paying taxes but they are a necessary evil.

In Scandinavia, where the taxes are high, the standard of living is high, playgrounds, cycle paths, public baths, parks, great education, good housing, low crime. In the USA there are ghettos, poor education, an ignorant population and high crime rate, thugs for cops and armed militia.

I know which I prefer – a tolerant, liberal society with higher taxes.

Poetry – Naïve

Posted on by Opher

Naïve

I’ve always been naïve.

It’s my greatest attribute.

Innocent and idealistic –

According to repute.

But I possess inbuilt cynicism

That I bring to bear.

It constrains my natural idealism

And makes me more aware.

Opher – 7.11.2020

My anger at what is happening around me, the wanton destruction, the control and manipulation, the propaganda and lies, the pillaging of nature, is underpinned by the vestiges of optimism.

Surely people care enough about nature to want to protect it?

Surely people aren’t stupid enough to allow conmen and media lies to dictate their views?

My hope lies in education – good education that enables individuals to discern and think.

Poetry – The Only Game In Town

Posted on by Opher

The Only Game In Town

Starting out on the fertile plains,

Stifling, holding us down,

Like smothering glue.

Spreading – like a pandemic – quickly,

Infecting the whole planet.

Robbing us of freedom,

Inoculating us with madness,

Imposing hierarchy,

Now too late for us to ban it.

With eight billion progeny

Enslaved within the enterprise

We laughingly call progress,

We are trapped.

Worshipping the diety

Entombed in the cathedral of the WTO,

From which there is no egress.

We can only observe with mounting sadness

As the machine devours

The very earth we stand upon

Trees and creatures

Transformed into worthless cash.

With nothing left to hand on.

In goes life

Out comes plastic

Concrete and sterility.

Transforming

Life to death

The opposite of fertility.

It’s the only game in town.

Opher – 7.11.2020

When we invented agriculture we had no idea what a mess we would be getting ourselves into. We did not realise we’d be inventing kings, religions, nations, wars and money. We thought we were making life easier and more secure.

We lost our relationship with nature, our place in the cycle. We lost harmony and hope. We gained toil, debt and bosses.

The tipping point is long past. There is no return. Eight billion people cannot live as we once lived. The machine is all-consuming.

When it has devoured the planet it will consume us.

Poetry – Lost

Posted on by Opher

Lost

Lost on the highway,

Adrift on the wind,

Searching for direction

In the aftermath of chaos.

Inside the humdrum

Order’s an illusion.

Quiet desperation

Pervades reality.

Directionless

Out of control

Mindless hierarchy

Directing where we go.

Power is all,

Wealth and perpetuation

Selling the planet

Maintaining position.

Having more

Than could possibly need.

With no end in sight

To their appetite.

6.11.2020

In the aftermath of the US election it seems obvious to me that our society is lost. Those in power merely seek to perpetuate their own power and wealth. There is no direction, no will to tackle the issues, no empathy, no compassion.

We’re on a mad dash to nowhere where all that matters is the cash.

Utterly pointless.

Utterly empty.

Utterly disastrous.

Poetry – Outside Eden

Posted on by Opher

Outside Eden

Inside Eden

                All was well

Life was easy

                Food was free

We were sold the lie

                Grow your own

Give up your freedom

                Be controlled

Welcome to society

                The hierarchy

Of inequality

                Toil and profanity

It set in motion

                The power and the greed

Religion and kings

                War and destruction

Opher – 3.11.2020

Once we were hunter gatherers. Life was easy. Life was part of nature, in harmony with the land. We developed our skills. We were fulfilled. We had purpose.

It all changed.

We were seduced by agriculture. We developed systems. We toiled. We built cities. We had heaps of possessions. We invented religions, money, kings, nations and theft. We invented work. We increased in numbers. We lost our spirit. We lost our purpose. We lost our place in nature.

What makes a Great Society???

Posted on by Opher

Robin Burton asked the question. In the wake of Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ (which seems to do exactly the opposite and should be MATLSOTW – Make America The Laughing Stock Of the World). Certainly, seeing someone as uncouth and ignorant as Trump getting elected says something about America.

It raise the question – what is a Great Society?

To me, in order to be considered GREAT a society needs the following criteria:

  1. To protect its citizens
  2. To promote an equal society in which all people of whatever colour, race, gender or religion are valued
  3. To be tolerant
  4. To be outward-looking
  5. To protect nature and value the natural world
  6. To be honest and extinguish nepotism, corruption, unfairness, racism, sexism and gross inequality
  7. To help the rest of the world develop
  8. To allow individual freedom, expression of views, expression of religion
  9. To allow freedom of speech while combating hate speech
  10. To remove all violence, aggression or belligerence
  11. To have a non-aggressive foreign policy
  12. To provide the basic needs for all people – food, water, power, clean air, health care, homes, support during sickness and old age and maternity
  13. To provide excellent education for all
  14. To provide power through sustainable means
  15. Not to pollute or produce harm to the natural world and to respect the wonders around us
  16. To promote awe and wonder
  17. To police in a way that is conducive to the local community
  18. To tax fairly in order to pay for quality services and infrastructure
  19. To ensure that the rich and powerful do not exert undue influence or gain advantage, but are treated equally
  20. To have a justice system that does not discriminate against any group nor favour any group and applies justice fairly and reasonably.
  21. To have politicians who are accountable and held responsible for their actions
  22. To have a media that is unbiased and holds all those in power to account
  23. To provide an environment that is safe for its citizens, healthy, clean and respects people, property, animals and all nature.
  24. To have fair work conditions with generous hours, holidays, fair pay and sickness benefits.
  25. To have a basic level of income for all
  26. To have a welfare system that provides for those in need
  27. To have pensions so that people can live to a reasonable level in old age
  28. To provide the spiritual well-being of its citizens
  29. To have a transport system that is efficient, cheap and clean

I have probably missed out loads but at least it gets the ball rolling.

Looking at my list I think the UK fails on a number of issues but the USA fails on most and what Trump is promoting makes everything worse.

Make America Great Again seems to only look at making the rich richer the rest is a con.