The First Rule of Living

an exercise exploring the theme of satisfaction

We have canonized cruelty

and demonized compassion.

We have forgotten the first rule

of living- that the results

of what we do with hands, hearts,

minds, bodies- should above all

be, on some level, satisfying.

 

We have elevated the repo man

from the call center above the

woman who prepares our children

for grade school. You get paid more

for emotionally manipulating people

to buy what they neither want, nor

need- cheap crap from China, cheap

icons and pills, cheaper religious

fairytales and their stories

of damnation for the sin

of being human-

 

than for inspiring someone, or creating

the food and love and words and ideas

and art that nourish the very soul

of the world. In replacing

connection with consumption, at the

end of a long day, only a rich person

can feel like he was productive. When

life holds no satisfaction from

the practice of humanity, it is so easy:

 

To tell the artist to work for free.

To tell your neighbor, she will go to hell.

To call the teacher, a lazy freeloader.

To destroy the hopes of children.

To misinterpret the words and actions

of the foreigner in your town.

To tell your partner, I only want sex

from your body; not love, from your

mind and heart and life.

 

We become bitter, and closed, only

ever satisfied when everyone else

is as unfulfilled as the person you see

in the mirror, at the end of every night;

telling you about how much you could

have been, could have done, could have

loved- all the books you could have

written- had life only let you.

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

It is said money is the root of all evil and the World has become over run by money vines. Seems like most on;y want to do things as long as it benefits them in the end. Health care, religion and Government have become what they should not be, a business.

[Marie Anzalone]

I truly believe we need to move towards a system of basic simple income- because we have taken these useless things and made them worth more than actions which benefit us all. I can't make a dime as a climate scientist trying to figure out how to keep people fed over the next 50 years- but I could earn a good living if I were willing to lock kids in cages or work as a harassment agent at a call center. yay us.