Know yourself

Know yourself.

Who are you? 
Now that’s certainly a question.
Promote captain obvious to a general, stars two,
Yet even he is oblivious, to you, yourself and thine’s reflected contention. 

If I may, it’s worth a second of your day,
Maybe two,
Lay this question on yourself, and see what you say,
Go ahead, take a few.

Now I’m willing to bet fat stacks, 
You just listed off some facts,
Gender, job, and hobbies as all labels lack,
The meaning that I seek, from which most minds contract.

Look in the mirror, now what do you see?
Eyes? Nose? A mouth? Give Obvious stars three!
Together they take in a world of voices and ideas, perhaps maybe food,
The mouth sends out yours … but take stock, are they you?

“Stealing is bad.” There’s a statement, stars four, damn fine,
I presume, should I ask, you believe it true.
But is that truly you? Or the world about you?
Ask yourself why, take a poll of you yourself and thine,
Perchance the answer is the same, but it’s source may not,
You owe it to yourself, to think about why, and question every thought,

As you do this you will find,
You use a filter to see the world, unique to you!
It’s shaped by society, friends, family and time,
Yet most of all … simply you!

You see, knowledge is power, so they say,
In a world where all we can truly know is ourselves,
The only power to be had is over yourself and thine, try as some may,
Surely I say there are no men more free than them who know themselves,

So many are ignorant of themselves, they I pity, 
They drudge about, husks, doing plainly as told, thinking solely as sold,
Until one day they wake up, with what shrink’s call a crisis of identity.
No man is whole, lest he live, think, act, and die as himself, so bold.

For what can men of power do to a man self-knowing?
Buy him? No man would put himself for sale, should he know his value.
Kill him? If he died as himself, there was no other ending, and perhaps a beginning,
Know yourself. Be yourself. Think. For. yourself. The world will lay out before you.

Reviews

[Beacon]

Thank you for the review and feedback on my poem. I appreciate it a lot. I can see what you mean about waiting to deliver the message until the end for more impact. I like the rhyme scheme you utilized as well.