doubt as the last defense in poetry

living with the deadly serious consequences of a deeply unserious time
sociopaths believe everyone is a sociopath and that empathy is just something people pretend at to get things more easily, here we are in unserious times, consequences too serious to ignore
but if truth sets free, power’s the lock and doubt’s the key, don’t believe, do the opposite of that
some of the worst things in history were done not by one monster’s fiat but by millions
not caring about the dire ramifications of covering their lonely own asses
when you feel like you’re just covering your own ass stop and do the opposite of that

the best way to be right most of the time is to constantly consider whether you’re wrong
if you’re just sticking to the old idea out of momentum or tribalism or self-benefit
if it doesn’t scan toward compassion, toss it immediately and do the opposite of that
don’t raise your kids to be obedient, raise your kids to be good instead
watch the news, see the horror brought unto this world by obedient people
raise doubters, raise kind people, you can respect authority, I guess
if an authority has earned it but never respect it as a default
only respect authority that earned it, even then, make sure it’s the exception

it isn’t just that the perfect is the enemy of the good
the perfect’s the trump card evil always has over the good
always able to trick well-intended idealists into doing evil’s work for them
driving a traffic circle roundabout is basically just like a democracy
when everyone knows how to use it and does so in good faith it’s the best thing going
but one jerk or idiot gumming the works and its disaster all the way down
this is where we are now, in the aftermath of the car crash, do the opposite of that

it isn’t just that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to get into an argument over who is the purest pure of the good
for the good to waste all their efforts in a circular firing squad of ideology
or voting for third party candidates just to prove how pure they think they are
while the monsters bear down on the world and it isn’t just that evil won
the perfect and the evil aligned to undo decades of good, not perfection but good
not pureness but progress so if you ever get a chance again, do the opposite of that

the difference between idealist, cynic and skeptic is idealist and cynic both love being right
while a skeptic hates turning out to be right it tends to make the skeptic more honest
we want to be proven wrong, we’re doubters and louder, but we want you to prove us wrong
when you say “one step forward isn’t enough I’d rather take ten back than not go ten forward”
you are showing your privilege and dooming us all as it always happens when we fall
so do the opposite of that and let doubt sort it out

living with the deadly serious consequences of a deeply unserious time
questioning’s the only way out
questioning still isn’t a crime

Last updated October 11, 2018