Timeline

Some of us base our lives
on traditions of the past;
and tribal beliefs and customs
keep life from moving too fast.

Others live for tomorrow,
and plan lives years ahead,
embracing a religion
that promises life when they’re dead!

We marginalize, and demonise,
discounting others’ points of view.
Our tribes care not for probity,
and discount veracity too.
Huddled around our little fires,
in the midst of our simple caves,
letting enhanced tales of our history
soothe us like gentle waves.
Or let us live for tomorrow,
and pretend that we’ll never die:
our tribe guarantees us all
an eternal home in the sky.
Today and now is so frightening,
filled with hate, greed and war;
we refuse to focus on solutions,
and return to our group, secure.

It is not easy to live in the present,
to be in this glorious now,
surrounded by difficult problems,
that ask what? when? and how?

Now requires great commitment
to accept that we live, then we die.
We can build a truly utopian world,
but we must stop complaining, and try.