The Rich Forbid …

“The rich forbid theft and murder, and threaten offenders with the death penalty. Yet these same people encourage theft and murder by honouring wealth and status, which are the allurements of crime. As long as distinctions in ownership remain, can there ever be an end to conflict between people? Once rulers were grateful to their subjects during times of order, and during chaotic times looked for the fault in their own conduct. These days it’s the complete opposite. The people are driven to lose their natural honesty and commit crime. But who should take responsibility? The unfortunates who are punished, or the rich and powerful who provoke the crimes in the first place?” – Bo Ju

(Taken from “Taoist Wisdom: Daily Teachings From The Taoist Sages” – Timothr Freke.)

Alarums And Excursions

ALARUMS AND EXCURSIONS

The true danger, my friends
In what’s billed as “The News”
(Cue arresting signature tune)
Is not, as you might fancy
The attempt
(Whether brazen or stealthy)
.                      to commandeer
Your views and feelings

It doesn’t really matter
What attitudes, opinions
Stances “For” or “Against”
Get kicked into life à propos
The issue under review
It is your attention they wish to steal

For the issue set out before you
Is never little more than a falsity
A carefully manicured facsimile
Of events and their outcomes

If not a feint, a ploy, a diversion
From those other important issues
Which are never
(Shush, don’t breathe a word)
.                             even mentioned

Naysayer

NAYSAYER

Search myself for error, for there’s no one pure,
hesitate to despise them, as no doubt I should.
Are they the beasts I imagine? I can’t be sure.
Or just fools gone to the bad trying to make good.

That’s right, we’re not really bad, just misunderstood.
We hedged our bets but didn’t mean to break the bank.
You wanted mortgages; we did the best we could.
Rules of Monopoly; “I am, therefore I wank”.

Our underwritten balloon race too big to fail.
It’s free market forces. How dare you call it greed!
Here’s my card: “Get out of jail free”. We’re out on bail
and we have all the pepper spray we’ll ever need.