Coming of (Old) Age

From A Majority of One ...

Coming of (Old) Age

Let's say you've been reading

American history most of

your adult life, over half

a century now, and in that time

you've reached some conclusions

not taught in high school

the usual suspects about

genocide against American Indians

lynchings of black citizens

concentration camps for Japanese citizens

and the most extraordinary atrocity

of all, November 22, 1963,

a coup d'etat orchestrated by rogue

elements in the government

and you accept all these

things as true

and you widen the focus

to the world, where good deeds

get lost in an historic avalanche of

war and genocide and butchery

mass graves, killing fields

(inspiration for future video games)

hard to keep track of it all

and all this, too, is true.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion

that the United States is no better

than a Banana Republic, though

more livable than most, with

perks like shopping and mythology

and escape valves for discontent

like talk shows and voting

and it's hard to avoid the conclusion

that civilization is an asylum

run by sadists.

A lifetime studying history

two sad conclusions

so the question naturally arises

how possibly to live here?

1. lay low
2. reduce your universe
3. remember Nature wins
4. lay lower