The World Is The Case

On television (and in every other medium)
the world seems as big as they tell you it is,
but no media will show the world
as being bigger than the medium itself;
the world will always bigger than any medium
that tries to present itself as the sum of all things. 

Leadership, What Leadership?

The line between being an autocrat
and a dictator is a thin, but important.

A dictator allows no official opposition
and no other party to be form itself within his state.
Trust me, the history of female dictators is a short one.

An autocrat allows opposition to form itself
against his government, but undermines that opposition
at every turn, making effective opposition towards him impossible.

What they share
is that they both hate leaving power willingly, or alive.
Both see the idea of a democracy
where the end does not justify the means
as a weakness that is beyond unforgivable, 
and last, and far from least, they see accurately reflecting
the will of the people as an unforgivable weakness.

What democracies, autocrats, and dictators
all have in common is that they all need to be voted for,
and they are all reliant on buoyant economies for their support
when they all know that economies are inherently unstable.   

Even Rumour Mills Can Experience Disruption

and rumours will thrive on cynicism,
so it will seem entirely correct
that the authorities should seek to make
their cynicism the most accepted form
of popular disbelief.  

 

The Old Declension

 Refusal will not always invite respect,
particularly from those who are refused
when they see their offer as irresistible.

But it will help you respect yourself.    

Making A Choice Out Of Having Less

Humans have a history
of proving to each other
how much more disposable
some of them are, over others.

And how other species matter less 

when they are seen to be
beneath human consideration.

The way to be ahead of the trend
is better prepared than the unaware
are to depart this life on Planet Earth
with the least amount of ceremony.

But as you prepare be aware
that competitive types will dislike you
for 'wanting to drop out'; it diminishes
the value of them wanting more
and shows up how cheap
the competitive ego has to be
as it forcibly diminishes others.

Carefully choose the terms
on which to live on less,
through which to detach calmly.....

How To Prove When Too Much Is Too Much

If I ruled the world (I obviously don't;
if I did I'd be far harsher on conditional statements).
one of the more important rules that I would make
would be that people had to redistribute their wealth
well before they died, such that well before their last 'Goodbye'
all they have in reserve is enough to pay for their parting ceremony.

I am sure that many poor societies have done this
in the past when poorer societies were more the norm.
The change it would make in more wealthy societies
would be to expose more efficiently how much is too much
when the matter is about how to live well with what we have.  

Hindsight is An Uneasy Thing

A friend of mine recently admitted that much
when he attempted, and failed,
to start to write his life story.

He wrote his first draft,
of a just a few of the facts
and so hated what he wrote
that first he hid it from himself
then he burnt the paper
as if that would destroy the past,

and then he told me after.

What he wrote down
must have been very unhappy
for it to trouble him so;
he was always such a cheery soul.

Amend that title;

hindsight is an uneasy thing
for an optimist to contemplate

when their optimism
is built on ignoring
everything they have lived through.