Individuals and collectives

Good for some,
Or good for one?
And over what horizon?
Can you tell me straight:
Are we falling or rising?

In the good old days, we knew right from wrong.
We all agreed how to split weak from strong.
For a minute, we even all got along.
Now you kids are doing it wrong.

Okay, Boomer…

You realize your good old days ended us here.
You were responsible for raising all the children you fear.

We all made this mess together.
We are stuck with it, forever.
Individuals and collectives…
Different views and recollections.

–

Good for short,
Or good for long?
And from whose perspective?
Can you tell me straight:
Are things better or worse since our last corrective?

If what works for you doesn’t work for me–
If I’m a fish and can’t climb your tree–
If I’m a man and don’t want to be–
Does that really mean there’s no room for me?

Okay, Kid…

I hear that you’re an artist and you don’t want to starve.
I understand you hate the path that’s been carved.

We all made this mess together.
We are stuck with it, forever.
Individuals and collectives…
We have everything we need to be more effective.

–

We are not the same, you and I.
One hears torture, the other a lullaby.
One sees progress, the other disaster.
One begs to slow down, the other commands faster.

What works for you, me, and us is different.
We have to access different powers to lift us up.

For him, it might be virtual.
For her, physical.
For them, it might just be five minutes of silence.
A quiet harbor of peace, safe from the stormy violence.

Stop focusing on dollars. Start focusing on sense.
Stop blindly criticizing kids, teachers, and parents.