Yourself Looking Back

by Ron Olsen

It’s so much easier to run with the herd

Safer too

To never look back

Or too far ahead

You might not like what you see

Your own image looking back in disgust

So much easier to smile

A forced façade of joy

Even though your guts ache for the truth

You set it aside

Way too much to try and understand

And run with the herd

Football and brain damage

Sugar poisons the masses

Democracy’s death

Poverty overwhelms America

Climate change is us

Thousands of needless deaths in useless wars

All duped by marketing

Wall Street’s short view

As capitalism fails the many

Never mind

Join the herd

Phones, tablets, tv and laptops take it all away

The pacifier of unending diversion

Sucking on the great technological teat

Stopping to think is far too painful

You might see yourself looking back

Crushed by the admission of personal irresponsibility

By the inadequacy of the masses

E Pluribus Unum

A contradiction in terms

The illegitimate child of lofty thinkers

You are the many

The many are one

All moving in the same direction

Thinking the same simple thoughts

It’s so much easier to run with the herd

Unknowing

Mediocrity loving

Unwilling to listen

Attacking with hatred

Pouring humiliation upon

Any suggestion of enlightenment

A superior attitude is repugnant

To those who refuse to think

Better and easier to smile

To conform

To just keep moving mindlessly ahead

Lest you stop and see yourself looking back

A nexis of unbearable reality

A vision of enlightenment

The real enemy

Or so they want you to believe

Denial and deceit

Acceptance of the many

Group-think

So much easier

Much more comfortable

Safer too

Rise above commonality and they’ll tear you to pieces

The game is on

Pass me another beer

When all are heroes

Heroes disappear

When all are champions

Champions are none

When all are awarded

Awards are meaningless

With nothing left but us

Running with the herd

Awaiting the inevitable slaughter

Ron Olsen

Ron Olsen is a veteran cross-platform journalist based in Los Angeles, California, United States.……Ron Olsen at Wiki
He writes, “I’m a semi-retired Peabody Award winning journalist who now writes
essays and an occasional poem.”

Ron’s  Site is The Working Reporter News, opinion and resources for journalists

Ron’s blog web news & commentary