Misled Poem by Aimee Rozen

Will I ever know who I am
even though I can't be anyone but me?
I am trying to define myself
with these words I have been taught
with this thought process
I have developed
even though no choice was given.
Everyone has freedom of choice
even though guidelines are imposed.
Choice, except two:
life and death.
We are given life
and then expected to
make sense of it
and be a little more successful
than the preceding generation.
We know only what we know
and that is very little in comparison
to everything that ever has been
is
and ever will be.
Everyone only knows what they
have been subject to.
Their perspective is dependent
upon all the experiences
one has lived.
More specifically
the series of those experiences
and our reactions to them.
This is what has defined you
and me.
Society, our culture
anything we have ever been
exposed to in our lives.
People, places, events, ideas.
Anything, everything.
I have broken away from typicality
and tried to understand more.
I discovered I had been misled.
Everyone defined for me
the knowledge that they had.
They tried to mold me
into their likeness.
I used their definitions
as my own.
I adopted their beliefs
and believed their truths.
I believed their lies.
But they were only ignorant
pawns only teaching
what in turn had been taught them.
There is nothing except bias
in everything we say.
We are steered by our emotions
and fueled by our opinions.
But everything we are
is whatever came before us.
We believe right is right
because how could it be wrong
when everyone said it's good?
Evil is evil and wrong is wrong
due to custom and tradition.
It stood the test of time...
but we are afraid of change.