a child is born free of mind
but is hardened into thought
and by the time one dies
most are fixed and screwed into
worlds of their making,
heavens of their fantasies:
so one thinks one’s an Indian, one a Chinese
or an American or British or Swedish
or French or Russian or German;
or one thinks one is a Christian or Muslim
or Jew or Hindu or Sikh or Catholic
or Doaist or Buddhist or Marxist or Communist
or even for that matter, an atheist…
…or whatever you will…
one finds a badge to pin proudly to one’s chest
and each identity becomes so strong
it becomes so real
it all comes into the question of right and wrong
of evil and good
and it falls into loud declamations
and my tribe is good, your tribe is evil
my brand is holy, your brand unholy…
and so it goes,
with all sorts of justifications
that beat sense out of all loyal adherents…
…and it squeezes humanity out of the human…
ah, and, yes,
the energy goes on into the afterlife
as Christians go into a Christian Heaven
and Hindus and Buddhists into various Lokas