Sacrosanct

Feb 16

Posted by

I.

Language monitored and banned,

Utterances verboten.

Silence is far more preferred,

Than a single dissenting voice.

II.

Love regulated and mocked,

In the name of moral outrage.

Subjugation based solely on,

One’s gender or racial profile.

III.

Dear friend please do remember,

Though you believe as you believe,

Interference is not called for,

In the lives of anyone.

IV.

Mankind is moving forward,

Not toward immorality

But toward a new kind of love,

Requiring minds to be open.

V.

We change not for the sake of change,

But to improve and make progress –

To care for our fellow man,

To provide freedom for all.

VI.

Will you accompany us,

Into the future we seek,

Or will you live in the past,

Ruled by myth and superstition?

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About John White

I've written off and on my entire life. It took years for me to finally take putting words together seriously. Now it's not, nor does it ever feel, like work. Writing daily has become habitual. No day is complete without words having appeared on the page.

Posted on February 16, 2015, in Poetry and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 50 Comments.

  2. JMD398 | February 16, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    I am up for the journey. Brilliant write!

    Reply
  3. lavalean | February 16, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    Very relevant for these times, when pretty much everything gets priority over simple humanity. Of course, every generation says this, but you’d think we’d have moved ahead by now.

    Reply
  4. sheldonk2014 | February 16, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    I agree for the journey and less about the words,drawings or even finger pointing

    Reply
  5. Fahad Sheikh | February 16, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    Nicely put!

    Reply
  6. Connie Hope Saunders | February 16, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    I fear those who need this message most won’t understand it.

    Reply
  7. alphabetstory | February 16, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    Nice that you dropped by my site. Thanks for following.

    Reply
  9. ellenulinski | February 17, 2015 at 1:08 am

    Great poem. I really liked how it was broken up into the different sections.

    Reply
  10. Veri | February 17, 2015 at 4:38 am

    So true,

    Love regulated and mocked,

    In the name of moral outrage.

    Subjugation based solely on,

    One’s gender or racial profile.

    This is great! KUDOS!

    Reply
  11. Samuel Edet | February 17, 2015 at 8:12 am

    Reblogged this on CountMaxi's Blog.

    Reply
  14. art.pen | February 18, 2015 at 5:45 am

    I couldn’t have put it better myself 🙂 This is so true and a wonderful poem too!

    Reply
  15. Fopesaiye | February 18, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    Beautiful

    Reply
  16. zanetajulia | February 19, 2015 at 3:40 am

    Love this! Very well written. Would is be alright if I featured this/any of your work on my blog? I’d just reblog it and be sure to leave a link with the title under the “Writer’s Book” Section. Just hoping to publicize the great work of others!

    Reply
  17. zanetajulia | February 19, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    Reblogged this on zaneta julia and commented:
    If you have not checked out this poetry blog, do so immediately and find yourself inspired!

    Reply
  18. elfinaubrie | February 20, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    Blessed be, Mr. White. I feel loveliness underfoot, and inspiration overhead. Beautifully said.

    Reply
  19. theanimalspirits | February 20, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    I sense that you are a Wayseer, awakened, aware, conscious and prepared to compassionately usher others into an unprecedented new world. Your writing is beautiful. MANY Blessings!

    ~ Gerean/The Animal Spirits

    Reply
  20. afairymind | February 21, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this – it encapsulates my own views perfectly! You describe a journey into a future that I am happy to join you on. 🙂 One little point – did you intend to write ‘my’ on the final line or should it be ‘by’?

    Reply
  21. Shepard of Peace | February 22, 2015 at 1:54 am

    Reblogged this on Shepard of Peace.

    Reply
  22. intrepidmuses | February 24, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    Your line about freedom reminded me of someone who once told me that a certain place in Europe was the “freest place in the world” because of its loose drug regulations and acceptance of drug use. That comment really shocked me. Knowing young people that are struggling and suffering with addictions I can tell you that not all free “exercise of the will” is synonymous with freedom but rather they can lead to enslavement, as in the case of any type of addiction. So true freedom is no merely the ability to do what ever I want but rather the ability to pursue whatever is good. True freedom is what set you free to pursue the true, the good and the beautiful. Anything else is just license to do anything. Now, you and I may have a discussion about what is truly good. I happen to believe that in all of our heart it is written a Natural Law that through reason we can discern the good from the bad. I also believe that there is a Creator that wrote those laws into our heart and as St. Augustine wrote in 4 century in the Confessions:

    “You have made us for your self and our heart are restless until the rest upon you”.

    If you like ancient poetry it might be a great read!

    Cheers,

    Caleb

    Reply
    • John White | February 24, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      The problem lies in defining what is good and, further, who will define good. If Amsterdam isn’t the city you referred to, it would fit the bill pretty well. My visit there was shocking to say the least. However, no harm was done to me or anyone who wasn’t in the coffee shops enjoying marijuana. I don’t care to smoke any but it’s no more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes overall. Freedom can extend to things that are bad for us like drinking.

      Each of us has to decided for ourselves what we will and won’t do based on our own well-being while also weigh our actions against the common good. Which is exactly the central reason I wrote this – same-sex marriage.

      If two men or two women want to get married, their actions neither hurt them nor anyone around them. Society doesn’t experience any ill effects due to same-sex marriage and is, in fact, enhanced by it when everyone receives the same legal rights and protections.

      The two issues – choice of what is good/isn’t good and personal rights and protections – are both a part of the progress we’re seeking.

      Reply
      • intrepidmuses | February 26, 2015 at 6:02 pm

        Trust me I also rolled my eyes when I finished typing! Sorry for the long response…

        You almost got it right…but is another city in Northern Europe. By the way I did fell in love with the city and the people, but not with their libertarian approach.

        I agree with you that we have to make a decision to either follow our conscience or abandon it. I think you would agree with me that we all are bound to follow our conscience. This reminds me of a scene in the movie Man for all Seasons in which the Duke of Norfolks asked Thomas More to yield his position for the sake of fellowship and Thomas replies:

        “And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?”

        The main question as you stated, is how do we form our conscience? That is to say how do we know what is good from what is bad. One way to know is through Natural Law. That is a universal set of principles that point towards the good that can be known through reason. For example: no civilization in history has ever thought that being a coward or ta traitor is a moral good that should be perused and thought to school children. The great Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero stated it very clearly:

        “True law is right reason in agreement with nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting; it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions…

        Cicero followed on his stoic tradition, enriched and informed by the teachings of the great Greek philosophers who not only laid a rational foundation for Natural Law but also for Western understanding of the universality of human rights.

        Another way to know is through divine revelation. I happen to think that both are not mutually exclusive from each other, quite the opposite they illuminate each other.

        I have to disagree with you in regards of the effects of same-sex marriage to the overall well being of our society. First, the overall impact or lack thereof of an action on the well being of a society does not necessarily determine its intrinsic moral value. History is full of governments perusing the “common good” through immoral venues. Second, redefining marriage to include same-sex couples, while under the appearance of equal rights it does have some inevitable consequences in terms of the interaction between citizens, families and government. If the problem that same-sex marriage is trying to address is that of equal rights between consenting adults under what ground the government should limit the association through marriage to only two individuals? Why not three or four? Why not between family members? Or create marriage between friends? You can see that by redefining who can get married it redefine it’s meaning and purpose. Marriage predates governments and religious institutions. It naturally evolved as a means to provide a cohesive and favorable environment to raise children within a stable family unit. Families then became the building block for tribal societies and it engendered the development of civilizations. Third, the advent of contraception is a great counter example to your point. I can make a reasonable argument that by divorcing/separating the act of procreation from one of its primary functions (procreation) the institution of marriage has been greatly undermined; leading to poverty and other social dysfunctions. Contraception altered the dynamic relationship between the man and the woman into a relationship where the mutation and total self-giving was not at the center of the relationship. This in my humble opinion let to the culture of no fault divorce and the modern phenomenon of single parenting, which deprive children of having two parents.

        Oh dear! I can’t believe that wrote this long! I always appreciate our backs and forth. You are very reasonable and respectful. I hope that in my response I also come across the same way. 🙂

        Reply

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