Lao Tse may have said some things that weren’t timeless
Plato might have had a few thoughts that were mindless
But even if they recorded their lunatic thoughts
The curation of time has made sure they’ve been lost
The same thing will happen to words written today
A time when everyone has something to say
Where viral memes are treated as profound
And unrestricted access to opinions abounds
Some ideas are great, and others are crap
But there’s always a market for crude, tasteless pap
It isn’t the deep thoughts that lead the contention
Instead it’s mostly the rubbish that commands our attention
Rumors and conspiracies, gossip and lies
We’d rather be wealthy than healthy or wise
While sustainable ideas are relegated to shelves
Does this suggest some questions we should ask ourselves
But we don’t want the answers to the questions we don’t ask
As we hide behind our social media masks
We ignore our ignorance without any curiosity
About the fact that marketing is replacing philosophy
It seems everyone feels obliged to add to the noise
Not realizing words are really dangerous toys
We treat them so casually, without even a thought
Making deals with the devil hoping we don’t get caught
Attention is coveted much more than wisdom
As the wealthy control more and more of the system
Anything can seem true if it’s repeated enough
So you can fake it till you make it or just flat out bluff
In another two millennia who’s words will be retained
Will people want real wisdom or just to be entertained
Time will have to sort out what’s false and what’s true
But I’ll bet Lao Tse will be there, and Plato will too
Photo by Debby Ledet via Unsplash
