Poetry: Misguided

Told to live in love
We are raised in hate
Told to give the world peace
We speak only violence and rage
Told to follow the law
We break it incessantly with small acts of selfishness
Told to inspire those who are different
We mock and bully them into submission
Told to stop our cycle of death
We urge it on, loving the bloodbath

We are told many things
Many are positive
But
What we see is different

We follow our eyes, not our ears
We follow what is easiest
Not what is right

Told to act
See bystanders

How easy would it be
To end a war
If everyone else was frozen in place?

How easy would it be
To follow what's right
When to do nothing is wrong?

How easy would it be
To admit our sins
If lying gave us better results?

It's not easy.
Following a lie in the dark
Is preferred to seeing yourself stumble
In the light

It's not easy.
When you are told you be courageous
Act strong
Fight
Why are they cowering in the corner?
Why do they do nothing at all?

Told to create a new trend
When surrounded by those clinging onto the last one,
It's not easy.

And who are they, the hypocrites, to tell you
Tell you that it's your turn to fix the mistakes.
Ones that they created.
Ones that they reveled in.

You could say,
This world,
This learning pattern,
This push for better
When we've only seen worse...

Is misguided.