The Human Condition

Humans are burdened with compunction

At each and every other junction

For, with their marvellous brains

Come equally marvellous Chains

Alas, with all their sensibility,

Humans also possess inflexibility.

They are captive to their gold,

To which, their short lives are sold

For, instead of their loved ones,

Instead of their daughters and their sons,

Humans spend their lives at work

Where, from every task they shirk.

Instead of chasing their deepest desire

Humans slave until they expire.

Yes, almost all fall in line

Because they follow this guideline:

Take a child, put him in school,

Apply many a test and a rule

Strip away his individuality,

Under the pretext of practicality.

Don’t allow the child to learn,

Do not teach him all he yearns,

Instead, teach him how to think

Like all humans, all in sync.

Teach him how to memorise,

How to internally visualise,

Trim his thoughts down, very neat,

Til’ what was once unique

Becomes a bother or a distraction

Til’ he’s reached your satisfaction.

Til’ the child is all grown

His intellect, humans did hone.

Now, he is no longer him,

He is now part of them.

He is now the massive majority,

With the most authority,

Possessing a fantastic acumen,

Now, they proclaim him human.

But is he more or is he less

Than that child they dispossessed?

Is his newfound cleverness

His fantastic new expertness

Worth the childhood sacrifice?

Is it worth that steep a price?

Losing his curiosity

His innocence, resourcefulness, individuality,

He now fits in the perfect mould,

He has done all that he was told.

But will he really be satisfied

To be part of this human pride?

Or would this child rather be

A Human Anomaly?