Atoms of God

Bigotry

Oh, no, we are not bigots. We accept diversity,
as long as they stay docile and don’t want the same as we.
(You know, the others—who in some way—are not our cup of tea.)
Since they are so unlike us, we’re great to let them be.

It isn’t that we’re prejudiced; no, that simply can’t be so.
(If they’d adopt our religious creed, we’d love them more, though.)
We’d never be sexist, but the other gender’s below
the standards we set for our own, but surely they can grow.

We are not homophobic, but "God" knows, we have the right
to limit their influence, make sure they’re out of sight.
They should be satisfied with crumbs while we bask in the light,
but marriage—no, we think not; we can keep them from that rite.

If they’re deformed, disabled, we’d not discriminate—
nor does it phase us if they’re old, ugly, or overweight.
Of course, if we’re uncomfortable, then we may hesitate.
Surely they’ll discern it’s their issue and accept their fate.

Skin pigment doesn’t bother us: "black," "white," "yellow," "brown, "red"—
although we may prefer they match color in the bed.
They’ll thrive in their own neighborhoods, and soon pull ahead,
But we’re not for segregation; no, we left that battle dead.

And ethnically, we’re neutral—so they are welcome in our spaces,
if they will change their culture, learn our speech, remove the traces
of their strangeness, we’ll find them proper stations.
Wherever they come from, they will feel like our relations.

We are not bigoted: they only need to know the rules.
After all, we passed some laws, built ramps, and opened up our schools.
If they can’t understand red tape, that doesn’t make us ghouls.
We know we’ve done our duty; if they can’t see, then they’re fools.

The haloes high above our heads prove we are bias-free—
Our reservations serve us all—they can’t be bigotry.
But in the quiet of the evening, doubt still gnaws at me...
how much wisdom has been lost in quests for conformity?

Science Meets Mysticism

Sophisticated cultures separated science and mysticism centuries ago.
Today they collide with one another, because the "new" physics
demonstrates our reality is nothing more than an interpretation.
The certainty we clung to about senses revealing truth is melting
into a pool of goo we can’t pick up anymore. When I was a child,
I thought maybe other people existed only when I saw them.
They vanished like images on an old television screen fade off.
Although that seems like a childish notion, it does a fair job of
explaining quantum physics. Scientists have verified the interaction
of observers with the results of their experiments. Think of it.

Tiny subparts of atoms behave the way the experimenter wants
them to act. We can no longer ignore the possibility they are conscious.
And if they are, every bit of matter, each impulse of energy, has potential to
impact reality as we know it. After decades of debating the implications,
all the while using the new discoveries to create many modern conveniences,
a few brave souls published information written in a way non-scientists
can begin to see the illusion cracking. We turn inward for answers; we look
beyond books and appearance. What is life? In a totally interactive universe,
physicists are faced with-- mysticism. Neat divisions between spirituality,
philosophy, theology, psychology and science are collapsing into rubble.