Why Do We Do The Things We Do?
Why do we do the things we do?
Do we do it for the betterment of me and you?
What a perfect world you must live in
Without flaw in character trait or person
To think that we live without expectation
To think that we live without exaltation
These are but damp, sodden twigs
That feed the insatiable raging fire that digs
Dwelling deep in the abodes of our hearts
The swirling mist of seawater that parts
Of voracious hidden cyclones within
It keeps society from caving in
For but a split-second, don’t you consider
For the flame can merely thrive, then slow and wither
On such shallow demeaning qualities
It needs new forms of sustainabilities
A form of effective altruism need abound
To secure our future safe and sound
Why do we do the things we do?
Do we do it for the betterment of me and you?
What trench has our society submerged into
To incentivize even the most simplest of things we can do
In its dire efforts to relay a charitable act
For schools to promise its students a fact
A slice of cheese pizza and free Breyers’ ice cream
For Red Cross to receive a donation it may seem
To the scattered, shivering, scared victims of Typhoon Haiyan
When it should be no question to help another man
For schools to teach students materialism
By rewarding them with prizes, raffles, and drawings--a secret form of monetarism
An iPad, a Nook, a Kindle, the latest and greatest
Whenever they attain an accomplishment deemed meritorious
For schools to offer test-corrections
For the sake of inflated statistical recognition
As opposed to the sake of learning
Understanding, comprehending, recollecting, reflecting
Why do we do the things we do?
Do we do it for the betterment of me and you?
If material things are all that matter
What then of the things that truly matter?
The qualities that make up our character
Are under threat by our benefactor
For some may argue that is justified
That as long as it gets the job done, ‘tis dignified
But if we are a society founded on fare
What makes you think anyone will care
When you are cold, afraid, and full of hurt
They will throw you to the side like a piece of dirt
We need a society that does not expect in return
But intellectual enlightenment shall they yearn
Incentivization is the fall of man
Disillusionment--its game plan
Why do we do the things we do?
Do we do it for the betterment of me and you?