“When anyone offends against you, let your first thought be, under what conception of good and ill was this committed? Once you know that, astonishment and anger will give place to pity. For either your own ideas of what is good are no more advanced than his, or at least bear some likeness to them, in which case it is clearly your duty to pardon him; or else, on the other hand, you have grown beyond supposing such actions to be either good or bad, and therefore it will be so much the easier to be tolerant of another’s blindness.”

(A Little Flesh, A Little Breath, and A Reason to Rule All- That is Myself, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, pg.80, #26)

A war, a clash of value systems can never be resolved.
There can be no resolution with domination and surrender.
There can be convergence, as physiological coincidence,
a physical universality emerging through repetitious tendency.

When we move from instinct innate,
when we move from strong second level inferences,
we occupy the realm of ego, and emotion,
irrationality, social norms and momentum.

Norms and tradition from a place afar,
will seem foreign, and are naturally rejected.
The masses do not think, and desire no change,
domination is their only plan; their only game.

Tradition, custom, religion and social norms,
contain a universal truth about life, hidden in their tales.
One must be cautious, as tradition is contrived,
we should not be lured into believing it is always right.

Question everything,
then reconstruct,
throw off those impositions repugnant,
sincerity, and character are pure and authentic.

I agree with Marcus, temperance, and tolerance are useful for me.
A virtuous man will realize, the peril lies with the person who is tormented.
I have no problem with the great emperor’s view of man-to-man tolerance,
but one must check apathy, tolerance, and value of a man’s impact on another’s plan.

Do what you will;
Live how you want;
Your peril apparent;
My satisfaction is inherent.

My displeasure, intolerance, and imposition,
comes as a contingent realization of your oppression.
Not your pressure, which you try to hold over me,
but that imposition you project on my fellow countrymen.

Your imposition that desires to dominate, and seeks submission,
through irrational memes, you perpetuate suffering, and obliteration.
Annihilation of equality in diversity, your hierarchy and your cell,
your cage with the door wide open, for all those who you manage to sell.

I believe, I believe in Marcus and his way,
but this omission I want to articulate…..for him,
talk to me, and me alone, and my conscious tolerance will be shown,
but move toward my countrymen, and I will bury you, and what you think you know.