seven deadly sins or virtues of wealth
superbia, invidia, ira, avaritia,
accidia, gula, luxuria
pride, envy, anger, greed,
sloth, gluttony, lust
magna moralia, gregory the great
sixth century a.d.
i
we are a culture
of false advantage––
when you’re down
we’re up
& we want to keep it
that way!
we’re not on the same
team––
we’ll never be on the same
team
ii
evolution of favorite 3 word
amerikan phrases
e pluribus unum (out of many, one)
(1780-1850s and to present dollar bill)
home sweet home (1940s-50s)
enclosed find check (1970s)
greed is good (1980s to present)
iii
the world is merely a
resource commodity––
a home is only
an address––
a human being is
a bag of ashes
iv
our dollars wanted
to trust God––
the people wanted
to trust bitcoin––
the money-laundering
choice of drug cartels
v
we want to destroy
the past
the way the taliban demolished
the buddha
mountain
vi
“we” evolved to be able
to destroy––
yet if that were our nature
we wouldn’t/couldn’t have
survived at all
vii
the shrieks of the hyenas
are subverting the minds
of the lions
viii
eternal truth
is not the final
truth
moral progress will never
end
ix
seven heavenly virtues of humanity
castitas, temperantia, caritas, industria,
patientia, humanitas, humilitas
chastity, temperance, charity, diligence,
patience, kindness, humility
psychomachia, aurelius prudentius clemens, fifth century a.d.
x
evolution of 3-word phrases of hope
love thy neighbor (middle egypt 2040-1650 BCE and to present)
give me liberty (1775, patrick henry, to present)
pick yourself up (1936, jerome kern and dorothy fields])
never give in (1941, winston churchill)
yes we can! (2008, barack obama)
xi
if you have money
(somebody else’s)
why put up with competition
when you can buy
subordinates?
xii
one team
beat the other
because it hated
them
& enjoyed the sport
of humiliation
the losers lost
their spirit of grit &
hustle
xiii
one black-shirted army
defeated its over-powerful
enemy
because it loved
its leader––
because it never
gave in
the weapons of
the enemy were
made of money,
hubris & arrogance
the losers failed at
one strategy after another
without a ghost of a cause
& never an objective
their country abandoned
its veterans
& was never able
to admit its loss
or requisition
the heart
xiv
one super-power
challenged the other
to a pissing
contest
one ego crumbled
first
the other ego collapsed of exhaustion
later
its green lands, villages, towns &
cities consumed & wasted
themselves
transferring wealth & well-being
to the insatiable
rich
xv
kansas is no longer for fairy
tales
xvi
civilizations rise
with young muscles,
fresh brains &
hope
humans are born
of mothers
& mothering––
mammalian warmth
& touch
entrusted culture & cherished
ideals
xvii
it is possible
to nurture skillful
hands & caring minds––
human & otherwise
the rest is
slavery
xviii
bonum, verum,
pulchrum
the good, the true,
& the beautiful
were big-banged
into the universe––
& evolved
with human flesh
to shape our minds
out of love
to guide our way
within
xix
kindness is good
& true and profoundly
beautiful
xx
please let all of us
open our hearts
to each other
let us find a way
to be kind
& compassionate
every day
of our lives
xxi
the accidents of creation
are no accidents––
they are dancing ciphers
to the music of the spheres––
as real as
stars & galaxies & smoke––
the hum
of nothing
nowhere
is
real
xxii
we build.
we care
we share.
we grow.
xxiii
surrounded by miracles,
the young man
fell on his knees
to thank
his blessings