Humanist Inspired Poems

shanyin

Found dozens of poems I like which are aparently humanist inspired, thought I'd share:

http://www.humanistbible.com/

See a spider kill and eat a moth;
See a cat kill and eat a rat;
See a shark kill and eat a seal;
See a lion kill and eat a man;
See a bear kill and eat a faun;
See a man kill and eat a cow;
See the heart of god.

See wars slaughter the people;
See tsunamis slaughter the people;
See earthquakes slaughter the people;
See hurricanes slaughter the people;
See disease slaughter the people;
See famine slaughter the people;
See the heart of god.

See the deformed people;
See the crippled people;
See the blind and deaf people;
See the mentally impaired people;
See the insane people;
See the meek, exploited people;
See the heart of god.

See the starving children;
See the starving mothers;
See the homeless children;
See the homeless mothers;
See the battered children;
See the battered women;
See the heart of god.


Purpose of Life
Men ask: what is the purpose of life?,
As they pursue that purpose with diligence--
They mate, build a nest, breed, and rear
their young;
And when those young mature,
They mate, build a nest, breed, and rear
their young;
And when those young mature,
They mate, build a nest, breed, and rear
their young.
That is the purpose of life--
For birds and bees, rats and cats, mice
and Men,
Forever and ever without end--
Amen, amen, amen--never ask again--
What is the purpose of life?
But, the fuzzy-brained will remonstrate,
We mean spiritually, what is the purpose
of life?--
Man's spirituality is not a reality,
It is an imagined thing to explain imagining;
It is the simple minded's great hope
And the guru and myth maker's dope.

Talisman

I disagree. Thanks for sharing, though

shanyin

with the second one?

shanyin

i think the first one is like.. sort of abstract

Talisman

I don't think that killing is "the heart of god." I can see how death and killing are part of the suffering of samsara but certainly not an insurmountable, necessary evil when it comes to the path of liberation.

Also, the second poem is a smack in the face to all sentient and intelligent pusuit of understanding the purpose of life beyond waking, F@#$ing and dying.

The message of both poems, although proclaimed as "humanist" are very negative about the "human" inquiry into the nature of existence and how "human" choice and action can shape a grander purpose than that which is immediately apprehended.