X-Message-Number: 19237
Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 21:26:06 -0700
From: "John Grigg" <>
Subject: A poem


This very touching poem(at least to me) was written by Samantha Atkins 
() of the extrolist.  Any thoughts about its message?

best wishes,

John


Wonder

Driving down the clean,
airy suburban street with
its neat lawns,
manicured trees,
balanced flower beds,
and here and there
wrenchingly lovely
chidlren,
parents,
adults,
retired people -

I wonder

whether they know
that their world
is built often on pain
is not sustainable
cannot be shared
without being changed
by much more technology
than can be
absorbed while
preserving life
as they know it.


I wonder

if we the technologists
understand their world;
feel their desires and concerns;
make room for their diversity;
care for them because
we are they and
we love them.

I wonder if they
would thank us if
they knew
that we will rock
their world;
radically change
that street;
those houses;
those yards -
that we
would even risk
the end of all
of them
and all that they
care about.

I wonder who are we?

We, who take it
upon ourselves
to dream a world,
not in full vision,
but in its hitech
wonder.
Not as a sure
fulfillment
of all the dreams
of all the ages,
of all the people
but only of
our lust for power
and infinite
life.
Life, but life
that might end
all life
that we know now.

Are we
monsters
or
fledgling gods?
Are we so
impeccable
that we can
look at all
the world
at all the
people
and choose -
not just for
ourselves
but for everyone
forever?

It rocks me
to my soul
that we
would take such
upon ourselves.
It calls to me
to cleanse
to strengthen
to perfect
in love
in compassion
in inclusion
in truth
ourselves
and uplift
the whole
wide, wide world -
that we in
our majesty,
our desire,
our angst
seek to change
and perhaps turn
to something we
believe would be
so much more
"efficient"!

I wonder
if we be gods
or demons.

- samantha  (jun 8, 2002)




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