Split Sides

When Truth Is The New Fiction

It used to be said
That history is written by the victors.
Perhaps there's a power behind it;
A moral, political, economic, religious,
Or some other force backing it.
An important battle happens
Where two opposing visions clash,
One side wins through strategy or fraud or other reasons,
And they get to present their views as the "official" version of history.
From the first days of mankind to the present,
This is accepted as common wisdom,
And tomorrow's another day to fight over and win.
But very recently this equation is being challenged
By people and leaders holding contrary views,
Who don't, can't, or won't accept
A narrative of history
That wouldn't align with
The dreams and goals they harbor,
Either beneficial or nefarious,
Only they know themselves.
This is a slippery slope
For which there are too many tragic examples,
In the "official" history,
Unless it too has been deemed false
And needing "revisions".
Of course, all of this is relative,
Subject entirely from person to person,
And taking into account
Differences in opinion or belief or outlook.
But the danger lies in a few people,
Either separate or unified,
Whom, by united effort,
Rewrite history and make new facts,
Motivated by money or power,
But all leading to a grim conclusion
Where even basic norms
On rules and events
Can be dressed up as rumors and hearsay
Out of a dislike for its choices.
Nothing will be safe in this ending
For there will be no end
To the writing and rewriting and revising
Of the narratives of history and rules
By people driven by money or power or personal desire
To maintain the existing order at all costs
Or to overthrow it and be the new rulers
Only to be ousted in turn
By another set of people
Using those very patterns
Of falsehood and manipulation
They themselves pioneered.
If this is established as a new truth,
There will be no end to all this.
No more peace,
No more truth,
No more facts,
And no more agreement.
Only endless coups and counter coups for the rich and powerful,
And only ingrained nihilism for the rest at the bottom.