Of Monsters and Men: A Poetry, Short Story and Song Anthology

Flags of Our Fathers

We walk when there's no road, we dance when there's no music, we kiss when we do not love, we laugh when there's nothing to laugh at, we argue when there is no reason to and we fight when there's no war. We do these things because its human nature and everything is wired into our minds so that we eventually do what we want to do.

 Tell me how long it’s been since man has not shed blood, tell me how long it’s been since we've all loved each other in a peaceful existence and tell me how long its been since one of us in this world hasn't shed a single tear? Not a day goes by when someone suffers, not a day goes by when someone doesn't pay the price.

 We should have seen the signs, should have guessed it would end this way. We should have known that mankind was nothing more than the symphony to this harmonious chaos that runs rampart across the barren fields of our world. Since WWI devastated our once peaceful world we have fought, lost and felt more pain than we should ever have felt. Since ancient times, when man first fought man, everything has become a chain series of events that are repeating constantly because of these little things called mistakes.

 Each mistake, every mishap causes pain and sorrow and the world knows it. So you know what the greatest mistake that has befallen man is, telling the children of the world that it’s going to be okay. Here's the truth, nothing is going to be okay, and nothing has been like that since days of old. There will never be peace; there will never be a end to the everlasting war which caused destruction, famine and separation all over the world.

We look up at our flags in our countries and tell ourselves we have guardian angels, we have warriors who will protect the innocent when they are just normal people who we think are guardians. They die, families fall into sorrow and everything is torn apart. A black cloud hangs over our flags, our governments, our parliaments.

Poisoned air, screaming children, the people who evacuate their own homes because they are no longer safe, corrupt governments and people who can no longer know what its like to have everything. We live in a broken society that only gets worse and worse because that's the spiralling chain that forever goes down into the depths of darkness.

 And underneath our flags, our oaths and our faith we say to our children that it’s going to be okay...it’s going to be okay. Their heads are filled with lies, filled with words of poison that whisper into their ears and fill their heads with nonsense. Our excuse? They're too young to fully understand what's happening. What a load of bullshit is what I say.

 Children know more than what many think they know. They understand more than what people think they understand. Children aren't these little dumb creatures running around thinking the world is paradise. They know what's going on but choose not to accept it, that's the only difference between kids and adults.

Schools brainwash them, the government corrupts and constricts their young minds and parents fill their heads with lies. The difference with modern society is we are now opening our eyes to the truth that lies all around us. The one ultimate truth of the world is this; there is no good or evil, no right or wrong, there is only us for we are all in this together.

We are but two sides of the proverbial coin of life, those who aren't crooks, criminals or Terrorists are deemed the "good" people whilst they are the "bad" people. Truth is we don't care about the pain we inflict upon these so called "bad" people because we think they don't have emotions. That's a lie, they have families, children, wives or husbands and they have emotions like anyone in this world. They do these things because they are scared, frightened and scarred by pain and suffering of the world and want to fix it in their own way.

 We fight and fight and think there is two sides to this coin but when we look closely we see there is only one side, the side we all share. Everyone suffers, everyone dies, everyone loves and everyone hates. But why on earth would anyone think that every single person is different? What lies have filled our heads, what bitter hatred has poisoned our minds.

 Black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, police and criminals, terrorists and soldiers. All of these people are not different; they are the same except each one has different views. The world is not free, we are but birds trapped in a cage, if one person steps out of line the government covers up and cracks down on the people who want to speak the truth. We are better than this, we can be free, we can break out of this cage and know what we are entitled to know.

We all have these flags which are supposed to make each country and race different but they are just fabrics tied to a post with the wind breezing past them swiftly. These are the flags of our fathers, built without purpose or reason; these are the indifferences of us and the borders of our societies. We the caged people, the ones who can become free. We are the people of this earth and we speak for the just and we seek the truth.

 Children have become pawns in the game of lies and truths; they deserve to know the truth and not be wrapped in bubble wrapping and kept hidden from all society. The rich should not look down upon the poor with disgust for they are the same, there is no difference. Criminals should not be treated like vermin for they are the same as all of us just with different views and mindsets. Terrorists should not be treated like they are evil, they are the same except they're doing what they think will help their own countries.

And before anyone starts thinking and judging why mankind does these things we should first ask ourselves why people are violent, why people commit acts that break the peace? Here's the penultimate answer, because they witnessed it, because they lived in it and because they saw you do the same thing and thought it was alright because they know we're all the same. We are the world and what one person does another will do, it’s the chain reaction of life and this is the reason why we will fall.