The Weight of Our Witness: Poems Inspired by my Essay The Decline of Religion and Rise of Social Media

"The Weight of Our Witness"

We bear witness to the world's decay
through the lens of our chosen tribe's gaze
where empathy is a luxury we can't afford
and understanding's a distant, fading haze

We're anchored to the comfort of our convictions
like ships moored to the harbor of our fears
afraid to venture into the unknown
where the depths of our own biases and doubts appear

We're the architects of our own division
building walls to shield us from the pain
of confronting our own complicity
in the systems that sustain our shame

But what if we were to lay down our arms?
To surrender the weight of our witness?
To listen to the whispers of our deepest selves?
To find the courage to confront our own biases?

"The Cartography of Our Hearts"

We're still learning to navigate the terrain
of our own uncharted humanity
where the contours of our hearts are shaped
by the topography of our deepest pain

We're the cartographers of our own emotions
mapping the labyrinth of our inner worlds
where the shadows of our doubts and fears reside
and the light of our deepest longings unfurls

We're still learning to listen to the whispers
of our own hearts, to the rhythm of our own breath
to find the courage to confront the unknown
to surrender to the mystery of our own depth

But what if we were to find our way?
To chart a course through the wilderness of our own hearts?
To find the courage to confront our own biases?
To surrender to the beauty of our own vulnerability?

"The Fractured Mirror"

We gaze upon the world through the fractured mirror
of our own biases and doubts and fears
where the reflection of our truest selves is distorted
and the beauty of our own humanity is unclear

We're the guardians of our own perceptions
the gatekeepers of our own understanding
where the keys to empathy and compassion are hidden
and the doors to our own hearts are left unopened

We're still learning to confront the shadows
that haunt the corridors of our own minds
where the ghosts of our own biases and doubts reside
and the light of our own understanding is left behind

But what if we were to shatter the glass?
To confront the reflections of our own hearts?
To find the courage to surrender to our own vulnerability?
To embrace the beauty of our own fractured humanity?