Morally Independent



Time will prove,
again and again,
how people often end up
only causing pain.

In my time here on Earth
I have sadly come to learn
that not that many humans
are actually humane.

Due to my own flawed way of thinking
I have repeatedly felt tempted
to stop making my best effort
to stay moral, right, and just,

but I'll come to the conclusion that,
while making life much easier,
by forsaking what I stand for
I'd be betraying my own trust.

How other people treat me
is utterly irrelevant
to the way in which I feel
we should all treat each other.

I hope to one day see
some sort of cultural development
that proves that people can,
in fact, be good to one another.

About this poem

I wrote this poem after I was confronted with a dilemma where I could gain something but I'd have to be dishonest to get it. I've been struggling with the selfishness of people for years and I'd often wondered if my attempts at not giving into that myself are worthwhile, but being confronted with a black and white decision whether to give in to that despair and sacrifice my integrity in exchange for personal gain made me realize that whether my attempt to be the best person I can be is futile or not is completely irrelevant to why I try.  

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Written on July 22, 2021

Submitted by t.a.a.rijkers on August 15, 2022

Modified on April 18, 2023

43 sec read
53

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXA XXXA XXXB XCXB DEXC DEXC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 665
Words 142
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Teshuwah Rijkers

An annoyingly philosophical 21-year-old who enjoys translating his thoughts into words. more…

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1 Comment
  • rnadc
    Subtle rhymes, easy flowing verse, and nice message of decency and altruism-without cramming ut down your throat
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Morally Independent" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/136310/morally-independent>.

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