Human, All Too Human: A Poem

I wrote this in a strong, rebellious Nietzsche phase in Nov. 1999:

Human, All Too Human

What beast is Man!
Cruel and mean-spirited
Conformity is the master plan
Individuality has faded

To be different is to be outcast
Mindlessly follow the herd mentality
The disease spreads fast
Don’t deviate from the herd morality!

No one questions anymore
Do you know who you are…really?
Name, age, sex, job…categories galore
All aspects of an external identity

Look inside and what do you see?
A pale reflection, shaped and molded
From behavioral controls of society
A forged soul, twisted and distorted

Smother me not with your well-meaning lies
One True Way? It’s a sham
I, myself, will surmise
Who it is that I am

About Geoffrey Allan Plauché  (370 Posts)

Geoffrey is an Aristotelian-Liberal political philosopher and an adjunct instructor for Buena Vista University. His work has appeared in the Journal of Libertarian Studies, the Journal of Value Inquiry, and Transformers and Philosophy. He lives in Edgewood, KY with his wife and two children.

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Tagged as: collectivism, conformity, individualism, individuality, Nietzsche, personal identity, Philosophy, poetry, questioning authority, skepticism, the search for something to be