A man once said and the neighbourhood followed,
Think good thoughts, speak good words, and do good deeds.
A secret was bestowed, to live a peaceful life made of free
Will and a choice between good and evil, right and wrong.
Sensibility uniting people, for no man is more or less
Of a human being and all together compose and encompass
A universe divine. Aware that actions ripple goodness alone
Can save us from drowning under the fiercest storm.
The emperor who conquered Babylon wrote,
On a baked-clay cylinder a primeval draft of what would become
A declaration of universal human rights, the first,
Released slaves and gave the vanquished freedom
Of thought, expression and religion, recognising justice
Is only found in recognising equality.
Fast-forward three thousand years and rights
Are internationally approved yet not acknowledge,
For man has come to think of himself as an individual
Albeit there are no individuals in a society of many billions.
In liberty he confused rights with caprices forgetting duties,
Believing he could painlessly contain unpleasant thoughts,
Speak hurtful words and behave regardless of
The sensibility of others, he was taken ill.
The good you thrust around will ripple and no evil
Will ever come from good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
[Featured fresco: Zoroaster (left) detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1509-1511), Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.]