Sociologists poems on Hello Poetry

Nico Reznick Jan 2017

The desperate scramble to
rationalise; the burning need
to make sense of the
nonsensical, this
all-too-earnest search for
answers, for some guidestone
that will help us decipher
the craziness scrawled on the walls,
a key that might unlock that door
which currently bars the path to
sanity and reason.
We put polls in the field,
conduct surveys, devise
better, more probing questionnaires,
consult eminent
psychologists, sociologists, economists,
go blind on data
tabulated into every conceivable form,
cite studies, historical precedent,
strive for any, any answers
that will explain to us
how we came to
this.

And maybe the reason is
less complex.
Maybe
we got what we
deserved.

Sorry for the gloom.

#politics #humans #division #fascism #trump #brexit

Marcus Well Mar 2018

CONSERVATIVELY SPEAKING THE STATE OF OUR UNION

Preferring traditional order is a conservative trait,
While liberal views new ideas await.
The extreme rednecks state,
“We’ve always done it this way;
There is no need for change.”
The liberal response,
“To not conceive or desire a better mousetrap
Is unnatural and strange.”
As an individual, I do a balancing act
Looking to improve
Yet staying on track.

A community of individuals now compounds those views,
And cultural difference furthermore skews
The many balances that now abound.
Ethnocentricity too may found
In individuals pontificating to others in a nation
Complex issue views that affect many
With what sociologists call
“The power of the situation”!!
In waves of political sensation,
They seem to reasonably call for new legislation.
But beware of too hasty a decision!!
What seems right at the time
Due to momentum and chime
Ushers in socialism!! 
For new law after new law in hasty accumulation
Leaves band-aid upon band-aid
In poorly thought frustration,
And instead of a solution’s well organized plan,
We find we’ve just been chasing our tails again!!

In the United States of America,
To have resolution we are so blessed
In its masterfully crafted United States of America Constitution,
In which our founding fathers so eloquently addressed
The positions of philosophy and conviction
Applying to individuals’ situations – whatever the mess!!

So, who is conservative in today’s political scene?
One who closely aligns with and supports our US Constitution
for sure,
One who defends our individual rights
that our US Constitution secures,
And one that conserves our nation’s resources with respect
And uses them sustainably where possible
Rather than exploit for a few
With (to spite the rest of us) the view:
LET GREED PREVAIL WHAT THE HECK!!
And finally to round off my top four,
The national debt a true conservative cannot ignore!!
An investment is fine and well recommended
Especially to boom our economy,
But continual escalating debt
Cannot forever be
Lest our children be sold into slavery!!

And now to our beloved Commander and Chief:
I’ve criticized many of his first year approaches, manner, and means
More than what he tried to get done,
And now my beefs have subsided somewhat it seems
Now that I’m seeing a more presidential presence than in year one!!
A great State of the Union Address and CPAC superb nobody denied!!
And with the NRA, as a conservative, we’re both on his side!! 

M Nov 2015

Untitled

"By experts in poverty I do not mean sociologists, but poor men.”

– ILN, 3/25/11. Chesterton.

Glenn Currier Nov 2021

Don't tell

“The moment good taste knows itself, some of its goodness is lost.”
– C.S. Lewis: Surprised by Joy

Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Sartre and his buddies said there is no exit from society
and one must be an authentic self.

I say: self disclosure is a dicey venture
and I comfort myself with an easy excuse
gathered from philosophers and sociologists:
“I cannot be me without sharing who I am.
After all, we ARE social animals.”

But I have discovered
some things -
the most profound moments -
should be left in silence
trusted only to the realms
for sharing them
erodes or erases their power.

Dr Peter Lim Aug 2021

To an Intimate Friend

Dear esteemed Philosopher, composer, musician,  artist, an intimate friend.

Many thanks for your kind words.

It has been a highlight of my life knowing you.

Me, never a master, only a keen life-observer, curious as a child, with a mind unformed, with a glass only 10% full, a **** among flowers, a worshipper of beauty and the sublime,  patiently waiting for my garden-heart to bloom some day, vox clamantis in deserto.

I know what I am and what I am not.
I am a moth and should not aim for the stars.
The best part of my life is to have learnt to love myself
although I didn't know how to in my younger days.

Life is a friend or enemy, most people tend to think so
but as for me,  a Zen-person,  I don't aim to define, classify or  categorise---
life is what it is, as the sky and the sea, the flowers and the fields as what they are ---
they exist but don't question why they exist.

Self-definition is mostly false as the person chooses the most beautiful words to describe themselves and the myth perpetuates.  As such, it's hard to think there's an 'intrinsic self' as mentioned by the philosophers, psychologists and sociologists.

If I were to choose a label of myself,
I would just mention these 3 simple words:
'I am human'.

Dr Peter Lim Apr 2021

Roles in Society: A Response

Dear Ruth, as a humanist, what I write is always about the ordinary person in their unique personal pursuits, however humble---Tolstoy in his CONFESSIONS extolled the virtues of common people and added that he was inspired by the way they bore pain and hardship.

Another thought in my mind when I wrote about learning was this: society largely belongs to the intelligentsia who are the catalyst of growth and generator of ideas, and menial workers/artisans/those who never went to colleges are often overlooked--yet the roles played by such people complement what the knowledge workers do and, without them, roads will never be swept, toilets will not be cleaned, cars will not be repaired, shoes won't be mended, our hair will not be cut, our clothes would not be made---we would die for want of good food as there won't be chefs around!

Society is segregated by skills.....I must leave this to the sociologists.

— The End —