The world as we know it tumbles towards its demise,
And the cause of this catastrophe eludes all but the wise
Who know pollution, war and such - all harmful, there's no doubt -
Clearly share a common root, which they could not go on without.
It consists of three short words, all potentially benign,
But in fact nothing's more dangerous than "I" "Me" and "Mine."
They carry connotations of fear, scarcity, and lack,
Leading us to greedily take more than we give back,
To harm and burn and scar the earth as long as we're content,
While poverty and hunger rule entire continents.
They separate us into groups by gender, race, or creed
And instead of bringing unity just sow more hateful seeds
Heirarchy and power, genocide and slavery
All stem from this idea that life is "you" versus "me"
Well our night's been long enough, it's time to welcome a new day
So if I could change the world, it would be in this small way:
I'd have all of us realize we are one and the same,
That all of us share birth and death, old age, sickness and pain.
And the joy we seek so desperately in our self-centered living
Comes naturally and easily in every act of giving.
"me first" hasn't worked so far, so why not try "together"?
A bit more "us" and there's no doubt the world will be much better.