The Gun in the Room

You tried to ignore it,
But I wouldn’t let you forget.

You tried to change the subject,
But I kept reminding you anyway.

The gun in the room doesn’t disappear because we ignore it;
It’s real.

Quite frankly, it’s jarring when it’s pointed out.

You tell me to stop labeling everything,
and to quit making a mountain out of a molehill.
It’s peaceful, you tell me.
It’s non-violent, you tell me.

But the fact remains: under every law is a gun.
It does not go away because you ignore it.

It still makes you uncomfortable every time I bring it up.
You blame me for pointing it out,
You tell me that I’m imagining things, that the ends justify the means,
and it’s not that bad. Other countries are worse, you tell me.

But the gun in the room is real.

It’s okay! I don’t blame you for shooting the messenger.
It’s hard to imagine life without the gun in the room.

In any political debate, it’s a given.
We are taught to ignore it by our teachers, our parents, our friends and neighbors, and our news media.

The denial is all around us.

And the people like me who point out that the Emperor has no clothes,
they are the ones to be hushed, marginalized, and ostracized.

But after all is said and done,the gun is still there.
It never went away–it just kept pointing its muzzle at us all,

And we demanded more and more.

But freedom is messy.
Freedom is scary.
Recognizing that there is no need for authority in our lives,
is downright terrifying!

That’s right; you can live without the gun in the room!

It’s not only possible,
It’s desirable,
It’s inevitable,

It’s the way we were meant to live…

FREE