But the heart said no (poem)
They saw the poor living in cardboard shacks,so they knocked the shacks down and built projects.Huge blocks of cement and glass towered over asphaltparking lots. Somehow it wasn't much like home, evenhome in a shack. "What do you expect?" they askedimpatiently. "You're too poor to live like us. Until youcan do better for yourselves, you should be grateful,shouldn't you?" The head said yes, but the heart said no.
They needed more electricity in the city, so they founda mountain stream to dam. As the waters rose, deadrabbits and deer floated by; baby birds too young tofly drowned in the nest while mother birds criedhelplessly. "It's not a pretty sight," they said,"but now a million people can run their airconditioners all summer. That's more importantthan one mountain stream, isn't it?"The head said yes, but the heart said no.
They saw oppression and terrorism in a far-off land,so they made war against it. Bombs reduced thecountry to rubble. Its population cowered in fear,and every day more villagers were buried in roughwooden coffins. "You have to be prepared to makesacrifices," they said. "If some innocent bystandersget hurt, isn't that just the price one must pay forpeace?" The head said yes, but the heart said no.
The years rolled by and they got old. Sitting in theircomfortable houses, they took stock. "We've had agood life," they said, "and we did the right thing."Their children looked down and asked why poverty,pollution, and war were still unsolved. "You'll findout soon enough," they replied. "Human beings areweak and selfish. Despite our best efforts, theseproblems will never really end." The head said yes,but the children looked into their heartsand whispered, "No!"