We All Say

They say we are all equal.

And the moment they say this, we all leap up in rebellion. What a coincidence, that all of us, equally, leap up in rebellion! Could it be that yes, we are all equal, since we all believe we are different?

They say society is sick.

And about what they say, we all say what they say. But look! Society is made up of all of us who say it is sick. Could it be sick because we all say it is? Or perhaps society does not exist, and only all of us exist, saying what they say?

They say we are all prisoners, that we are slaves.

And when they say these things, we all complain. We all build a prison whose walls are made of all of us complaining. And yet we are all free, so free that we can take refuge in the prison and slavery of complaining that we are not free.

They say we all need a ruler.

And they say it knowing that the uncertainty of believing ourselves different flips the coin, and we all fall into believing ourselves equal. But it turns out no ruler is necessary; one exists only because we all need the uncertainty of believing ourselves different to flip the coin.

They also say it is wrong to leap up in rebellion.

And in response to what they say, we all leap up in rebellion again. But we all believe what they say, that doing this is wrong. And so it is doubly wrong for all of us: for doing wrong and for believing what they say. Once we all realize this, we leap up in rebellion again, refraining from leaping up in rebellion to say we do not believe what they say. And so we go on, all of us believing what they say.

They say, on the other hand, that it is admirable to leap up in rebellion.

And those who leap highest we praise, believing them different. And so it is doubly wrong for all of us: for believing we are all equal by believing them different, and for praising those who, being equal to everyone, leap up in rebellion believing what they say.

They say that someday we will all be free.

And all of us repeat what they say, all bathed in the deceptive scent of hope. And this scent is prison and slavery, because we all stay stuck repeating what they say. We bathe in hope because we all prefer the promise of being free to recognizing that we all already are.

Then they say, after much saying, that what they say is a lie.

And all of us, after much believing what they say, are at last free.