Elizebeth Turnquist

To some it seems inconceivable

that an atheist like myself

could be more moral than most

you would think that religion

the great doctrine of many

would lead the rest of the world

to a place of serene coexistence

yet, I find that I’m the one

thinking about my actions

and considering the many benefits

of kindness and consideration

while my religious peers

give into their baser impulses

then ask forgiveness for their acts

because God will understand

if your sorry afterwards

I have to live with my actions

and wonder if I did wrong by another

without any book to guide me

or priest to hear my confession

I have to think of how I acted

and ask if there were choices I made

where I could have chosen different

and hurt others less

I have to sort out my hypocrisy

without a get-out-of-jail-free card

I choose logic to guide me

because the numbers say it best

the mathematicians know why

you find me more nice than mean

it’s all about probability

and the chance of a positive return

there’s evidence to my point

that people are more likely to be nice

if you’re nice to them first

sure, it’s a crapshoot

there are no guarantees in this life

you may roll the dice and find

yourself on the losing side

of another persons bad day

but the odds are in your favor

when you play the game

with a positive perspective

many mistake kindness for naiveté

and align forgiving with forgetting

but good guy’s don’t have to be stupid

if you’re smart you’ll know the boundary

between kindness and inviting abuse

dare I suggest that you think a little

that you aim for doing what’s right

for some other reason than the old standby

that someone else told you to

there may be power in cruelty

but I think there’s something more profound

to be gotten out of a stray smile,

a kind word, and a little consideration

for your fellow human being.