No More Happy Days

Written: 23rd December 2011 November 2013: newly dedicated to Dave Bennet, an elder who lived for proactivity on the world's most pressing issues. May you rest in peace, and may your family and friends carry on your legacy. Oh what to do when the world’s gone mad, When leaders are fools and the poison’s been had, When business is no longer human in scale, When community ties are a long lost tale. When it’s a big deal to walk down the block, To help out a neighbour, or stop to just talk, When elders are valued less than our cheques, When others pass on and we pay no respects. Oh how do we cope when the rivers run dry, When we cannot conserve, and it’s too late to try, When only a few are able to see – What we’ve done to ourselves, and what may still be. When family soon becomes time not worthwhile, When secularism is popular style, When extremists kill in the name of God, When vast meadowlands become manicured sod. Here’s what you do when the world is mad: Become your own leader, create a new fad, Cease capitalist junk which comes from your cash, Support each other to avoid a crash. Get out, meet the neighbour whom no one does know, Go offer the elder to shovel his snow, Work hard for your goals, get rid of your debts, So that life may be lived without the regrets. I’ll tell you just how to cope with ease, Gather your strength and get up off your knees, Humanity’s fallen a very high fall… An opportunity to stand very tall! Become more aware, look past all the lies, Embrace relatives, and value the wise, Know who you are without indecision, Spend time with your friends without television. We’re all in a rut and looking for change, But rarely acknowledge it’s ours to arrange; So roll up your sleeves, your odds are stacked, Now lift up your foot, the first step is to act.