Why We're Not Here

There has been a question
That has crossed everyone's mind
It has plagued us all
From the beginning of time.

It's been asked in churches
They haven't a clue
It's been asked in schools
But they're asking you.

It's been tackled by scholars,
Doctors, lawyers, and judges
And where writers have tried
We find only smudges.

Great thinkers have tried
And tried, and tried again
The closest of these I think
Was Mark Twain.

In the history of man
It remains unclear
And the question is
Why are we here.

To help out a bit
I have some suggestions
To find the right answers
You must ask the right questions.

Are we here to be the type
Who kills and destroys
Who builds themselves bombs
And plays with nuclear toys.

Surely we're not here
To ravage the trees
The rivers, the lakes
The oceans and seas.

I don't think we're here
To learn how to hate
Nor to suppress
Enslave, or mutilate.

I know we're not here
To watch children starving
Not with turkey politicians
Ripe for the carving.

I doubt that we're here
To spread this disease
I doubt that we're here
For any of these.

So what could it be
If none of the above
What of understanding
Empathy, and love.

With life so confusing
And answers so rare
I thought that just maybe
My thoughts I would share.