in Isaac Asimov's The Foundation
The first refuge: to refuse to act
Wake up, greet everyone, read the newspapers,
Break the fasting, go for a walk, greet everyone,
Go to work, greet everyone,
Travel abroad, greet the world.
Did my incompetence harm any one?
2: to refuse incompetence
Read myself, read books, read people,
Read newspapers, read manuals, read myself
Again, read people, read the same book,
Read how it now read, read myself reading.
Did I get rid of my incompetence?
3: to embrace incompetence
Who cares about the world, about people,
About what they think of me, about consequences,
The future, the past, history and the rest,
This is my first and last show up in life.
Did my incompetence bother you much?
The last refuge: to resort to violence
Who cares if violence begets violence,
Forwards no cause, melts down the brain,
It saves me time, gets me through refuge 1 and 2,
Lands me on 3, and I'm free to see, you fools,
My incompetence realized fully.
__________
Written in Times New Roman, written in Times New Roman...
