From my journal 1993:
BIG ENOUGH
Oktoberfest Munich 1991, with Paul Comeaux
I wrote this poem related to why I don’t believe in God (atheism) or government (anarchism), and why I think these views are complementary and consistent, and both correct as well. When I went to the Oktoberfest in Munich in 1991 (3 Oct. 1991, I believe it was), one night we met several folks at one of the beer halls. One of the waitresses was a girl named Bettina, whom I talked with for quite a while. She ended up sitting down and talking philosophy with me for about 30 minutes or maybe longer, even though that meant she was missing out on tips. She was Austrian, beautiful, and a student. And a feminist type who hated waiting tables–despite the fact that she did it voluntarily and was well paid. She thought it degrading etc. Well she was interested in a philosophy book I happened to have with me that night in my fanny-pack, called From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest, by T.Z. Lavine. And I recommended some other books for her to read. Well, being European, of course she was a socialist (and even admitted it), but she at least had the good sense to be an atheist. I asked her why she was an atheist, and she said, “because it’s too easy to believe in God.” I thought about it, and really liked that reasoning, skimpy though it was.
From 1990, the year before, with Paul Comeaux and Tony Tramontana
So I told her, “Yes, but don’t you see that it’s also too easy to believe in government?” Which she didn’t grasp, again validating my theory above that socialism is inferior to capitalism. But anyway, it inspired me to write a poem, called “Big Enough. ” I actually think of it more as a song, sung by Edie Brickell of the New Bohemians. Here it is:
Big Enough
You know it’s hard to believe
[tab]That so many believe
[tab]What they believe
It’s so hard to believe
[tab]What they believe
And it’s hard to believe
[tab]It’s so easy to believe
It’s too easy
It’s too easy
[tab]To believe in God and Government
Oh, the fools who believe
[tab]In the God of Government
To believe
[tab]It’s too easy
The world is big enough
[tab]To believe in it
And I am big enough
[tab]To believe in me
You are big enough–
[tab]Are you big enough?–
[tab]To believe in you
Are you big enough
[tab]For me to believe in you?
[tab]It’s not that easy . . .
It’s not too easy to believe
[tab]To believe in the fools
[tab]Who are not big enough
It’s too easy
The Government of God
[tab]Is not big enough
[tab]It’s smaller than the world
[tab]The world is smaller than me
[tab]If you are smaller than the world
[tab][tab]You are not big enough
[tab][tab]You’re too easy
The God of Government
[tab]Is not big enough
[tab]To believe in
[tab]It’s smaller than the Government of God
Where is your size?
[tab]Where lies?
I am bigger than–
[tab]If you are bigger than–
[tab][tab]Then it’s all easy
