"The world is like a ride in an amusement park,
and when you choose to go on it you think it's real
because that's how powerful our minds are.
The ride goes up and down, around and around,
it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored,
and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while.
Many people have been on the ride a long time, and
they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?"
And other people have remembered,
and they come back to us and say,
"Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever,
because this is just a ride." And we … kill those people.
"Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at
my furrows of worry, look at my big bank
account, and my family. This has to be real." It's just a ride.
But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that,
you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok …
But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride.
And we can change it any time we want.
It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money.
Just a simple choice, right now,
between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to
put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns,
close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see
all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change
the world, right now, to a better ride.
Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year
and instead spend it feeding and
clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over,
not one human being excluded,
and we could explore space, together,
both inner and outer, forever, in peace." - Bill Hicks