The Default Setting Is Love

by Thomas Dexter Kerr

A story told in many pieces
Poems of common threads
running through life
Showing why the revolution of modern life
is intelligent, moral and beautiful

It is an exciting and hopeful time to be alive. A revolution is sweeping the earth increasing peace and prosperity as ever more people are allowed, enabled and inspired to make more decisions in their lives. Modern systems that allow people to think more in daily life are well known. Democracies empower people to choose governments. Markets are people deciding what should be made and done. Systems of rules that apply to all help keep things open and honest. Support for ability to think comes from family and neighbors, schools, hospitals, books and internet. Enormous dividends result from getting it right. But decentralizing decision making is never easy because it means greater complexity and empowering inconvenient people. A renewed inspiration is needed to illuminate the way forward.

People thinking more is good and right and beautiful because their thoughts and feelings mix together in the living thinking system that is all minds connected, talents not concentrated but dispersed, each one incompetent on their own, every one needed to add variety to the whole, creating a category leap in intelligence, grace and power far beyond what could evolve in any individual beast, completely dependent on everyone getting along, intelligence and morality joined in a common endeavor. Together our destiny is to wonder and speculate, create and explore, seek truth and solve the riddles of the universe.

The greater intelligence rests on individual shoulders as acceptance to the core of humanity’s great gift, the smallness and particularity of self, opens the door to the beauty and wonder of reality. Connections are everywhere, disconnection is illusion, ever greater mixing lending context, depth and meaning to the love enabling the human information system to dominate existence with warmth and beauty. So rise above superiority to live equal with all, awaken to see the light in every pair of eyes, each one a unique shining facet of the most intelligent entity ever to exist.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2014

Reviews

[Charlotte Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but reading it was like trudging through mud. There’s little to no flow in the poetry. It’s a bit like a flow of consciousness but not executed properly. The further the book went along the further it seemed to get away from the main message of love being the default. The majority of poems seemed like filler and I completely agree with the other reviews saying there’s no heart to the poems. Not only that, but there’s no clear voice, it feels very hollow. I’ve given it two stars as the author has obviously put a lot of work into this but it’s just really poorly curated and executed.

[Chiku Okechukwu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally,

I think this is a solid read. It definitely has some gems that really resonate with me but most of the book I didn’t necessarily connect to or feel. I think this book was written fantastically, but I did not feel much emotion. With poetry, sometimes less is more and I would’ve like a more condense, emotionally filled title.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never like poetry. This is great tho.

[Allee Proctor · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were only a hand full of poems that were worth the read. Definitely more of a skimming book for me!