The Arrogance of Self-Condemnation

How arrogant to compare oneself with
And to claim to have exceeded the accomplishments of
The worst people who ever lived
The genocidal maniacs and their disciples
The shooters aiming to break the record
The users of nuclear weapons upon cities
When I merely offend when I try to make nice
And accept cowardly the judgments of others
Such as I imagine them to be
And fail to comply despite laborious anxiety
With systemic mandates
And yield up moral questions in despair
And regard autonomy as a hopeless ideal
So I am not horrible nor most horrible
Only completely inadequate
Well not completely
Please strike that sweeping claim

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