Human Beings Being Human

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It would be great if human beings
Were great at being human
And if all of mankind
Were made up of kind men
It would be wonderful if common knowledge
Was knowledge commonly known
And if the light from being enlightened
Into every heart was shown

It would be fantastic if the war to end all wars
Was the last war that we fought
It would be amazing if we learned the lessons
From every lesson we were taught
It would be cool if our freedom
To us was freely granted
And if every seed of kindness
Would grow wherever planted

It would be glorious if neighbors were neighborly
And prejudice a forgotten word
It would be awesome if we shared everything
And being greedy was absurd
It would be spectacular if the golden rule
Was golden to every man
And the good things that we ever did
Was everything that we can

47 thoughts on “Human Beings Being Human”

  2. It’s a beautiful and moving piece Joe. Prepare to be famous now that the Marriott commercial has hit the airwaves. Know that your words will resonate with millions of people across the country. Thank you for sharing your poetry.

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    • Thanks, Drew. Not sure too many people will discover who the author of the poem from the commercial is, but thanks for finding me and leaving a comment. That feels good, as well. As for fame? Maybe some other day. For now I will just wallow in the joy of seeing that commercial every now and then.

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      • Joe, I am here because moments ago I heard the commercial had look it up. Beautiful. The world needs a message like what you delivered. Thanks. Mike

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      • Mike, thanks for the kind words; I am flattered that you researched to find me and honored you took the time to leave a message.

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      • Hi Joe, Hello from Ohio. I just saw the Marriott ad and was so moved by your words, I had to look you up. Thank you for sharing your gift of writing and beautiful poem.

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      • Thank you for your kind words. I am amazed at the internet skills of so many people. There aren’t that many clues in the commercial, the fact that people end up here surprises (and, delights) me.

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  4. Hearing the words of the Marriott commercial caused me to hit pause and use Google to find the source. Did you collaborate with them on the edits? Thank you for sharing your poetry with the world!

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    • Hi, Lee,
      Thanks for tracking me down and leaving a comment. Yes, I did work with the advertising company’s creative team on the minor word changes; they wanted it to be gender unbiased and to remove the negative connotation of the word “prejudice”. I was fine with that; I just really wanted to see the commercial made with my poem. I am very pleased with the final product. I think they did a great job.

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      • It sounds like a terrific collaboration and a wonderful overall experience. The commercial is visually beautiful and enhances the power of your words. Congratulations! Thank you for touching our hearts.

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    • Thanks, Jane. I am humbled by the response this commercial and my poem is receiving. I am amazed by the people who invest their time and effort to find me. I was shocked when the advertising agency reached out to me and have enjoyed the journey of getting this commercial completed.

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  6. Hi, Mr. Flach.

    I’m a high school student and currently working on a small sculpture for an assignment. The sculpture is talking about how “Equality is in reach”. I was wondering if on the base I could carve “‘…And if all of mankind Were made up of kind men’ -J. Flach” ?

    If you’d like more details I could send an email.

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    • Hi, Robert. That would be fantastic. Good luck with your project. If, when done, you wouldn’t mind sharing a picture of it with me, I would love to see it. Stay creative, young man,

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  7. Hey Joe,

    Like many others here, I heard your poem as part of the ad and both my wife and myself thought that had to be something that was not just written for the ad. On researching it I was very pleased to find your website.

    This piece just sums up so many things that should be “knowledge commonly known” and attitudes commonly held. We both love it. We think it’s fantastic and we both thank you for bringing this into the world.

    More people need to read this. I’ll be sending a few folks along to your site. 🙂

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    • Thanks for investing your time to leave such a lovely comment here. I appreciate the kind words and am glad you and your bride liked the poem. And thanks for the publicity in sharing this with others.

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  9. Amazing, I turely hope that God can put that in the hearts and minds of ALL that don’t always feel that way.. I’m a minister and try to convay that to ALL…
    No matter what challenges we face. WE all need to be positive, and realize that we’re ALL put here to help one another and be there for each other. NO MATTER who they are.

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  10. Way to go Joe. As a Marriott manager, I was looking for something inspirational to share with the team. Came across this poem and somehow landed on your page. Great poem, will read to my team and give you all the glory. Take Care!

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  11. If only…
    I wish this could be plastered across the sky, so all can be reminded everyday.
    Thank you for putting into words these wonderful thoughts.

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    • Thanks, Linda for investing your time to post such a nice comment. I truly appreciate it. These words are slowly being spread around and reaching more eyes. Hopefully, for some, the words give meaning, hope and resolve to be more humane. Have a great day.

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    • What a kind and beautiful thing to say, Akhasha. Thank you for your comment. You just put a smile in my heart. I am honored you like my poem.

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  16. I saw the video when I recently stayed at Marriott. The images in the video were very nice, but… I could not get the text out of my mind and I was going to call Marriott to find out where it came from… So it pays to read a few comments and to find you and your beautiful poetry! The kudos goes to you, sir. Thank you and may some glorious kindness come to you and all you do!
    I’ll be reading more…

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    • Thank you for your kind words, Karen. I am glad people have the wherewithal to find me through their research. And, I am thrilled that others, like you, invest time to read some of my other works. For me, that is the greatest reward of allowing my poem to be used in the commercial. I think they did a great job with the production of the ad. Have a great day and thanks for leaving a comment.

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  17. I am a teacher and plan to share your poem with my students. It spoke to me as I heard it on the commercial. Thank you for a beautiful message!

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    • Fantastic, Stephanie. Thanks for letting me know. You can let your students know that the poem was written by just an Average Joe who writes for fun. I was just lucky that an ad agency found it and it spoke to them, too. I hope your class likes it and are inspired by it.

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  18. Hi Joe! My friend and I are starting a support group and a phrase that came to mind was human being being human. I googled it to see if it was copywritten and found your poem. I love it! Is exactly what we’re hoping to reignite in our group members. Thank you for your poem. I’m glad to see it was used in a commercial and hope many can come to appreciate it. Is there something I need to get from you to use it in our publications? Since Marriott is using it in their marketing, do you know if there a legal reason that we couldn’t? I’m not a corporation just a lady hoping to inspire some good in the world. Thanks again!

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  19. I saw the commercial last year and intended to use it as a unit lesson for my social skills class. I could not find the words at the time. I have since found your poem and am launching a Project Based Learning lesson for my social skills classes. We are so excited to research the golden rule and human acts of kindness to create team interpretations and presentations of their understanding as well as their personal examples.

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    • Thank you, Denise, for taking the time to share this information with me. I am so pleased that a number of teachers have worked this poem into their curriculum in one way or another. Good luck with your lesson plan and I hope the message of kindness is learned by your students. I think the world at large could benefit from this lesson. Thanks again for your post – it made my day. Joe Flach

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  20. When the commercial first came out, I found your poem and there were no comments. I shared it with my Facebook but it seemed no one heard. I saw the commercial again three days ago and came back here to share once more .. to find all these beautiful lovely comments. Now I am crying because your words have been heard and it is beautiful. Thank you, Joe.

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    • Thank you for your persistence, promotion and comment. I am happy and proud the commercial is still playing somewhere. This has been a fun journey. Sorry for the tears.

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  21. What lovely thoughts, so beautifully expressed. Thank you for sharing your feelings that are especially needed in these tumultuous times. We need more humans like you. Cannot wait to explore more of your writing.

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  22. I guess I’m a little late to the party Joe! I also recently heard the commercial and wanted to post the words on Facebook on New Years Eve. Couldn’t think of a better way to start the new year. Looked up what words I had and found your full poem!!!! What a lovely wonderful and meaningful surprise!!!! Thank you and I hope it’s OK I also post on facebook tomorrow evening, 12/31!! Thank you.

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  23. Hello Joe – This is one of my most favorite poems and I have mentioned it in conversation with fellow teachers several times. I would like to add it to a short article I am writing about kindness to new members of our teaching profession. The article will be on a free online publication for teachers. It will be referenced to this website and your name included (obviously). Do you need a formal request to use your work since it is copyrighted?

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    • Hi Kim, the advertising agency who made the Marriott commercial using this poem has bought the rights to the poem for 3 years. I do not know the legality of others using it during that time. I do still have copyrights ownership. I am fine with you using it. As long as it’s not being used for commercial purposes ( meaning making money from it) I am sure it’s okay. I would be flattered and honored to have it in your publication. Thanks for asking. You can also thank teachers from me for being such good role models and influences in our children’s lives. Thanks. Joe F.

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      • Thank you for replying Joe! There are no profits being made, so I will share it and include a reference to this page. I will also add your exact statement to the teachers as that will be a perfect touch. All the best to you in the new year! ☺

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