SOCIETY

Ordinary People Build Homes

Songs about Ordinary Human Beings and Strong Men (1)

Photo © Øivind H. Solheim

I have seen men stand on stages, Speaking like the world belongs to them. Every sentence polished bright, Every promise made for cameras.

They talk about strength and greatness, About enemies and pride.

But somewhere beneath the noise There is always a fragile hunger To be worshipped and obeyed.

And sometimes I wonder How so many people forget That loudness is not wisdom.

Because the ones who shout the loudest Are not the ones holding the world together. It’s the quiet people waking early, Driving buses through the rain, Sitting beside hospital beds, Helping strangers carry pain.

While power performs itself in public, Ordinary kindness keeps us alive. I have watched the strongman smile Like a man admiring his own reflection.

Every criticism becomes betrayal. Every question becomes a threat. And still the crowd applauds him, As though certainty itself were courage.

But I have lived long enough to know That people who never doubt themselves Are often the most dangerous.

The truly strong do not need To humiliate others To feel tall.

Because the ones who shout the loudest Often understand the least about love.

They build walls around their power. While ordinary people build homes. A teacher calming frightened children. A woman staying through the night. A friend answering the phone at midnight.

These are the hands that hold the future. And maybe the strangest thing of all Is how easily societies surrender To men who mistake domination for leadership.

As if arrogance were vision. As if cruelty were strength. As if the absence of empathy Were somehow a sign of greatness.

But history is full of ruins Left behind by wounded egos Dressed as destiny.

So I place my trust In the ordinary human beings. The ones who still know How to listen before judging.

The ones who remain gentle Without becoming weak. The ones who carry dignity quietly Through difficult times.

Because when the noise has faded And the speeches disappear into dust, It may not be the powerful who are remembered most.

It may be the people Who kept humanity alive While the loud men fought over the stage.