Change, Sacrifice, Unity, Humanity

This free-flowing series explores life through the lens of the "Some - No - Any and - Every" body's in the town called Insanity. Check back to see how the story continues to unfold.

Chapter 2 – Sacrifice Eludes Nobody

Two months had passed since Somebody saw Change near Premier Lane.

During that time Somebody spoke with many Someone’s attempting to get help for the verb she saw, and each response was different; from dismissal, to sympathy, to anger, to prayer. But none of the responses led to action, at least not the type of action that Somebody was looking for. Somebody was seeking someone to provide answers, direction, guidance, and help for the verbs, but to no avail. After reaching out and meeting with family members, neighbors, community Council members, Pastors, and even social media influencers, no one wanted to seek help for the verb or question Big Burly Someone about what was happening beyond Premier Lane.

Frustrated and angry, Somebody was speaking loudly to herself as she walked along the warped wooden pier near the river.

“Someones are so fickle! Some pretend to care! Some just don’t give a horse’s patootie about what is happening with someone else if it doesn’t impact them directly! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?!!”

“That’s an excellent question.”

Startled, Somebody, became unbalanced as she whirled around and began falling back towards the thick braided ropes woven between each wooden pillar along the pier. A hand suddenly reached forward to grab her, to keep her from toppling into the river.

Somebody quickly gained her balance and took a couple of steps away.

“Where did you come from?! Oh, ah, I mean, thank you,” Somebody finally whispered.

Chuckling as he returned to his stack of pallets, Nobody picked up his fishing pole and continued fishing.

“Sorry to startle you. But that was an excellent question you asked.”

Still getting her bearings after her emotional rant and almost falling, Somebody seemed confused.

“What, what question?” she asked.

“What is wrong with this world?” responded Nobody.

“Oh, I was letting out some frustrations,” Somebody responded.

“Well, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you frustrated about?” asked Nobody.

Somebody stood still for a moment wondering if she should engage in a conversation with this stranger, surprisingly she felt a sense of comfort and needed someone to talk to.

She shared how life was unfair and harder for some more than others because they were different or not what was deemed as normal by the well-to-do, powerful, or privileged.

“Hhmm, and why does that bother you?” asked Nobody.

“Because it is not right!” yelled Somebody.

After adjusting his fishing lines Nobody placed another pile of wooden pallets across from him and in a low calm voice he asked, “but why is it not right?”

Feeling seen and finally having someone ask her questions about this injustice Somebody felt free in sharing her frustration. Somebody took a seat on the splintered pallets and began sharing her story about the verb she saw near Premier Lane and the lack of support in getting other Someone's to help. As Somebody finished the last sentence of her story, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. This was the first time since the encounter that she felt a reduced heaviness on her chest.

“I can’t believe I just dumped all of that on you and I don’t even know you,” said Somebody.

“Well, I inquired, and you shared,” said Nobody. “That was quite the experience. What will you do now?”

Somebody’s posture sunk as she contemplated the question. Looking out over the river, towards the submerged fishing lines Somebody sat, lost in her thoughts. After awhile Somebody responded, “that’s an excellent question. I’ve exhausted all of my resources and then some.”

Nobody continued fishing as they both sat in silence.

Somebody turned to Nobody and asked, “what would you do?”

Nobody, recast one of his fishing lines, turned to Somebody and asked, “are you looking for someone to carry this mantle of justice with you or for you?”

“What - what does that mean?” asked Somebody.

Nobody gave a slight smile, “you know what I’m asking, are you asking others to sacrifice alongside with you or you want to be exempt from the sacrifices that will need to be made?”

“What sacrifices? There shouldn’t be sacrifices to correct a wrong and get people to understand we should treat each other right, and everyone should have the same rights!”

Nobody shook his head. “Correcting injustices always require sacrifices, read the accurate versions of history, not the updated watered down, one-sided versions. People with power and privilege build pertinent relationships and strategize far into the future to align history, current events, and laws to benefit their agenda and blood line. Creating negative and hurtful stories and myths about a specific race encourages citizens who are like them to direct their fear, anger, and disdain toward that targeted race and thereby creates a hierarchy, division, and a transfer of the targeted races property and goods over to those in power. It then allows the powerful group to remove the rights of the targeted race.”

"Hhmm, hhmm, hhmm. Open your mind and your eyes, that targeted race is sacrificed to grow the wealth of the now privileged race.  Do you not think it will now take a strategic plan aligned over generations, cultures, and economic levels, all consistently sacrificing time, energy, money, and possibly lives to correct such an injustice?”

Somebody looked deep into the eyes of Nobody and realized this was personal to him, and that he was speaking from a place of experience.

Somebody, quietly asked, “what sacrifices have you made in life, and what was the cause?”

Nobody scoffed, stood up from the wooden pallets, tugged at his coveralls and returned to his fishing poles.

After several minutes, Somebody, stood up, wiped away, and pulled the splinters from her pants as she turned to head down the pier.

Nobody called behind her, “You don’t need permission to disrupt the norm of injustice but know it may cost you or others who walk that path with you more than time, energy, or money. So, make sure you are ready to follow the path until the end or until it’s time to pass the torch. If there is anyone there to pass the torch to.”