Who are not, but could be.
Who don’t speak languages, but dialects.
Who don’t have religions, but superstitions.
Who don’t create art, but handicrafts.
Who don’t have culture, but folklore.
Who are not human beings, but human resources.
Who don’t have faces, but arms.
Who do not have names, but numbers.
Who do not appear in the history of the world, but in the police blotter of the local paper.
The nobodies, that are not worth the bullet that kills them.
-Eduardo Galeanao
The Book of Embraces
W. W. Norton, 1991
The Nobodies
Previous post: 2000 – 2009 in 7 Minutes
Next post: My Good Friend
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am not completely clear on the meaning of the “Nobodies.” However, after reading, for some reason I thought of one of my best friends from childhood. This friend once said to me that he had to make his “mark” in life. At our high school graduation, he was asked to give a speech. In his entire speech he quoted a song from a notable English rock star/poet with these words: “Ordinary boys, happy knowing nothing, happy being no one but themselves, …who think it’s very pleasurable to be cruel to you, but you were different, you stood above those empty fools who tried to change you and claim you for the land of their ordinary world…” At that time and still today, those words bother me for some reason. Anyway, my friend went on to UCLA and had a fairly successful college career at a number of other schools. Currently he is working toward his Ph.D in chemistry at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He also co-founded a small company several years ago that has provided a generous income for he and his family. Back when he told me of his interest in making his “mark” on life, I responded with “do you really have to?” I still remember the conviction in my words. When my friend was a freshman at UCLA we had a conversation where he revealed to me that there was a moment some weeks prior when he thought of driving his car off a cliff. I remember telling him, “you don’t want to be an ‘ordinary boy’.” Ironically, he was the one that had always been there for me when I was depressed. In the years that followed my friend dealt with some depression, but always kept moving ahead. He never talked very much about religion and was never outspoken about any subject. The only thing I remember my friend saying about religion was that his religious studies instructor in college said that God is an “idea” created by man. My friend always seemed to have an open mind, but he also seemed the last of all my friends that would ever believe in Christianity or any religion. We haven’t really talked in the last several years, so I have no idea what his current views are on the subject. I recently saw a photograph of my friend on his webpage. From the look on his face, it made me wonder if he still deals with depression and whether he is truly happy–although, it seems the popular term to use these days is “content.” Perhaps my friend is just not very photogenic or happened to be having a bad day when the photo was taken. However, I have known my friend since the seventh grade and my gut tells me he might not be happy.
I could not help but think of all ‘The nobodies’ I have met as a business owner in Everett. “The Street People” that I was so blessed to meet and learn from. All had a story and most were in a position that any one of us could be in at any given moment. Very few were ‘The Nobodies” that , in my interpretation, is described in your poem. One guy, I call him ‘BAnjo Dave’ was having a lower than normal day. I asked if he had been to church, and if he was a believer. The answer was usually the same,”whats the use, God doesn’t help people like me. I let him know where my family had gone to church for the last 75 years. It was just a few blocks away, and he should go and pray for God to intercede and come into his life.
As he entered the church and sat near the alter, he was quickly approached by one of the Ministers and asked to leave. In tears, Dave asked for help and was turned away because services were not ’til Sunday.
Another incident occured when attending another church service, another “Nobody” came in late and sat in the back row. I recognized him as another street person who had a bad leg. Yes he was dirty and stinky as you would expect, when your home is the underside of a bridge. The pastor ask his bouncers (ushers) to “help this man out”, meaning get this bum out of my church.
Both of these incidences disturb me even today10 years later.
As an educator, I know how easy it is to teach the students who are self motivated and excited to learn anything you may have for them. The challange and mark of a good teacher is to find a way to motivate and teach those less skilled or slower to learn students.
I’m sure the same is true for a pastor. Isn’t it so easy to teach to those who already believe, or at least pretend to believe. This makes the job a piece of cake.
What about “The Nobodies”. Aren’t these people (souls) what its all about?
Bless You Pastor Eric
I am glad to have you as my Pastor.