Gone

One could say that at some point in the process a little recognition lost was a little recognition gained – but that was no longer the case. The man now had nothing, was nothing, felt nothing, believed nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing. It is incredible to think – that at one point, a man could have such an important purpose in this world only to be simply cast off by another, younger generation as someone without meaning. Who this man is, is not important. You would have not heard of him, and likely the only reason you would be interested in knowing is seeing if you recognized the name. Sure, he was a major figure, but this was a long time ago in a very distant place. Even though he had changed history, history had not kept him in the record books.

What may be a valid question to ask, however, is where the man was now. Certainly he was long dead, but no one exactly knows where his body is. It had not been received by any cemetery, and the last of those who knew him lost contact with him long ago. I am not one of those men. I never knew who this unsung legend was until very recently in my life. Indeed, in many ways I am not qualified to write this long awaited eulogy, but I feel as though it must be done. 

There is something about this man. Something in which I can connect with, and something I think everyone can connect with, in our own special way. It is not uncommon to fear being forgotten. It is not uncommon to fear being gone. I, too, have this fear. A fear of turning into this man – a fear that, though I may do something great, I could be forgotten the second public ideology changes hands.

Indeed, sometimes a little recognition lost is a little recognition gained. Sometimes one must make a hard decision everyone at the time may despise, to help those in the future. Sometimes one must sacrifice individuality to help the community. Sometimes those who are hated the most are the ones who saved the world. But those who play by this rule walk a thin line. And one day, eventually, all recognition is lost, and nothing is gained. And no one is remembered. And the world stays the same.


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