Are we the Nobodies or the Somebodies?

The Nobodies

A Poem by Eduardo Galeano, translated by Aimee Rozen

Fleas dream of buying themselves a dog, and nobodies dream of escaping poverty:

that one magical day good luck will suddenly rain down on them- will rain down in buckets. But good luck doesn't even fall in a fine drizzle,

no matter how hard the nobodies summon it,

even if their left hand is tickling,

or if they begin the new day with their right foot,

or start the new year with a change of brooms.

The nobodies: nobody's children, owners of nothing.

The nobodies: the no ones,

the nobodies, running like rabbits, dying through life, screwed every which way.

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 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, who are not worth the bullet that kills them.

This poem speaks of the unspoken truth of society.

One that we have subconsciously put at the back of our minds.

As you know, when we are kids, we are always so curious about this and that. Why is this so, why is that so?

The constant word, Why?

That was the age where we learned, we tried to understand the world, and there are still a lot of things that we don't understand why it is as it is. And then, we slowly transcend into adulthood, and life for all of us gets busy, with studies, work, or family. Life's hustle-bustle. Our curious mind comes to a stop or at the very least slows down for some. In general, We are all curious human beings, and I would say, when life gets busy, we tend to accept things/our situations easier. That's when we are blinded by the truth of the world.

The world is a very separate one, one that's segregated based on society standards, your social status. As humans, We yearn for things right, we thrive for success, we want things that we cant have. and I'm sure all of us heard of the saying that says something like Cherish what we have because you wouldn't when you are going to lose it, and when you do, you're going to regret it. What we have, I think at times, we don't realize how much value it currently holds, because we are constantly busy chasing after something else.

But this is a question that asks us what kind of world do we want to live in.

There are 7.7billion people sharing one single planet. However, rather than sharing, we tend to live according to society's standards, which is always a line for people to set themselves away from the other side of the spectrum.

Are we "nobodies"?

Or are we "somebodies"?

Are we a nobody that wants to be somebody or are we simply a person who wants to change how the world is, and let everyone have an equal voice?

When I think of "nobodies", I would say that by definition they are people who don't hold any identity. In society's standards, they don't have any values, they cannot easily access what we all have in life. Basic stuff. Let it be education, a non-leaking roof over their heads, food on the table every day, or just a simple voice to be heard.

Towards the end of the poem, it speaks of those who don't speak languages, but dialects. superstitions, folklore, human resources, numbers. I think the nobodies hold more power to their identity than any of us. This is because they are holding onto whatever they have, no matter how little it is, no matter how insignificant those little pieces are to us, they are what matters the most to them. Those are the values the nobodies hold close to their hearts. That makes them more grateful and we can't underestimate the power of gratitude. They would understand, and treasure, appreciate things more.

They are people that wouldn't ever forget their own roots. Remembering our own roots is very hard to do because when we are so far away at the top, our past becomes a fog, and we only see what's in front of us.

This is the truth of society.

This is where your value is based on the identity people created for you, not by your very nature of being human.

This is also a question towards humanity.

No one deserves to be treated any less, just because of their unfortunate circumstances.