There it stood, 30 feet tall, made of concrete and steel. It stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see. It was gray, of course, the color of despair.
They built it to keep the “bad guys” out. At least that’s what they said. But the real message was clear: we don’t want any of you here. You’re not welcome here.
At first, a few tried to scale it, but it was no use. It was a well designed wall. No one got through.
Soon, they stopped trying. But in the process, they stopped wanting to get to the other side—or to leave their homeland at all.
Unable to find a better life elsewhere, they began building a new society, with their own scientists, industrialists and artists. In time, they became a great society, and people from all over the world came there to live, work and trade.
Except the people who had built the wall. They were content to keep the new overachievers out and focus on themselves.
For a while, they continued to prosper. But as their population aged and shrank, they needed workers, and they put out a call for help.
But the people of the world ignored them. Most didn’t want to have anything to do with a society which puts itself first and builds a wall to keep others out except when it needs them.
The sons and daughters of those who had built the wall began to feel trapped by it, and they tore it down. But it was too late. They had become ostracized, even as they had ostracized others.
Generations later, the descendants of the wall builders once again became a part of the world, not because ugly memories had faded but because they themselves at last remembered who they were.
They built it to keep the “bad guys” out. At least that’s what they said. But the real message was clear: we don’t want any of you here. You’re not welcome here.
At first, a few tried to scale it, but it was no use. It was a well designed wall. No one got through.
Soon, they stopped trying. But in the process, they stopped wanting to get to the other side—or to leave their homeland at all.
Unable to find a better life elsewhere, they began building a new society, with their own scientists, industrialists and artists. In time, they became a great society, and people from all over the world came there to live, work and trade.
Except the people who had built the wall. They were content to keep the new overachievers out and focus on themselves.
For a while, they continued to prosper. But as their population aged and shrank, they needed workers, and they put out a call for help.
But the people of the world ignored them. Most didn’t want to have anything to do with a society which puts itself first and builds a wall to keep others out except when it needs them.
The sons and daughters of those who had built the wall began to feel trapped by it, and they tore it down. But it was too late. They had become ostracized, even as they had ostracized others.
Generations later, the descendants of the wall builders once again became a part of the world, not because ugly memories had faded but because they themselves at last remembered who they were.
