From Etrusians, 12:22:
"... and henceforth there came upon the village a man, who was wearied. Seeking comfort, he drove his SUV into the parking lot of the inn. The innkeeper, seeing the arrival of this disheveled traveler, quickly put up his 'No Vacancy' sign. “Whyfore is there no accommodation?" asked the weary traveler, for others in a line next to him were offered room keys and given maps of the town.
"Those ones are welcome, for we knew of their arrival beforehand" lied the innkeeper, for he had still rooms, but of this the traveler was to be kept unaware. "The entire village is without accommodation. It's "Givens Day".
"Givens Day?"
"Yes" the innkeeper lied again. "A holiday. They do not celebrate this one in Twinchville, fifty miles further down the road. You many be able to find accommodation there"
"But I am weary, and feel not to drive any more this day" said the traveler. "Is there not some way you could call the other innkeepers in town and...."
"Nay" the innkeeper said, shooing the traveler away. "I am busy. I shall deal with you no further"
And so the traveler set out again upon the road, and drove the fifty additional miles to Twinchville, where he immediately found a room. It was there that he gained rest, and in the morning he enquired the innkeeper at his accommodation what 'Givens Day' was, for he was curious, and had not thought to ask the rude innkeeper of the day before.
"There is no such thing that I know of. Wait a minute, and I will ask around" The innkeeper queried many others in the office, who all shook their heads, save one, who, looking sideways at the traveler with sad eyes, said he knew of the custom. He rose, pulled the traveler aside, and related this tale:
"I was denied accommodation in that town, and it was for the same reason. It was because I am white, like you are"
"I have never heard of such a thing!" the traveler gasped.
“Yes. Givens Day is the local slang for 'givin' back' what they have received. It could have been much worse. You were wise to leave that town"
"Prejudice?"
"Oh yes. Ever since The Wall went up, the barbed wire was set in place, the soldiers manning the guard towers got orders to shoot tear gas if necessary, the German Shepherds were trained to rush and subdue, and all the rest, animosity has ruled the land. They protect their own and shun the rest, like you do"
"Like some of my kind does, but I and many other white ones are not like them"
"You're the same color. That's all the justification they need. Trust is gone, my friend. The Wall signifies that trust between people is impossible. There is now talk that villages will build walls again, like in days of old".
"Castles!"
That looks welcoming.
Tim Rebkavets- Unsplash.com
"Yes. The return of the feudal system. Vassals, lords, serfs, and knights. That sort of thing".
"Who started this?"
"One man, who could not trust anybody else. One man who, through cunning, sought to divide and conquer the world, his play being fracturing every relationship he could. Burning through people. Calling for loyalty then denying the ones who fell for that, for they were only to be used by him to achieve his ends, those being temporary ones, mainly. It was in this way that he had built a smaller empire before, and through that method became very good at it. Over time, a master even. He asks for trust, then pulls the rug out from the trusting when he needs them no more, leaving bitterness in his wake. His henchmen act for him one by one, or in unison, until they are ultimately removed, leaving him alone on the throne”.
"The ultimate personification of ego!"
"Correct. There is no greater example"
"How then do we, who seek expansion and welcome, defeat this ones' purpose?"
"We learn to trust each other again, for only in trust can greater things be built. Isolation is self defeating. It leads only to stagnation and ruin. The game stops. The world is frozen. Trust is the thawing agent that leads us back to springtime again. There are only two roads, away from each other or towards. His road leads away, trust leads towards"
"Thank you for your wise advice. Why do you give it to me? Do you not suspect I will use it against you?"
"You can't. For within you you see the value in it, as do I. The only reason that ‘powerful’ one is atop his self-created pyramid is because he does not see the value in trust. His world is very alone. You and I, on the other hand, are now friends”.
“Trust enables friendships!”
"Yes. It's the only way out of the trap. Think of it as a vortex, and follow what I have to say closely, in order to eliminate confusion. Non-trust draws inward, like water draining through a hole. Trust spins outward, throwing its fruit in all directions. Clockwise and counterclockwise. The old Nazi symbol was an inward spinning vortex, while the Buddhist one, which predated it by millennia, and the one used by certain Native American tribes, spun counterclockwise. It's there for all to see, this knowledge".
"Thank you. I feel greatly refreshed, and am ready to continue my journey".
"Where go you this day?"
"Home, ultimately. The route I take doesn't matter so much. However I choose to get there, I shall along the way build friendships with those that understand the value of trust".
"You are wise in doing that. Perhaps we shall meet again?"
"In another guise, perhaps. Adieu!"
(and Amen!)