Nothing Unites Like Hatred

Donald was noble as he stood on the platform and looked out at the myriad of people. Ever since he was a child he feared this day. As a child, Donald never imagined that he would be where he was today. He never wanted to talk to a group of people and tell them about himself. Donald would have been happy to stay a child forever. But that was all changing on this day.

Now he was only seconds away from making the most important action of his life. From the television in the previous room, he knew that the entire world was watching and he would be remembered forever. Even if the camera made him look smaller than he was in real life, he knew somewhere that camera was capturing his essence and he would make a mark on history. Donald listened to the crowd as they chanted in unison. The volume was loud, but the words were blank to him. He had one thing that he had to do. He had to bring peace to this world before it tore itself apart.

With a quick tug at his shirt and a wiping of his pants, Donald fixed his outfit. It was nothing special to anyone but him. His name was proudly displayed on the front of the top. Other marks were present but held no redeeming qualities to Donald. The bottoms almost matched in color and appearance, but there was wear around the bottom of both legs of the pants. The only hair that was visible on his entire body was the jagged eyebrows which showed an intensity that made the things he felt and said seem even more important. There were scars that Donald wore like a badge of honor. A couple near his eyes were long and slender. A few on his forehead appeared like stars with their arms reaching out from a molten core. The single scar that gained the most notoriety was a jagged one that stretched from the edge of his left jaw to his right collarbone. It had a hundred small spots on both sides of it as if it were a monster that had its mouth sewn shut.

Looking back on the situations that got him to the point where he now stood was almost confusing to Donald. Ever since he was a child, he knew that he was different. The way that his family was structured was different. The things which he learned in school were different. Even his reaction to things around him was different. Donald made many mistakes and learned from every one of them. The premise of sportsmanship and honor was key to many of the events in his early life. He would do things that were not expected from people and he accepted his punishment gracefully. All these things were amalgamations which brought him to this changing point in his life. These things were not done for just himself, but they were done for everyone.

As flames flickered in his eyes, Donald smiled and looked around at the gathering of supporters. In one hand was the last item that brought him to lead the crowd. It was a past reminder of what sacrifices he had gone through. In the other hand, Donald held the key to the future, the points that the speech was needing to address. With a final deep breath, he made his way to the perch where the people, his people, were awaiting his oration.

For a full minute, Donald stood there and looked down upon the patrons whom gathered in a common area to listen to him. The sounds of the crowd started to die down for a moment. Then Donald held both of his hands up into the air like a boxer claiming victory. As he did, the crowd erupted into a frenzy and Donald absorbed their adrenaline as if it were his own. He lowered his hands and waited another minute as the people slowly quieted down.

“Nothing unites people together like hatred. People who were sworn enemies stand united when they hate a common foe. Hatred is not the opposite of love. The opposite of love is indifference. Separation is the opposite of hatred. We have been separated for too long to hate each other. We have to come together to defeat the hatred that is present here. “

“I stand here today as a servant of the people, a beacon of light in the darkest of times. I stand here to see what can be accomplished if one is determined enough to try. I stand here as one part of a collective that wanted to see change and took the chance to stand firmly against the powers that were trying to hold us back. I stand here today, to let each one of you know that you are never alone. I stand here today.” Donald paused and let the people cheer his words.

“Today is the day that we asked ourselves if we are lesser people than our oppressors. We ask if we wish to live each day in a grey routine until it turns black. We ask if we deserve to have part of our life taken from us. Are we not members of the free world?”

“For there comes a time in each person’s life when they have to decide if they wish to become better or if they are satisfied being a prisoner for others. We have to know what we can do to change the way this world treats us. Sacrifice is never easy and not all sacrifices are fair. But I will promise all of you that I will sacrifice whatever I can to make society equal for everyone, not just those that have the power, but those who give them the power.” Below him, Donald could see his followers begin to be consumed in smoke. And where there is smoke, there is fire.

“With my last breath, I will fight for the things that I believe in and I will fight for the freedom we all need to have. In order to become powerful, we have to take the power and share it equally. It is that which I plan to do. With my last breath…”

His words were cut short by an object that ripped through one of the already scarred spots on his head. Donald never heard the pop of the rifle that went off a few hundred yards away and through a open window. And before his body hit the floor, dozens of armed officers stormed in and began subduing Donald’s supporters. Fires still flickered around the prison. Power and the taste of freedom and equality were extinguished in seconds but there were little fires still burning in the hearts and minds of the prisoners.