Remains Behind—The Human

One day you will understand: most of the world's people are not truly yours.
One day you will know that those for whom you have labored year after year, sacrificed day after day—most of them are not the kind who would sacrifice even a fragment for you.

In this world, save for yourself alone, very few among the rest are truly your own.

You will see: those for whom you have surrendered your own umbrella in the fierce sun, the rain, the storm—most of them will seize your last pillar of support at the first opportunity. Those whose sleepless nights you have kept vigil for—most of them will become, at some turning point in life, the reason for your tears.

Man is the most savage and terrible creature on this earth. The animals we have known all our lives to be fierce—the hyena, the tiger, the lion, even the dog—they never harm their own kind. Only man, and without a moment's hesitation, will wound even his benefactor. If you wish to live as a human, you must first learn to recognize humanity.

Day after day, year after year, you have been surrendering all your joy for certain people. When you are in peril, do they ever stand by you? When your heart grieves, do they truly care? When you do not bend to their will, do you find shelter even in the roof over your head, even in the mansion that stands before your eyes?

If you cannot find a true human, then keep a dog, keep a cat. Though there may be no roof above your head, though mansions may loom before your eyes—in sun and rain, in dust and wind, they will lay down their heads and remain with you. Humans leave. Only the non-human stays.