The Parable of the Obituary

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, is history ever kind to the unloved?”

Josh spoke thus:

A journalist was writing an obituary.  The deceased was sitting by the journalist’s side.

“That’s what you’re going to say about me?” the deceased asked, “Prominent?  That’s all I am, prominent?”

“You’re not before your time,” the journalist said, “You’re very much of your time.”

“Say I’m definitive, then,” the deceased said, “Say I defined a generation.”

“You didn’t define a generation,” the journalist said.

“You don’t know that,” the deceased said, “You won’t know that till my generation’s passed.”

“When your generation’s passed, I’ll know,” the journalist said, “Until then, you’re prominent.”

“Why not beloved?” the deceased asked.

“Beloved?” the journalist asked, “By whom?”

“People love me,” the deceased said

“People hate you too,” the journalist said.

“Yes, but people love me,” the deceased said, “I’m beloved.”

“Mussolini was beloved,” the journalist said, “Do you want me to say you were like Mussolini?”

“I want you to say I was beloved,” the deceased said.

“If I say you were beloved,” the journalist said, “I’d have to say who loved you. Then I’d have to say who didn’t love you.  I’d have to say why.”

“I don’t want you to write about that,” the deceased said.

“Then you’ll have to remain prominent,” the journalist said.

“Fine, I’ll be prominent,” the deceased said.

“You could still be beloved,” the journalist said, “If you undid what you did.”

“I can’t undo what I did,” the deceased said.

“You can undo some of it,” the journalist said.

“Then I’d have to undo all of it,” the deceased said.

“So undo all of it,” the journalist said.

“I won’t undo all of it,” the deceased said.

“Then prominent you are,” the journalist said.

“Then prominent I am,” the deceased said.  The deceased sat quietly for a moment, then asked, “So you write everyone’s obituary before they die?”

“We have files of prominent people,” the journalist replied.

“And beloved people?” the deceased asked.

“Change what you did,” the journalist said.

“Prominent it is,” the deceased said.