According to Life, to be a nobody or to be a somebody (and each point in-between) is determined by one’s influence. But it appears to me that I have no influence outside context and circumstance.

Context includes:

• A Job.
• A Family.
• An Organization.
• An Association.
• An Event.

Circumstance is individual and subject to changing and different interpretations.

According to Life, when I am a part of something, when I belong to something, I am somebody. When I am alone, truly alone, I am nobody.

Sign seen in Buckner, Missouri: “First Baptist Church – A Place to Belong.”

I want to turn it upside down and claim to be somebody only when nobody (me), is influenced. Nobody (me) = nobody else. If you think about it, when another is influenced they are only influenced within context and circumstance meaning they are not influenced by me, they are influenced by the results of my influence on context and circumstance meaning I am a somebody diluted by being at least twice removed, once by context then by circumstance. So, I am less of a somebody within context and circumstance than I will ever be within me; when I am alone; truly alone. Yet I believe in the illusion, and everyone within the context and circumstance believes in the illusion, and we all want to belong.

According to Life, the less of a somebody one is, the more they are undervalued; most especially by a bigger somebody. But by turning it upside down, by defying the illusion, it is obvious these labels do not define the individual; they define context and circumstance according to Life. Yet, still, according to Life:

• I am defined by my job.
• I am defined by the concerts, sporting events, rallies, festivals I attend.
• I am defined by the movies and shows that I watch, by the books that I read, by the food establishments I frequent.
• I am defined by my associations, affiliations, and memberships.
• I am defined by the clothes that I wear, the car that I drive, the house and neighborhood where I live, the money I earn, the money I have, the money I appear to have.
• I am defined by my shadow.

And because we are all within all this context and circumstance, and because we want to belong, we buy into the illusion and we believe and we act accordingly. The problem with this is not so much the lesser somebodies understanding who they are (or more appropriately who they are not), the problem is the bigger somebodies constantly reminding us that we are not so they can continue to believe that they are. It. Is. An. Illusion.

But by turning it upside down, by defying the illusion, I am a somebody; invisible, yes, but still an actual somebody as opposed to the parading pretense seen within context and circumstance.

The illusion is unavoidable. I will continue to find myself in the parade, caught up in the beat of the drum, (mostly) in tune and in step. And I will continue to be defined according to an illusion.