The travelers had been journeying for months with one thought driving them- freedom to follow their dreams to build a better life for themselves and their families. They had come from places where there seemed no easy way to improve their lot, so the travails they would encounter in their quest would surely be the easier path to happiness and security. They’d been assured by those they trusted that their movements were sanctioned, that god would protect and provide for them along the way, and surely when they arrived at the gates to paradise they would be welcomed as the children of god that they were. The current residents of paradise though had other thoughts on the matter, and stood waiting at the portals with an eye to discussing the matter with the newcomers.
“You’ve walked a long way I see,” the rancher said to the weary father and his young children embracing their mother standing near. “What story can you tell me? What nightmare do you leave behind you, that you would suffer great dangers in your journey, to then immediately break the laws of the land where you hope to make your new home?” he asked in their native tongue.
“We had lost all hope for a better life where we come from sir. Nothing was ever easy there, like it is here in paradise.” the father replied with all earnestness. “The pictures we saw on social media convinced us that we would be happier here!” he said as he waved his iPhone in the air. “I am a man of faith, and know that god wants me to provide for my family and flourish in his name! My wife wishes to bear many children in honor of our new home!”
The rancher said to the smiling mother, “In your trek across the border you and your fellow travelers have traumatized my livestock, which are my livelihood and means to feeding my own family, and you’ve also trampled the vegetation which feeds the wildlife in this desert. The litter which follows your path is an eyesore and affront to the ecology and aesthetic of the land. My own life was not easy before your arrival, and it would appear that your arrival here shall make my life even harder. I am sympathetic to you, yet feel compelled to school you in the realities of this situation.”
The father responded, “We promise to work hard sir and meant you no disrespect. Please allow us to travel on toward the great cities we’ve seen in TikTok! My uncle in DC has assured me that we will be welcomed, cared for, and appreciated there!” The rancher shook his head, turned, and walked away without further words.
The line of hungry travelers encircled the entire block and culminated at the feeding station of the soup kitchen in El Paso. Only smatterings of the native tongue could be heard as the diverse group inched forward for their first meal in paradise.
“I’ve heard that once we get our feet in the door paradise becomes like easy street!” the traveler said to his comrades standing beside him. “There are jobs aplenty, generous government dole, and the freedom to worship and pray as we wish.” One of his countrymen responded, “God is great! We’ll build great mosques in the cities as thanks for the mercies and generosity we’ve found here in our new home!”
Heads turned and the serving line paused as a convoy of pickup trucks drove slowly past, then stopped in front of the confused travelers. A man wearing a diamondback banded hat stood in the bed of a Ford, megaphone at his mouth:
“We’ll feed you this one time, but then we’re hopin you’ll turn around and start walkin back to where ya’ll came from! It’s all about fair play! We have our struggles too! We wouldn’t invade your home, why should we let you invade ours!” Most of the travelers didn’t understand the native tongue, so were clueless as to what was being said to them through the megaphone.
“This used to be a quiet and peaceful town. Now food’s in short supply, rents are going up, healthcare is hard to find and afford, our swimming hole get-away is littered with broken glass and plastic, smells like piss and shit, and our women are afraid to go out at night!” the man in the hat continued. “All that energy you’ve used up running from your homelands could have been spent improving your lot then and there. This town’s been feelin crowded anyway lately, and now the streets are filled with strangers. It’s all about fair play!” The trucks drove off and the travelers continued their feeding frenzy.
At the Christian church nearby a debate was raging between upset locals and activists aligned with social justice groups from faraway big cities.
“What would Jesus do?” the firebrand co-ed from Austin shouted. “He would weep for the horrors those refugees have suffered, and feed, clothe, and house them as if they were his own.”
“Bullshit young lady!” the town barber replied in excitement. “He would calmly suggest to those people that they find their inner strength, stop looking outside themselves for salvation, and that they fix their own messy lives! And he would suggest executing the cartel members who are enabling and encouraging all this chaos!”
The pastor of the church finally spoke: “Jesus was a rebel. He would point out to the travelers that they had the key to their happiness on this earth, and that it would seem to be unfair to expect us to pave a rightious and easy path, when each of the travelers has the inner tools and strength to flourish in the lands where they were born. Jesus suffered too! His own life was not easy! He would tell those migrants to enjoy a meal at the soup kitchen, then to return to where they came from.”
“But we need more diversity in our land!” a portly activist from Portland exclaimed. “Isn’t it time for us to diminish the pervasive whiteness we see around us! Diversity is good!”
“We’re all for diversity, but we also believe in fair play,” the town butcher declared. “Those people scared my goats and sheep as they slithered through my neighborhood last night. I didn’t get any sleep at all worrying about my flock.”
CP Butchvarov 2024