I am here to listen and speak

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've written anything resembling a parable, so please bear with this one. I feel like it more hits the message right on the head rather gently guiding. Like I said, it's been a while.                 

A man stood on the corner of a great intersection, shouting out his truths for all passing by to hear. He did this every day, and every day people grew more and more annoyed with the man.

                “Can’t you people see what’s going on with the world? It’s falling apart! People are killin’ each other!” He would shout. “Twelve people were killed last night in our city alone! It’s time for things to change!”

                And yet for all his yelling, nothing changed. Every day he went out and yelled, and every day people grew more annoyed, until one day something happened.

                When the man arrived at his corner, he found another already standing there.

                “Who are you? What are you doing? Every day I come to this corner and I try to pull the wool from the people’s eyes!” The man was shaking.

                The stranger smiled, “I am one of the people, and I am here to listen and speak.”

                The man was confused, never before had someone wished to speak with him. “Why? Why would you want to speak with me? No one has ever come to speak with me before.”

                “I came to speak with you simply to ask questions. Every day you come out here and you shout your truths from this corner, and yet it has no effect. How does that make you feel?”

                The man paused. “It makes me upset. I try all I can to make the world better, and yet nothing happens. I do everything and nothing changes!”

                “Are you truly doing everything?”

                “Yes! Of course I am! I put the truth out there, what more could I possibly do?”

                The stranger smiled with sadness in his eyes. “What more could you possibly do? You can lead and teach by your actions. Instead you try to lead and teach by berating and bludgeoning. Whenever has yelling created change better than action?”

                The man was outraged, “How am I not in action? Every day I come out here, and I act! I try, every day I try to change the world by my actions!”

                “What are you actions?”

                “MY ACTIONS? My actions—they’re,” the man was sputtering, and his eyes began to lose their fervour. “My yelling is my action. It’s really not much is it?”

                The stranger reached out and grasped the man’s shoulder. “Yelling by itself is mere noise my friend. Telling people the truth is good, yes, but yelling out the truth from a corner does nothing. Look at all the people. All the cars. They walk over your truths, they drive over your words. Your truth does nothing here because it dies as soon as it leaves your lips.” The stranger smiled sadly, “I was once you, yelling out my truths, forcing my voice to be heard, but it did naught. So one day, with my voice gone from my yelling, I came across a group of youth trying to help a bruised and bloodied friend. Normally I would’ve ignored them, crossed the street and pretended not to see. But I was so tired of not being able to change the world that I stopped and helped these kids. I helped them get their friend to a hospital, and through that action I saved a life. I had finally done something positive in the world. I still go out and talk with people. I still use my words to change the world, but I no longer shout. All my shouting did, was drown itself out.”

                The man had tears forming, “I’ve grown so bitter and resentful of the world. I get mad when I go home because the world isn’t changing faster. But it’s me, isn’t it? I’m the one who isn’t changing? I get mad at all the hate in the world, but all I’m doing is adding to it, aren’t I? I’m magnifying the hate by bringing all this attention to it. Oh God,” the man sunk to his knees. “I’ve been doing this all wrong. I’m not making anything better. Please, help me. Show me how to help others as you have helped me!” But when the man looked up, the stranger was gone, and he was all alone on the corner.