Two Boats and a Helicopter

A man had suffered through childhood and years into his adulthood, bullied and harassed by his neighbors. If he did not wear the clothes they liked, or the hairstyle they wanted him to have, they said he disgusted them.

Girls and women would publicly shun him, saying they were afraid he would do something horrible to them. Boys and men would shove him, threaten him with violence, and sometimes even beat him. When he did manage to spend time with people who were kind to him, almost all of them made it clear that they only tolerated him when he behaved the way they liked.

The man's parents loved him and wanted the best for him. They counseled him to do everything he could to appease their neighbors. Even though he was suffering, they assured him that God would take care of him. They always told him, "Do your best, and pray for the rest."

Actors from a big city toured their play, and they scheduled a performance near the man's town. His neighbors told him to stay away from the troupe. "They're bad people," the neighbors warned. "They want to turn you into a bad person, too." Curious, the man watched their play. It delighted him so much that he lingered after the performance to congratulate the actors. They took an immediate liking to him too, and invited him to join their ranks.

"Thank you for the offer, but I can't," the man told the actors. "I need to stay with my family, and do everything I can to be a good person. Sometimes it's hard, but God will provide."

The actors shook the man's hand, wished him well, and left.
At home, the pressure to appease his neighbors still hurt the man. He did his best, and prayed for the rest.

A new tailor came to town, with well-made wares of all the best fashions. The man's parents told him that new clothes would help him impress the neighbors, and maybe boost his confidence, too. At the tailor's shop, he kept eying the clothes his neighbors would not like. He forced himself to try on the kind of outfit they approved. As he stood in front of the mirror for the tailor to mark what adjustments had to be made, the man's heart broke. He hated the clothes his neighbors wanted him to wear. He hated the way he looked in them. He hated that he had to be unhappy in order to be good.

The tailor noticed the man's tears. The tailor said the man wasn't obligated to wear clothes he hated. The tailor was more than happy to adjust any outfit at all to fit the man just right, or even to make something unique to suit his tastes.

"Thank you for the offer, but no," the man told the tailor. "I need to dress like this, and do everything I can to be a good person. Sometimes it's hard, but God will provide."

The tailor told him the offer was still open, but adjusted the acceptable outfit at his request.

Even with new, neighborhood-approved clothes, the pressure to appease his neighbors still hurt the man. He did his best, and prayed for the rest.

The man's cousin, who lives far away, came to visit him and his parents. His cousin did not dress the way the neighborhood wanted her to dress. She didn't have the haircut they wanted her to have. When people said mean things to her, she said mean things back. When people pushed her, she pushed back. When someone threatened her with violence, she claimed she had previously defended herself against people bigger than herself and stronger than her potential assailant.

The man felt all sorts of things at once. He was proud that his cousin could stand her ground and wear whatever she wanted to wear, even though it was hard. He worried for her immediate safety. He worried for her soul, because she wasn't doing the things everyone had always taught him were necessary for being a good person. He was even a little envious, because appeasing his neighbors was hard work, and his efforts didn't often turn out well.

The man's cousin told him that he could do it, too. He could wear what he wanted to wear, have the haircut he wanted to have, behave in the ways that wouldn't make him miserable. She said he didn't owe so much hard work and his misery to people who didn't treat him well. She invited him to visit her home, meet her friends, and just try to be himself for at least one day.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass," the man told his cousin. "I need to stay in my neighborhood and do everything I can to be a good person. Sometimes it's hard, but God will provide."

The man's cousin hugged him. She promised she wouldn't push him to do something he didn't want to do. She went home, relieved to be away from the man's neighbors.

The pressure to appease his neighbors still hurt the man. He did his best, and prayed for the rest.

Stress pays a toll on the body. It weakens the immune system. It aggravates the digestive tract. It ruins sleep. It manifests in aches and fatigue. Because of his neighbors, the man fell ill and died young.

God welcomed the man with a smile and a warm hug. "I'm happy to see you, my son, because I love you," God said, "But it is a shame you're here so soon."

"What do you mean?" the man asked. "I did everything I could to be a good person. When my neighbors were cruel and I grew sick, I thought it was because I wasn't good enough for you to help me."

"I tried to help you," God said. "I sent you a drag show. I sent you a tailor who saw you hated dresses and offered to make you a suit. I sent you your cousin, a trans woman, to show you that you didn't need to be miserable. What more did you expect?"