Right Side of the River

Once, long ago and perhaps very far away
There was a river coming out of a deep bay
A man once rowed with every ounce of his might
To go to the bank of the river, located on the right
Now, those who stayed on the left questioned and ridiculed his choice
But he always called back “it's my decision” at the very top of his voice
Eventually he made his way there and eventually settled down
To pick up the life his parent's had, far from the nearest town
For he simply desired nothing more
To put the plow to the field and work like he had not done before

As years upon years passed, he built a house and made his living
By picking up the rod and getting his dinner and pay by fishing
But there was another thing for him, rather than getting by and tilling the sod
For he found the peace and tranquility he needed to pray to his god
But all was not perfect as, for money he needed to trade
And so, every few days, would go to some islands in the bay

There, he would find others who were willing to sell their goods
But he would also find those who asked “Why stay in the backwoods?
For out there, it is simply all for one's self and only for one's interest
Whereas, here, we help each other, for our king says that is best.”
The fisherman simply smiled and calmly pointed out their mistake
That governments never fail or that individual choices do not make one great
But he brushed them aside and accepted his own faults
However, as the years passed, he found new and worse assaults

People accused him of various crimes, often used was theft
After all, if he was pure, why would he not stay on the left?
And he tried his best to explain his reasons and tried to avoid a fight
By simply saying that work, independence, and spirituality was why he stayed on the right
With some, this explanation was an easy answer and so, they left him be
But to others, they simply ignored his very simple plea
“You are hateful,” they shouted at him, “You discriminate and say women should die!”
When all he really said was, “I just desire to preserve life.”

His reasoning spent, he sold his fish and returned to his boat and his home
But the people who insulted him, refused to leave him alone
One woman in particular, shouted and prodded and poked
Until he came to disregard every word she spoke
She accused him of bigotry and found another tac
That his faith and religion proved another area of attack
“Your fellows are monsters,” she sneered, “Just look at what they have done!”
And the fisherman's response was just to say, “I only compare myself to the one.”

As the insults continued to come, he continued to build his wealth
And his responses each and every time made him a shadow of his former self
Whenever he was met with a sneer, an insult, or an attack
His response was to simply send his own insults back
“I am using logic and reason,” he would say, “I'm simply doing what makes sense.
And, if you cannot comprehend that, I apologize that you are so dense.”
Eventually, he withdrew from conversations, going to the bay and its' islands
And, whenever someone tried to talk or attack, his response was always silence

Until, one day, when he was fishing in the nearby stream,
Came a boat with a girl inside, rowing from somewhere downstream
She came to land right in front of him and, while the journey left her short of breath,
Asked him why he lived on the right side of the river rather than on the left
At first, he was taken aback by her question, but eventually he did reply
That personal freedom was the “what” and his parents' life was the “why”
He said that his father had a house not far from where he sat
And while he was on the island, he told himself, “The right side's where I'll be at”
Given this answer, she got back into her boat and slowly rowed across the river's breadth
To her own little house, which was built across from his on the left

The next day, he found to his amazement in a moment that was too good to be true
When he was trading, he came across another fisherman who said, “I really respect you.
While I don't agree with your reasoning for being on the right, you seem like an honest man
And, given the circumstances, you've been as reasonable as you can.”
The fisherman heard these words and felt a certain amount of pride
And would hold onto that thought until the day that he died
That, though he would always face attacks, his God dealt a strange hand
By revealing to him that, among his opposites, there would be those who wish to understand.