Nobody's Story

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens

Dickens' A Christmas Carol is read on Christmas Eve and told in countless ways in film. My son and I dug deeper and found that Charles Dickens had written other Christmas stories. I randomly chose Nobody's Story to read aloud and found it could have been written today.

A simple man figured out the system and how it stays the same with the Haves in charge and the Have-nots stay without power or possibilities to gain even safety or joy.

When reading something written 170 plus years ago, I expected to find unused language and uncommon terms but was surprised at the descriptive given to those in power: the Bigwigs.

The story reminded me of the way regular people living in and near Miami OK might feel about the "stateliest people thereabouts" who had wanted to save Nobody the trouble of thinking for himself, perhaps we might imagine the Bigwigs as those who operate the Pensacola Dam.

The Nobody in the story wanted his children to be taught, so they would have knowledge to know better and avoid the mistakes he had made. The Bigwig family had misgivings about that. As such Nobody watched the demon Ignorance taken his children toward suspicion and cunning.

The Nobody appealed to the Bigwig family explaining laboring people would benefit from mental refreshment and recreation, some escape from hard work and worry, but his innocent request provoked them so that he was left wondering.

Then a pestilence arose among the laborers and spread and people began to die, the air was poisoned. He stayed where he was, continued working, lost some of his dearest. Desperate, he asked for pure water, light and air. His Master lost loved ones too and blamed Nobody and the others living in poverty for not living more healthily and decently.

Nobody explained they needed the means to improve their lives, better education, respite from work and the Bigwig family heard and changed the circumstances for a time, never admitting to have had anything to do with it having been lacking before.

"The story of Nobody is the story of the rank and file of the earth. They bear their share of the battle they have their part in the victory; they fall; they leave no name but in the mass. The march of the proudest of us, leads to the dusty way by which they go. Let us think of them this year at the Christmas fire, and not forget them when it is burnt out."

How do we change this up? Our Nobodies vs. the Bigwigs? We will try everything. The City of Miami and over 400 of you Nobodies have attorneys doing their jobs for you. Now I am asking you to value your experiences, your memories and what you have lost.

The Nobodies are SOMEBODIES to me! Valued and able.

The Bigwigs have reigned power over others by using their power generating as a means to justify our backwater flooding. But there is a Commission that can approve or disapprove their next license over how the lake is managed for the next 50 years. That license application will be submitted by GRDA by January 1 to FERC.

Now is the time for your cards and letters to pour into the only federal entity that may be able to protect your property and your status as Nobody is on the line.

We have been practicing for this for months. If you need a stamp or addressed postcards we would be glad to help you out.

Clear your head of the joys of Christmas pasts and dwell back long enough to capture some of those harsher moments, make a list of the feelings you experienced and the items of value you lost. All of these words can be crammed onto the pages, onto the cards you flood FERC with.

No one believes in you like I do.

Respectfully Submitted ~  Rebecca Jim

P.S.  Should you require it:

Attn: Secretary Kimberly D. Bose
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE Room 1A
Washington, D.C. 20426