Nero

Nero

     In the city of Rome, there is a statue of Nero located near a school on the Via Silla Avenue. Antonio Gallo walked past it on his way to school, every day. He knew nothing of Nero, the historical figure who ruled his people mercilessly, and he passed by the statue every morning, totally oblivious. However, on one particular cold January morning, he somehow felt a strange presence all around the statue enigmatically drawing himself to it. He walked straight up to it and stared into its marble face. Its eyes burned black with the most contemptible, hateful glare one could ever give another human and the expression on its face was utterly absurd and deranged. It looked like a freak, a monster, a murderer. Antonio leaped and walked off to school in a startled state. Each day, he walked past the statue and each day felt drawn to it. He looked into its eyes which became more peccant, more sadistic, more ruthless every time he looked. Antonio’s soul was terrorized almost to the point of physical paralysis. All of his dreams at night were of Nero’s gruesome, hideous face.

     Antonio sometimes witnessed his classmates being bullied at school. He was a strong kid and rarely had a problem with bullies himself: actually, he would stand up for those being bullied, as a bully to the bullies. Nero, however, was his bully and a force he had no control over. He was a force so powerful, which drove him to utter despair. This went on and on for several months.

     Finally, on a cold blustery morning in February, he walked past Nero once again, expecting the same enigmatic force to take him hostage. But instead, there was only a calm, peaceful stillness that permeated the air. Antonio walked up to Nero to see if there would be the same sinister expressions written on his face. But there was nothing, only a dull lifeless expression. A cold gentle breeze wafted against Antonio’s face as his soul began to well with a profound sense of peace. He stared off into the clear blue sky and started giggling uncontrollably. He was overtaken by the most indescribably joyful feeling he had ever experienced. Never again did Nero bully him.

     Antonio graduated from school and went up to the next grade level where he learned all about this character, Nero. He learned about how corrupt, insane, and unjust he was to his people. He was the bully of all bullies, to say the very least.

    Antonio grew up, and as his soul began to mature, he started asking himself the most fundamental of all questions: What is the meaning of life? He considered everything that happens in society and felt that there was something terribly wrong with it all. People are bullied on every level - not just on the physical level, but on the verbal, mental, emotional, and spiritual level as well. There is a lamentably wide economic disparity, racial injustices persist in every society, and innocent people are preyed upon by cold-blooded criminals. Despotic leaders taunt and abuse their subjects mercilessly as war goes on and on perpetually. Violent revolutions occur regularly and evil in its most banal form (pride) seems to haunt every human unendingly. Antonio thought about practically everything under the sun that could, in some shape or form, be considered bullying.

     One night, Nero appeared to him in a dream. He represented the source of all the bullying that goes on in the world and was nearly indistinguishable from Satan. Jesus appeared in his dream also, representing everything pure, holy, honest and good - and the defender of all those who are bullied.

     Antonio awoke from his slumber and walked over to a window in his room that overlooked the city of Rome. It was wintertime and snow was falling onto the streets, rooftops, walkways and lampposts of the city. He couldn’t quite explain the sense he had in this moment but he somehow felt very close to understanding the meaning behind everything. He trustingly considered that Jesus would one day say the last word on bullying.