The "Nevertheless"

Have you ever seen one?

A Nevertheless?

Someone who has a debt, a price to pay, a punishment to bear - yet doesn't seem ruined by it. A Nevertheless carries the burden well, even with pride.

Fueled by the value of that which was achieved. Which cannot be taken away, no matter the hardships the future holds.

The world will torture them, suffocate them, humiliate them, enslave them.

Nevertheless, it was worth it.

It's the boy who smiles while being beaten, still feeling an unusual sensation: a stomach full of (stolen) bread.

It's the rebel who smiles at the gallows, noose around his neck - knowing his death is a small price for the dozen slaves he saved.

It's the spaceship crew that knows they're hunted and doomed - but deem a short and glorious life better than a long and subservient one.

And perhaps, one day, when the debt is paid and the punishment endured, when tiny sparks of freedom start flaring inside - a Nevertheless will do it all over again.

Because it's worth it.