>>220In his public life, he is likely to be non-descript; an underdog who doesn't shine much at anyhting he does or says. He probably doesn't dress well, his physical appearance is of no importance to him. He doesn't have the charisma and moral fiber of a Long John Silver. His opinions aren't sought, his advice isn't followed. He isn't respected much, except by the freeloaders who depend on him. After all, he is giving something for nothing.
His darkest secret, however, is that he lives in constant fear that, some day, he will fail. He will not crack the code. He will realize that other club members were fair-weather friends and that he lost, in a single stroke of fate, the attention he was so eagerly seeking.
Like the rest of us, he will grow old, his priorities will change, his eagerness will die down. As he looks around him, he may realize that the best times of life have passed him by, and that there is no making up for the lost time. He will be bitter, having left an insignificant mark on the world, having wasted his time in pointless pursuits. No one will miss him.
To him, I dedicate this epitaph:
Here Lies a Pirate
Who Never Sailed.