Nobody could've ever known I was positive because I didn't know.

The words of Marc Wallice — “Nobody could’ve ever known I was positive because I didn’t know.” — carry with them the weight of both confession and lamentation. They echo like the cry of a man caught between ignorance and consequence. In them we hear the sorrow of one who bore a hidden burden, unseen by others, and unrecognized even by himself. To be positive, in his context, was to be struck by a silent affliction, one that lay veiled in shadow until the truth was revealed.

This utterance is not merely a reflection on disease; it is a parable about the hidden struggles that dwell within all mortals. For how often do men and women walk in the world with unseen chains — sorrow, guilt, or despair — yet present to others only a smile? The ancient Greeks spoke of fate, woven invisibly by the Moirai, unseen until its thread was cut. Wallice’s words remind us of this same unseen thread: destiny and danger lying dormant, waiting until their hour.

In history, many have walked such paths of hidden doom. Consider Typhoid Mary, who carried death in her blood, spreading plague to countless souls, yet remained unaware of the shadow she bore. Like her, Wallice’s confession is the testimony of one who did not know, and thus could not guard, nor warn, nor repent in time. Their lives teach us that ignorance is not innocence, for what is hidden within us still shapes the fates of those around us.

Yet let us not only mourn. For from such words, there is also wisdom. They warn the generations to guard themselves, to seek knowledge of their bodies, their minds, and their spirits, lest they too carry unseen burdens that will one day betray them. The ancients said, “Know thyself,” and this teaching resounds all the more in light of Wallice’s lament. For to know is to arm oneself, and to be blind is to invite tragedy.

Take heart, then, O reader of future days. Though one man’s ignorance brought sorrow, his words may kindle vigilance in others. When you face the unknown within yourself, do not turn away. Seek the truth, however fearful it may be, for knowledge is the light that shatters the veil of ignorance. And in that light, perhaps, the hidden burden will no longer enslave you — but set you free.