Okay, so here goes... Too often in society we witness the eminent downfall of people who have yet had the opportunity in their life to live. We witness these downfalls on an almost daily basis with little to no regard for the human life we are ignoring. The homeless man on the corner, the beggars in the streets, the children exposed to things that are ridiculous. This whole article was triggered by events that took place in my own neighborhood last night. I witnessed something deplorable, something truly despicable an event that honestly rocked me to my core. It drove me to the point of anger and rage, it heightened my overall awareness to the acceptance of stagnant living. We question our society and our culture and demand assistance with our children, our careers, and our lives. The basic reality that I have witnessed...it's our own fault. We blame our government, private corporations, our upbringings; but the sad truth is that we are responsible for our own destinies. Acceptance of our own lives, the directions that they are moving in and where we are going are the things we must learn to not only assume control over but also embrace the ability to move in a more positive direction. So anyway...what did I see? Right? One of my neighbors is a fifteen year old boy who lives with his father, they actually live in a home with three other individuals...I use the word home lightly. Essentially its a two bedroom home that houses one adult woman and three adult men as well as a fifteen year old boy. Anyway I consistently try to tell the boy about moving on from this place, about having goals and hopes and dreams. My girlfriend and I speak to him regularly about his grades, sports, friends, work and responsibility as we grow older. All in all he is a decent kid, however his family life dynamic sucks. His dad is a good hard working guy, from what I can tell. He works hard and long hours and I agree with the fact he is entitled to a little down time. However on this night, I was disappointed not only in him as a man and a father but as a human being as well. We live in a colorful part of town, and that is in no way a reference to the race of the people who live here, but rather to the kinds of people who live here. Prostitutes, Drug dealers and addicts, blue collar workers and even people like myself and my girlfriend litter this community. It is truly a melting pot of all races, religions, economic standing, and family values. Here's the thing, when it gets dark the neighborhood changes a bit. We're exposed to hookers, drug dealers, and addicts roaming the streets at night with the expectations of catching their next fix or making a quick dollar. On this particular night their presence truly bothered me. My neighbor was outside at 10 PM, with one of his visiting family members, and a close friend. They were celebrating someone's birthday; they were up late and drinking. This is not what I had a problem with, what actually bothered me is that he allowed his fifteen year old son to hang out with three 30/40 somethings while they were out drinking on a school night for him. The trigger point came when the group was approached by a hooker, who...offered her services to the group. I hoped and prayed he would do the the right thing, but he did not. He accepted her proposition, he's a grown man and his decision is his decision, however the unfathomable part of all this is he allowed his fifteen year old son to be present and...yes, watch the events take place. It truly angers me that I witnessed something this vile and disgusting, it also bothers me that I will have to listen to backlash in regards to this article. Comments like "the government does hold people back!" and "it's not my fault." spouted from mouths of the irresponsible and utterly useless. How you expect your children to take responsibility for their own actions, how as a society can we be so willing to accept what is occurring as a normal event. Why are more people not outraged? Why do some simply watch these things occur without any comment or interjection? As a society we are so willing to condemn those in power for their actions when the fault truly lies within us. Life isn't about what others do for you, it what you can do for others. I try to instill the values of responsibility, respect, honor and integrity into my children...why do I feel like I am the only one? How is it feasibly possible for us to try and raise our children with the values of previous generations, when we refuse to take responsibility of our present situations by justifying our poor decision making ability and overall shirking of our own decisions and their repercussions. I've said it before and I will repeat myself until I go blue in the face, if it's important to you, then you will find a way. If it's not then you will find an excuse. My children will learn the value of life, the value of respect and responsibility; these are the building blocks of a fully functional and responsible adult. There will never be any hope of a better day when complacency and acceptance of the current life decisions are simply considered the "norm." Leave a Reply. |
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