Sunday, July 17, 2011

Faith and Hope

"I smoke pot because it expands my mind." - YW (Anasazi youth- youngwalker)

(all of this information is through the perspective of the person interviewed, circumstances
may be different than described, but they could also be exactly as he said)

YW grew up in an unstable environment, just him and his mom. She let the responsibility of raising YW fall upon her parents, or YW's grandparents. When she did come around she played more of a "friend" role instead of a parent."I just want my mom to actually be my mom... When I have kids I'm going to give them the discipline I never had."

YW has joined a few gangs and is currently in one that resembles the Skin Heads. "I can't get out of it because they'll kill me. The only thing I could do would be to move, but we don't have enough money for that." He said the two most important things to him are his
"brotherhood, number one and (his) girlfriend, for sure."


"What if I don't want to change?" is a question he asked in response to another.

I asked YW if he'd ever felt JOY in his life before. He answered "yes" and proceeded to tell me what two things had brought it to him. After hearing his answers initially I wondered if I should have defined JOY better... after hearing his reasoning behind his answers, however, I believe he knew exactly what I was asking.

"Doing drugs and my girlfriend," was his answer.
"...she gives me hope, faith, she makes me laugh. I've cried over her and fought for her. She's always been there. I'm emotionally attached. She helped me with mistakes...
It's good to know you have someone at the end of the day.

"Drugs destroyed all worries and made me happy. I was my own person. But it makes you a monster after a while and you can't live with that. But I did it because it destroyed my problems. I go through withdrawals and the physical problems of it because I want the positive."

His desires were pure. Who doesn't want to have faith, hope, to be cared for and to be happy? He only is aware of a few ways, however, that will bring about those desired ends (however temporary and unreal those feelings may be). I think we can all agree that there are much more positive ways to bring about those ends. Ways that might actually make those feelings of faith and happiness stay in your life. We can all see that what he wants is positive, but his actions are negative.

He doesn't know exactly what the rock is, but he knows what it represents and he wants it.

2 comments:

  1. I watched the MTV true life based on this camp(because of your recommendation) and it was pretty interesting seeing how the different guys in the video turned out. I had also watched on the History Channel this past week or so about the history of drugs. I never knew about ecstasy and that it was being used by therapists in sessions to help bring couple closer together(before it was banned by the government) or that's what the therapists/history channel explained.

    It also takes about the whole hippie era and everything related to that. I don't know but it seems like it kind of relates to what this kid you are interacting with is doing. Anyhow I recommend you checking it out it's pretty interesting.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umq6H3aJfwE

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  2. i like the direction you are going with this blog!

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