Aaaahhh, it has been awhile. Today I have a 'starter topic', a sort of warm up, since it's been so long. Since the inception of summer I have been inundated with party and cookout invitations. I hate to believe this, but I have become somewhat of a snoot in my old(er) age. I like to party to blow off steam, relax, and celebrate accomplishments. These accomplishments should not include coming home from prison. Yes, it is great to rejoice in the reunion but do we really want to start their time off at home with a party? Do they really need to relax and/or blow off steam?
Ultimately we as a people have to be more responsible in the choices that we make. This includes the decision that lands one in prison and the decision to celebrate the convict's release. Two of my younger male cousins (Ages 22 and 20) will soon be released from prison on two unrelated crimes, both felony offenses, and their mothers are planning a joint release celebration?! This is baffling to me.
Instead of eating cake, smoking, drinking, partying, and doing all of the things that encouraged the heinous behavior in the first place why not have a conversation about responsibility, choices, and consequences. The underlying issue in my eyes is parenting.
If we are to champion assuming responsibility of one's action we need to start by making responsible choices as parents. We collaborate with the opposite sex to form beautiful children but sometimes along the way something goes awry and instead of fixing it we choose to live in the situation. By live in the situation I mean, not leaving when the relationship goes bad, leaving and becoming hostile to the other party, and any other resolution that hinders you from getting past the consequences of a choice. We need to begin to devise a plan of action that makes us productive members of society irrespective to the results of one decision and not live in the aftermath of bad decision making. As parents we must lead by example and if we show our offspring that we get past hard times by partying and living in the moment, what more can we really expect of them.
We have to stop playing the victim and assume responsibility. I hate to hear the complaints of someone who feels like something is always happening to them. You know the ones who keep this phrase close: "I don't understand why this always happen TO ME". The reality is we all have ups and downs in life that we are Responsible for in someway. How you Choose to deal with it will determine the outcome or the Consequence. So to sum it all up...Party with a Purpose and understand that you control your destiny more than you realize, assume responsibility for it, accept the consequences, and plan to do better the next time around.
1 comment:
Okay, it’s interesting that you posted this blog because a co worker and I were just talking about this. I was telling her that I was going to a “coming home” party for a friend of mines that just recently got out of jail. She started laughing, she said she was just watching Chris Rock stand and he said that Black people are the only people that does this.
I honestly think it is a good thing and a bad thing to have a "celebration". I think when people come home from jail they need a support system to give them a "guiding light"... I think when one has a "celebration"; it is more of congratulation on starting your life over. Our community already does not embrace people that has a record, so this give their family members that opportunity to say, "now it is time to get your life together and start fresh". It should be more of an invention then a party.
But on the flip side of that, when people graduate like myself, it probably was a hand full of people at my gradation party and our family is huge. But I bet there will be every family member and more at this "get out of jail" party.
Our society just really got our priorities messed up.
Sincerely,
Chanel
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