It’s a little past midnight, I’m laying in my bunk with my mind wondering what if.
Been incarcerated for 14 years and during that time I’ve done a lot of soul searching and thinking. What if I would have had better parents, role models, real friends, faith, money, a happy home, or just a little luck…
So much that one can ponder and stay wrapped up in. But why do I want to focus on the past, the history that I cannot change. I say because I don’t want my history to ever be repeated or passed on down the line. Life is all about choices, and unfortunately some of our choices come with severe consequences. Life lessons/experiences should be shared in hopes of others avoiding the unnecessary pain, hurt, and loss due to our choices.
You hear people say were products of our environment, well looking back at my life I now have to agree with that statement. Humans often emulate what they see and hear. Why you think there’s so much violence and hate in the world today? Turn on your TV or radio, what do you see and hear? A bunch of killing on TV and a bunch of cursing and hate on the radio or in music. The 11 O-Clock news starts with who was shot or robbed almost every night, same thing with reading the news paper, always something negative and violent. Never any positive or uplifting just murder, rape, robbery, and more hate.
The world needs to get focussed on a brighter future without forgetting our history. There is a fine line when it comes to history, we should not wipe out any of it, for its history rather we like it or not. Lessons can be learned from it and mistakes avoided. The media today brings up slavery, The Confederacy, black and white, and while were busy with what we cannot change, instead of making forward progress.
I was recently told I have “white privilege” simply due to my skin color. This person I was talking with is black and I am white. However, neither of us knew much about the other, nothing about our upbringing, parents, siblings, etc. Yet I have this privilege due my skin color. Wow, this really bothered me cause it seemed like I was being judged by someone who obviously knows nothing about me or my struggles. All white people are not privileged and for someone to say that, that is ignorance at its best.
I personally grew up in impoverished neighborhoods and trailer parks with and/or being the minority. I ate the state cheese, peanut butter, kix cereal, etc. on WIC. I received vouchers for school clothes most of my childhood. Had to get free lunches in school. My life hasn’t been much of a privilege and I don’t think my skin color had much to do with any of that.
What if we all would just focus on the one true race….that being the human race!
Anyone or anything that tries to make it about anything other than the human race should not be given the time of day. Yeah injustices are going to happen but if we all come together as one race of people, then We The People can make some much needed changes. I don’t see a white cop shooting a innocent black person, I see one human being harming another unjustly. That cop should be treated just as any other suspect would be. We need to start thinking for ourselves and stop letting the media or society dictate how or what we think/believe. Just some of my thoughts while laying in my cell.
John Lewis Seay
DOC #1186157
