Walking on Pretzel Sticks

#52Essays2017
Week 12


Yesterday I came across a video on Facebook of a man that stopped a fight between two african american teenagers. The video was recorded by one of the teenagers in the 'audience'. I say 'audience' because the fight had a crowd watching. They were their 'friends' who were amused by what was going on as they recorded, and laughed while they fought. This man, or hero, I should say, came in between them and not only stopped the fight, but asked them to look around. To look at their 'friends'. To observe how they recorded and laughed. They laughed at their anger, at their experience. They laughed at them. One of the teens involved in the fight breathed fast and heavily. He was visibly more angry than the other one. The video then jumped from the fight to the man receiving an award for having done what he did to and for these minority kids.

Unfortunately these common events don't always have a person like him to intervene. Most don't.
I could rant about how this is the government's fault. Because I believe it is. Not all may think so, but I do. Because it doesn't take a genius to figure out that our system is flawed. That it has failed them. It doesn't take a genius to come up with a list of these flaws and add bullets under each one with possible solutions. For example, getting rid of biased standardized educational curriculums and tests that continue to leave and push behind minority children even further. Putting them at a disadvantage from the very beginning of their educational journey, setting them up for failure. Or fixing the welfare system, that to me, is a bandaid or a cover up that disguises the true intentions of keeping them there generation after generation with little to no room for escape or growth. Or how about the disgusting use of third grade data to plan for prison beds? How dare they make a beautiful little boy into a number and reserve a bed for him in prison! Perhaps doing something about the education system to prevent the present and future minority third graders to fail, is a much better idea. No? Is it much more complicated than this? Absolutely. But we all know that proactivity is better than reactivity, so to me, it comes down to not caring enough to do anything about it. And when they pretend to do something, it's exactly that, pretending.
Ok, I did rant a little bit, but I'll stop there, because we cannot do much about that aspect. We have no control over that. But there are other things we do have control over. Which I will get to.

Going back to this particular event, the brave man was presented with an award. In the small ceremony, he was accompanied by his mother and the two teenagers he helped. Or better said, saved. Both teenagers are two of the lucky few who encountered someone in their lives who saved them from a future that has a path paved for them already. Thank the universe and all the heavens for these people. Because they're the ones who give these kids a chance at shifting the route of their destination. Sometimes these people are loving and strict parents who provide love and much needed discipline. Sometimes it's a teacher, a friend, a mentor. People who don't give up on these kids. People who take action time and time again, or simply do something amazing at the right time and the right place for someone who needs it at that specific moment in time. For this man, it was his mother. He spoke with tears in his eyes about living in the projects and going down the wrong path. But she never gave up on him. When he was young, she broke pretzel sticks and lined them up in the middle of their kitchen table, and explained the line to be the good path, the path he needed to be on, and the rest of the table being where he shouldn't be. Imagine that. What are the chances? But it's the sad truth. It's the world they face.

Many of these people are ones who've lived through it. People who needed a person like themselves when they were young. Others are people who are able to put themselves in these kids' shoes. Who don't look passed others' misfortunes. Who use what they have to help as much or however little they can. Wether they have a lot, have a little, have been through it or not, they're compassionate people. They are what this world needs more of.

We should thank them. For doing what they do, and being who they are. But more than thanking them, we should be one of them. Now, I am not saying to join a youth group and become a mentor 20 hours a week. We cannot, and should not do what is not in our hearts. But we can all be better people for ourselves and others, and make small differences. We can all do a little something. A little something that changes the mindset, or at least plants a little seed of thought into a young mind. Provide advise, listen and understand before judging, a hug. Sometimes that is more than enough. By doing this, their pretzel path of good becomes a little thicker. They'll have more room to walk on, and less chance of stepping onto the table.