Apologies to A Young Man
Hello.
You may know me or not at all. I'm sure you've seen me around town or remember me from many years back. We might have rubbed shoulders in a mall, at a church, or in the congested halls of the local university. We might have even exchanged a few words, shook hands, or simply waved across a room above busy heads. I want to say something that I didn't take a chance to express when there was space between us to converse upon something meaningful. I want to tell you something that maybe our fathers didn't express or anybody else placed in an authoritative position. Something our teachers, coaches, and several sources of role models didn't share due to unfamiliarity. I want to personally say with every ounce of compassion in my twenty-nine-year old body, that I am inevitably sorry.
Sorry for what? Well, sorry for not being what I was made to be--the example. You've come to me, joking about random acts of irresponsibility, and I laughed, encouraging your behavior, increasing my tolerance. No, I didn't shut down your comical stories of misleading women and manipulating people to get what you want. I didn't question your motives, despite the sadistic outcomes that only left one person hurt--the other, opposed to you. You are intelligent and witty. Maybe you've inherited such traits from your family or acquired these qualities via life's experiences. Hold on to them for as long as you can, for it offers a more broad perspective to reality, allowing you to see things others couldn't, like "red flags" and poorly-covered potholes we so often fall into. I commend you, my brother, for possessing such wisdom, but now it's time for you to apply it to the world in front of you.
You are young and your learning curve is still making its way up and through the hills. You'll run into a few rock slides. You may even pick up some hitchhikers that will try to infest your life with enough negativity to bring down the entire mountain. I can't tell you what to do because your response to my request will not capture your full attention. You will only take from my suggestion what benefits you for the moment instead of tomorrow and the many years that may follow. Who's to say that what I suggest is your best option? Our lives are obviously different and so are our paths. All I can do that will generate great effects is nudge you left, even if you decide to go right. I'm not an "I told you so" type of guy. I've seen things, entered dark places, and undergone several facets of pain, but that doesn't mean you will experience the same.
As a friend, brother, father, or whatever you see me as, I vow to be honest with you. I vow to give you the advice that you need in order to assist with getting you where you need to be. There will be times where I see you fall down, deep into the hole. screaming, wanting hands to pull you. I may descend down to you, placing you on my back as I climb the walls myself until we reach the surface. Then again, I may stare down into the black, encouraging you to grip the sides, ascending towards my outreached hand. I will do the best that I can if it means maximizing your potential. We are not limited by your environments, culture, or race. We are not chained to your past or heritage. You have the opportunity to break various cycles, whether they are in your family or in society. I apologize if I haven't exposed that idea to you sooner. I vow to push you to grind, climb, and remind yourself that you were made to be the greatest aspect of God's creation. He loved you enough to preserve your soul so that you can have a fulfilling life before a just homecoming.
So to you and any other young man struggling to push, I'll be an extra hand. I'll be an extra opinion. I'll be that back-up battery God supplies in other people when you can't muster up the energy. I'm no Clark Kent in uniform, no Bruce Wayne white-eyed curing the night of it's cynical disease of hate. I am a man with a dream to help you animate your own. I'm sorry If I wasn't there for you in the past. I am here now, though, for as long as God allows.
You may know me or not at all. I'm sure you've seen me around town or remember me from many years back. We might have rubbed shoulders in a mall, at a church, or in the congested halls of the local university. We might have even exchanged a few words, shook hands, or simply waved across a room above busy heads. I want to say something that I didn't take a chance to express when there was space between us to converse upon something meaningful. I want to tell you something that maybe our fathers didn't express or anybody else placed in an authoritative position. Something our teachers, coaches, and several sources of role models didn't share due to unfamiliarity. I want to personally say with every ounce of compassion in my twenty-nine-year old body, that I am inevitably sorry.
Sorry for what? Well, sorry for not being what I was made to be--the example. You've come to me, joking about random acts of irresponsibility, and I laughed, encouraging your behavior, increasing my tolerance. No, I didn't shut down your comical stories of misleading women and manipulating people to get what you want. I didn't question your motives, despite the sadistic outcomes that only left one person hurt--the other, opposed to you. You are intelligent and witty. Maybe you've inherited such traits from your family or acquired these qualities via life's experiences. Hold on to them for as long as you can, for it offers a more broad perspective to reality, allowing you to see things others couldn't, like "red flags" and poorly-covered potholes we so often fall into. I commend you, my brother, for possessing such wisdom, but now it's time for you to apply it to the world in front of you.
You are young and your learning curve is still making its way up and through the hills. You'll run into a few rock slides. You may even pick up some hitchhikers that will try to infest your life with enough negativity to bring down the entire mountain. I can't tell you what to do because your response to my request will not capture your full attention. You will only take from my suggestion what benefits you for the moment instead of tomorrow and the many years that may follow. Who's to say that what I suggest is your best option? Our lives are obviously different and so are our paths. All I can do that will generate great effects is nudge you left, even if you decide to go right. I'm not an "I told you so" type of guy. I've seen things, entered dark places, and undergone several facets of pain, but that doesn't mean you will experience the same.
As a friend, brother, father, or whatever you see me as, I vow to be honest with you. I vow to give you the advice that you need in order to assist with getting you where you need to be. There will be times where I see you fall down, deep into the hole. screaming, wanting hands to pull you. I may descend down to you, placing you on my back as I climb the walls myself until we reach the surface. Then again, I may stare down into the black, encouraging you to grip the sides, ascending towards my outreached hand. I will do the best that I can if it means maximizing your potential. We are not limited by your environments, culture, or race. We are not chained to your past or heritage. You have the opportunity to break various cycles, whether they are in your family or in society. I apologize if I haven't exposed that idea to you sooner. I vow to push you to grind, climb, and remind yourself that you were made to be the greatest aspect of God's creation. He loved you enough to preserve your soul so that you can have a fulfilling life before a just homecoming.
So to you and any other young man struggling to push, I'll be an extra hand. I'll be an extra opinion. I'll be that back-up battery God supplies in other people when you can't muster up the energy. I'm no Clark Kent in uniform, no Bruce Wayne white-eyed curing the night of it's cynical disease of hate. I am a man with a dream to help you animate your own. I'm sorry If I wasn't there for you in the past. I am here now, though, for as long as God allows.
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