Recently, I have noticed the harsh words we throw toward “our” stars and our youth. More black people hate Labron James, it seems, than the great number of Palestinians that hate Jews. It seems that we truly forget that he is a young black man who is despised by the system that created him because he is what he is. At this point in his life he needs our prayers and our love more than he needs our unrighteous indignation because he made a decision that he thought best for his family. I do understand that people were rubbed wrong by the “Decision”, but if YOU allow the entire world to scrutinize EVERY decision your child makes you will quickly notice how many people truly love or hate your little one! My bet is that they will eat him/her up, what a shame! In that moment, your child would love to have the loving protection of the community(village) to allow him/her to learn and grow from such a mistake. With LaBron, we killed and ate our young, what a greater shame. People seem to be overjoyed that he was not able to win an NBA championship….YET!!
Our young stars that seem to be so out of control makes us long for the days of “Self-Destruction, and “We’re all in the same gang”? Really??? We forget that our generation of violent concertgoers and Bloods, Crips, VC, Folks, and Gangsta Disciples. Our youth didn’t start this, even if they think they did. Times are getting no worse; we are getting better and more sensible as we age, as does every generation. You don't really want to know what Granny was in her 20's, TRUST ME on this one. Since the1920’s each parent has wished their children partied like they did only because they have blocked out the unsavory parts of that time in their life. Since the 1920's gangs and shaking heads of adults who don't undestand what happened to the youth continue to exist.
REALLY!!!!
I don’t remember any of the parties I went to as a youth being without the threat of violence, the disrespect of certain youth, the disregard for elders (remember your Rockford Fosgate speakers that you didn’t turn down in your grandmothers neighborhood). I remember crack dealers on each corner and car-jackers possibly at every drive through. Hell in Houston we closed down all of the drive-inn movies because the generation that was so much better than the kids today could not control themselves and lives were lost! We eat our young because consuming them helps us to somehow forget that they are just like us. We eat our young because we like to pretend the times are worse and they deserve it, We eat our young because we have lost the will to direct them and to pray them out of bad circumstances. We eat our young because it is easier than admitting we created these monsters. We eat our young because we have neither intention nor the will to slay the monsters of our creation. Labron is ours; Lil Wayne is ours, just as Tupac was our parent’s angel and demon, all of our parents!! We have to stop consuming our young and learn to nurture them even from a distance. We have to learn that they are not to be thrown away when incarcerated. We have to realize they are the future that we mold and they will also think that their children are worse than ever. There is nothing new under the Sun. What ever they think they are doing, we already did and so did our parents and so did their parents and so did………..
I don’t suggest you get with it and suddenly perpetuate the wrong of our children. I am saying they are young and they too will one day laugh at their shenanigans. They will turn into you, God willing, and you will have to remind them not to eat your grandchildren, you will have to remind them of their high-top fade, Afro, sagging pants, mysterious jewelry, dashiki's, afropicks with the fist, and strange noises that they called music. You have to remind them that their kids that are just terrible will grow to adults too, someday! When this happens the cycle continues. One day Lil Wayne and Kanye will be on the afterhours Time Life old School CD commercials. You don’t have to love their generation, but you do have to understand that they are not all that they are called to be yet. Be patient with them, God is not finished with them yet. This is the only way you can save them from being eaten and consumed by these "horrible" times!
Very good stuff Trennan Eugene Gamble! Inspirational and thought provoking!
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