Love Letters
October 5, 2006
Love Letters really solidified something that I’ve believed in ever since I had gotten into high school. Never judge someone based upon their race, class, what they’ve been through or where they are going in life. I truly believe every person has some type of quality about them, it is only up to them if they decide to utilize those qualities.
There is a large amount of gang activity in the city of Albany, much of that diffuses off of the streets and into the high school. I have always looked at it as not something to be afraid of, but a way of life. There isn’t anything you can do to stop it, so you must live with it. Throughout my 4 years in high school I became friends with many kids that were affiliated with some type of gang within the city. Many of these kids are very intelligent; and enlisted in honors classes at the high. Of course this is not all of them, but definitely a decent amount. They’re all nice kids, and alot of them enjoy making people laugh. Half of the reason these kids are in gangs is due to the fact that their family life is broken, so they turn to their friends to cling to, and feel that type of love, support, and belonging.
In no way am I trying to advocate gang activity. I’m just trying to explain it as I know it based upon my own experiences. Yeah, alot of these kids are pretty good kids, they’re just going down the wrong path at this time in their life, but honestly, who doesn’t go down the wrong path at one time or another? Some of them are able to come out of it and lead successful lives, some are not, like the three friends i’ve lost due to gang activity. I suppose I’m saying life has its ups and downs, and no matter where a person is in life, whether it be an up or a down, you should always treat someone with respect and as much as I don’t want to say it, don’t judge a book by its cover.
October 9, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Great response. I’m sure everyone knows a least one person who is part of a group who is definitely leading down a path of failure. From what I can tell, these are good kids (like you said). Some of us are more fortunate that others. Those people who are less fortunate are just trying to get by until the right moment can come along and make their life better. Whether that be time in jail to realize what to do in life, or a nice man lets you take a job somewhere to make ends meat… when the time comes for those less fortunate people, they are the ones who will succeed in life because they have grown to be such strong people based on their past.