Areena Reflect

The signal kept saying “Wait,” telling us to not cross yet.

Yet two young men decided to cross because cars were far away, seeing them another young man crossed behind them – a few seconds later. His calculation was a bit off so he ended up having to rush towards the end, or I should say I am not sure if he did any calculation on his own – he saw them and followed. As he came towards my side of the road, he looked at me and said, “Why Not?”

That was his humble effort to save his “image.” Because he was clearly self-conscious and not even sure about the decision he took.

This post isn’t about him.

It’s about the mindset.

“Why Not?”

There is a saying, if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything.

So many are just going through motions in life without ever asking themselves,

“What do I stand for?”

“What are my core values?”

In absence of clear reflection and answer to these questions, our people keep following others – because “Why Not?”

“It looks trendy”

“They got money”

“They are successful”

“They are smart, see they saved 5 seconds”

By the way, 2 seconds after they pulled off their move, the signal said Go. Was it really worth risking getting hit by a car?

When instead of asking if it’s right or wrong, we start asking ourselves why not – our whole plot is twisted. So as long as there is nobody to prove to us why we should not engage in something – we have a green signal?

This reminds me of what I was reading in Ballad of the Bullets, by Forrest Stuart, why old homies were scared of including youth into their work, “According to Rick and his associates, the incentive to “turn snitch” has given rise to a new mantra among neighborhood youth when they find themselves in handcuffs: “Why do ten when you can tell on a friend.”

While I am in no way supporting or promoting gang or drugs, I do believe loyalty and values are being ripped off of the people as time passes. We are raising followers, instead of leaders and team players.

Goal is simply to reflect “What do I stand for?”

For me, it’s Justice and Compassion.