Painful Irony

I read a very interesting and moving article today on ESPN. Bill Simmons, known as the Boston Sports Guy, and one of my personal favorite sports writers, wrote an article on the death of Jamiel Shaw. It's a truly moving article, and really brings to life the reality of losing a bright, young individual with his most of his life ahead of him. Not only that, but it also creates a vivid image of the painful irony that is inner-city life for underprivileged minorities. Honestly, I am anything but an authority on the subject. My parents were always there for me, they always provided for me, I never got into any serious trouble (other than the occasional after-school detention), and I never ever once thought that I could end up dead walking home from school. True, I know absolutely nothing about Jamiel Shaw the person. I only know the picture painted by Simmons and various other news outlets. But a good kid is a good kid. I know lots of kids back from my high school that could've easily fit the image of Jamiel Shaw: Star athlete, gets relatively good grades, trying his best to get the most out of life. Some of those kids were really good friends of mine; others were complete assholes. Yet, that doesn't mean they weren't good people. That doesn't mean they deserve to die.

It's truly sad and ironic that he died the way he did. He was simply minding his own business, when death came to him. He didn't go looking for it. He didn't get himself involved in any activity that would put him into that sort of situation. It came looking for him. This could've happened to any of us. And in the end, it was the exact life-style that he was trying to avoid that killed him. He, who had avoided gang involvement his entire life, was killed by it.

In instances like these, we all wish that something could be done. That someone would step up and take control of the matter to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. But, not all of us are made for such lofty tasks. Many of us, me included, would rather sit and wait for someone else to come along and fix such a massive problem. But I tell you now, someone like that will not come along unless we want them to. Someone who believes that such things require elimination, here and now, will not come along unless we make it known that we want someone like that. That's why it's so important for us to be involved politically. Not because we have to make sure to fill out our little ballot, punch our holes and fill in our dots. But we have to make sure that our opinions are known. That those who run our country know what we want. And this takes a commitment from each and every one of us. Not a huge commitment. Just a commitment to remember that each time you talk to someone about politics, each time you have a conversation with a friend, a mentor, a colleague, or an acquaintance, to make it known that things like this are intolerable. In this way, such small acts can accumulate to become large acts, and eventually, someday, someone will come along who will have the character and ability to do that which we cannot do ourselves. Perhaps that someone will be someone who was affected by Jamiel Shaw, or grew up in circumstances similar to his. Perhaps that someone will be someone like Jamiel Shaw's killer, who has a stunning change of heart. Perhaps that someone will be someone you know. Perhaps that someone will be you.

As a tribute to those who started out as normal people like you and I, and did extraordinary things, here is the video for "If Everyone Cared," by Nickelback. Even if you don't like the band, simply hear the message and watch the images. "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." But don't take my word for it. I'm just Simply Casually Observing.