"The Interrupters" is a
documentary about youth and gang violence in Chicago and the
grassroots organization that mediate between rival groups, doing their
best to reduce violence in the affected neighborhoods. I saw it
yesterday and I am watching it again today as I write.
I won't go into the details of
the documentary because there's so much in it. It's got several
branches or layers if you will, and getting into them would be like
writing a research paper. However, the sentiments I felt yesterday
are even stronger today and pushed me to write this post.
I heard one of the boys
interviewed say, "Who am I? I am nobody." Nobody ~ because
he doesn't know if after the interview, he'd be gunned down. Nobody ~
because for him (at least the way he sees it), there's no other way,
no way out. Nobody ~ because everything around him dictates that
being a "nobody" is his métier. Therefore, this brother was
living a life interrupted.
I couldn't help but think how he is
Somebody in God's eyes. He just needs to realize it and accept that
he is also Somebody, to himself. Except that at the stage he was in
during the making of the documentary, and the unflinching manner with which he answered his own question, he'd need help realizing it.
Now I'm thinking, it's high time
we had a subject or course in all school grade levels through high
school called “You Are Somebody” or “You Matter”. You can
ask about the kids who'd not be present in school to learn this.
Remember, I said ALL grade school levels. Remember also the phrase,
“Catch'em young.”
The earlier children learn that
no matter what environment they find themselves in and how much
everything around them tries to dictate otherwise, they can stand
strong in the knowledge that they matter and claim with conviction
that sentence, “I am Somebody,” the better the chances are that
they would make better choices for themselves instead of getting
involved in violent activities that interrupt their lives.
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