Greetings friends of The Beat Within! Welcome to double issue 23.45/46! This magazine that you have in your hands, like other issues, took a lot of hard work and effort from all of our staff and dedicated writers to complete. We would like to send a big shout-out to everyone: from all the counselors and teachers inside the various Juvenile Halls that we do workshops in, to all our workshop facilitators, editors, graphics lay-out designer, and all the juvenile hall youth, the Ranches, community based organizations, schools, and all our friends and writers from our BWO Section that are locked down in county jails and prisons all over the United States, from California to Florida. Now allow us to pass the keyboard to our incredibly dedicated colleague and friend, OT!
It is great to be back this week, reporting to you live from the hot Volcanic rocks of Managua, Nicaragua. By the time you guys get this fresh Beat Within off the press, you will have known that the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series! Some of you probably don’t care about sports, or maybe even hate baseball, but that’s okay. I’m a big sports fan, and that’s just me, so y’all deal with it!
There’s a problem that I have right now folks, and I’m pissed off! I mean, I am scorching hot right now! I have a serious problem right now, and I don’t know what to do. I mean, usually in every Ed’s note I give my two cents about what I feel, and I try to deliver a positive message that you can retain. Every time you read my words, I want you all to be like “Damn, he has a point.” You know what I mean?
I want my words to have meaning and to impact you in such a way that you see the positive truth about your cold hard situation, because wherever there is dark, there is light, and trust me folks, remember that many of you are only beginning this mountain climb that we called life, and best believe it will be a steep rocky climb. Even if you fall, you will be the only one that can pick yourselves back up. No one can do it for you.
My goal is to motivate you. My goal is to fill your tank all the way up when you feel like life’s journey has you feeling like you are riding on “E”. Some of the shhh that I say will sound a tad bit crazy, but if you stop for a second, and re-read it, you will only see (like one of my favorite rappers would say) Mozzy- “I’m just being honest.”
Now back to the subject. I’m mad, I don’t know what to do, so I need some help from all you folks that are reading this, okay? I’m trusting you all, that you are gonna guide me through because I’m so mad right now that I’m ready to do something stupid without thinking.
I’m mad when I read the news. I’m mad when I watch the politics debacle that’s going on in our world and the painful news of the world.
I saw something this past week that inspired me to want to inform you readers, but I think all of you that are in system already know this. That the U.S. spends a considerable amount more money on the corrections department than they do on elementary and secondary education.
This is no secret, and I’m not surprised, but where is our world coming to? For those that have been a part of the system, I hear you complain about how the system is set up for those of us inside of it to keep coming back. We get mad at the system for creating an environment where we breed hatred and we kill off our own kind. We segregate each other by race, and then after race, many of us split each other up by gang affiliations.
We do it, and then blame the system for doing it. I mean we do it first, then blame the system for doing it. I know I just repeated myself, but that’s because I want you to read it twice, in case you only decide to read this once.
We create gangs, we sell drugs, we get money in all the illegal ways possible. I know some of you do it because you feel like you had no other choice or option, but for those of you who sell drugs, or have sold drugs, think about what you are actually doing. You are being a sellout, because you are getting rich off somebody else’s misfortune, addictions and misery.
So, the same way that Bob Barker is getting hella rich off those county clothes you are wearing, and I just checked my Federal Penitentiary jacket that they gave me when I got released from the Federal Correctional because I had no clothes, it says Bob Barker, he’s making money off our misery and misfortune, but at the very least he is giving y’all socks and draws to wear. You definitely don’t want to be in the snow without a jacket, I don’t care how tough you say you are, you will freeze.
I’m really mad because the Holidays are almost here, and during the holiday season you feel a special buzz in the air. People are way nicer, than they normally are, they are so freaking jolly that it’s annoying. You go get your Starbucks and the cashier has a big smile on their face, and sometimes it’s annoying because you wonder if it’s really their personality or if they are just doing it just because their boss told them, “make sure you smile to every customer and say happy holidays, or else….”
During the holiday season, in prison I have seen active rival gang members wish each other Happy Holidays and wish each other’s their families well, little kids are on their best behavior(so Santa brings them their present), food and toy drives for the underprivileged are publicly announced more than Drake Concerts and Ford F-150 Commercials. During the holiday season even see the Democrats and Republicans getting along.
I’m mad because I feel like we are all hypocrites, because just imagine how the world would be like if WE ALL wake up every morning, every single day, acting like it’s Christmas or Thanksgiving. You know that super positive, magical attitude that’s trapped inside of you, that for some of you, it only gets awoken maybe once or twice a year, during this particular season. Just imagine if me, you, your neighbor, your cellie, your teacher, Trump, business owners, regular Joes and Josephines, woke up, and wished everyone we saw throughout our day a great day. Just imagine the positive impact that would have?
Imagine if we woke up every day with that positive attitude, willing to go out of our way to help the next man, or next woman, or the next elderly person, or a little kid. Imagine if we woke up every day feeling a little bit more unselfish than the previous day, and not just during the holidays, I think this world would be a much better place. Don’t you think?
So, why am I mad? Because I’m sitting here wondering why we just don’t do it!? Why do we wait for the winter holiday? Why not do it in January, February, March, April, May all the way to December. By the time November, December comes around, we be so burnt out of being so nice, and positive, but who cares if we are too tired of being positive and jolly we did it for ten out of the twelve months of the year. It’s better than what we are doing right now, with only two out of the twelve months of the year. Do you get my point?
I’m mad because I want you to give me a good reason why you are not doing it? And don’t start it off with “because I….” that will only show me you’re only thinking of yourself first. Because it’s simple. If you think about others first, before you, you wouldn’t be where you’re at today. I think we could all be a little bit more grateful on any given day, and not only just on the holidays.
One love to everybody lock down and free who is going through some type of struggle. I wish you all a great day, a great week and great month. OT is signing out. The Beat keeps going and going…