USA wins Gold with the help of a young man coming from one of New Jersey's Urban Communities
I remember reading a great comparrison story written by my friend Starr Santina Muha on Why It's Like Being Paris Hilton, comparing her life to Paris'. Ironically enough after watching the news one day before the 200I8 Olympics which had a phenomenal intro, I was inspired by a young man named Cullen Jones on the USA Swimming team. Although what I went through as a young man with goals outside what the streets had, staying away from drugs, guns and violence wasn't always far from reach. That's an issue many do not understand, in an environment filled with negative options, you can refuse things negative but they are still at hand reach.
It's all about being a team, I think the bigger a more positive team the stronger you are. Cullen Jones had to first succeed in surviving and avoiding some of the most designs of community obstacles that may keep you from perusing your dreams and goals. Then having to share a pressure to represent not just where he comes from but also the country he's from.
Therefore in comparison to his short journey I'm seeing my long journeys as I'm still swimming in rough waters but like many sports , there wont be a victory without a team. Advocacy, Music, Journalism and Video my 4 person team. Paralysis wouldn't be considered the best way to show I'm coming to pass out of the rough community although my path from the community that had part in my paralysis also laid the stones of my address to change. My paralysis, my pain and my struggle didn't end the problems developing around me, they just seemed to increase.
So once I stroked in the waters of success, my team had to swim together. Every athlete needs a couch and dedicated teammates or the game will be hard to win. Weather it be the advocacy, journalism, music or video this team needs multiple players. Someone to assist, someone to coach and others to cheer you on, you support and motivation to keep you going. If you lose one it's like starting all over again. I compare that to everything I do, being paralyzed requires a team, if I can't control the devices I use, someone has to push the buttons, if my status is unknown to a place I want to capture a story, I need a pass to obtain any information and the rest goes on to video and advocating.
Cullen Jones, his teammates, his coaches, family and support made up one big team, so what was their Gold Medal in compression to how we swim. It's clear to me now, it's going to take UNITY, no one payer can be in charged and although many people want to lead us to a cure or a being called the King or Queen of something, there'll be nothing long lived if we just don't become one team. So as I watched the Olympics every country get's a chance to be in a competition where every player is more likely to come home. But in War there are no more then likely to come home , in your community your fighting may take an innocent life, and at home your domestic disputes mat leave orphans or broken families, sure not every player will get along, some may even get caught in an illegal act but the game must be played by a team in order to complete a mission.
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