June 15th 2011 is a day I will not soon forget. Our Canucks lose the Stanley Cup in game 7.. A devastating riot occurs in downtown Vancouver.. and the mark of 2 years to the day that I had not had a drink.. In my life this did not all occur in one night for no reason... The old me would have been curious about the chaos and maybe even joined in.. allowing myself to give in to the sheepish follower mentality who didn't do anything technically criminal, but certainly were guilty of taking it all in as entertainment.. After witnessing the terror and destruction unleashed on my city, I couldn't help but notice one common theme.
Alcohol and Anger...
The two go hand in hand, and that's a fact. After the crowd finally dispersed and we were allowed to re-enter the city I walked around seeing the destruction, feeling the still lingering tension and fear in the air.. seeing the mortified, exhausted, long faces of all of our emergency responders, some still in hazmat or riot gear... the putrid smell of burning garbage, mixed with the occasional wall of scent of strong perfume and cologne which had been smashed outside department stores... the air holding onto the tear gas which was still burning your eyes and throat.. the sound of crunching glass with every step you took.. the sounds of multiple choppers flying overhead shining spotlights down on the streets looking for looters and vandals.. seeing the trails of blood on the ground from those who had been either innocently or deservingly injured.. it was completely surreal.. I thought I was walking through a hot movie set.. But I wasn't.. and reality kicked in.. and I realized a few things right then.
I am where I am supposed to be right now in my life.. regardless of the rough roads which lead me to this point I am at this moment fulfilling my calling. I am leading a path to hopefully help establish some future security in the mental health and well being of our society.. That with each person, I am contributing to help restore our community for future generations to be able to grow up with some mentorship and positive influence in their lives.. I have the clarity today to see that there are so many people who fall victim to the tragic life drugs and alcohol, and this event is an exact example of where the behaviour can lead.. the only reason I have this clarity is because I had to walk my own path down that road.. I may not have been a vandalizing criminal my entire life, but I sure had my moments once upon a time.. But this is one thing I now know for sure, I may not have been able to do anything to stop what happened during the riot.. and there is of course a lot more to be said about what happened then I can cover right now.. but my part in this is that I can continue contributing part of each day of my life moving forward toward providing a solution for some of these people.. Instead of hating them for what they've done, I feel empathy for them.. Their lives cannot be very tolerable if this is the demonstration of behaviour of the feelings they are harbouring inside.. Instead of writing them off as douchebag scum, I see them as vulnerable tortured souls who really just need some serious help.. This is not an end all solution of course, and this is a society that will never be totally obsolete.. but one can hope that in time, by educating humanity, some of this will be resolved.. and more people will be able to live with new peace in their lives instead of destruction in their hearts. If one doesn't dream and believe, then it may never become a reality.. so for the record, right now, I believe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment