Necessary Conversations

“We all love to talk about how the love of money is the root of all evil, but we fail to have the discussion about how the lack thereof, is the soil from which that evil tree will sprout from.”

-O.I.O

I ponder on this line that dropped into my head an awful lot as my days go by, how often we neglect the discussion that many of the ills we face can be mitigated by tackling the issue of lack and the horrid spirit of desperation that comes with it. A spirit that drives many into fraud, theft, drug trade, prostitution, murder, robbery…an endless list of vile and distasteful atrocities, many of which are committed with the sole aim of escaping the unfortunate fate that is severe lack, a fate which drives many to take forcefully because nothing was ever given freely, to watch the world burn because they had never felt warmth or to even give up their own lives because they only existed and never truly lived.

We’ve failed to have these conversations but have instead mastered the art of judgment, we condemn those who were driven to walk dark paths, and albeit rightly so as many of these acts defy moral justification and are inexcusable, but still my grievance lies in our lack of empathy, in our refusal to consider what extents desperation might drive us to, in our ignorance to the fact that survival in its rawest form, demands a price and more often than we would like to admit, morality is the collateral; and in our denial of the truth that many of us would have been no different within those circumstance…and perhaps maybe even far worse.

We must therefore sit with these issues, not just observe them from a distance. To curb the many faces of lack (be it economic, social or emotional). We must commit to filling the void in the lives of others. No one should bear that burden alone, and no one ever truly can. Reach out to a friend, check in, make those around you feel seen, heard, and valued. Uplift those your strength allows you to carry.

For those who’ve escaped lack, strive to become the hero you once needed, the one you searched for in your darkest moments.

And for those who are strong, your duty isn’t just to shield the weak, but to teach them strength so they can protect not only themselves, but those who cannot.

We all have a role to play in this grand theatre that is life, so let’s play them right even up until the last act.