A Man Alone

A MAN ALONE

By Les “TJ” Hooks

A lot of times, we have this tendency to “judge a book by its cover.” If someone wears all black with a trench coat, many would assume that they like Marilyn Manson or worst, worship the devil. If a young brother chooses to wear dreads and prefers a white t-shirt, it’s assumed that he’s a hoodlum or worst, is a dope dealer. Though we ALL have had some legitimate SCREW UPS in our lifetime, have hurt other people deeply, or have put ourselves in holes so deep, it was deemed impossible for us to get our self out of, we still manage to kick people while they are down, and judge them, as opposed to lifting them up, or helping them better themselves.

This is some of what Mike Vick has had to deal with everyday for the last two years. I am in no way condoning what he did. It was wrong, it was heinous, and he has had to pay dearly for his crimes. Not only has Mike certainly had to search his conscious about what he was involved in, but I’m sure he has had to hand lots of so-called family and friends, their pink slips as well. That’s not an easy thing to do! The places I came up in, if you were in any way real, any way compassionate, or any way concerned with the well being of a person, you had their back when hard times came. You didn’t throw them under a bus at a moments notice. If your boy had a scholarship on deck to a prestigious university, what real friend would allow him to bring a gun to school in their backpack just for show or go anywhere near what we call, The Trap.

God tells us to be good stewards of what He has blessed us with. Mike obviously had to learn a lesson in that realm. Yet, the keyword is God! The last time I checked there was only one. So, who are we to judge a man? Certainly, we can talk about the situation but when you call him a thug because he used to wear braids, or because his brother had legal issues, or he has made some questionable decisions in the public arena, really you need not look any further than yourself. Those things don’t make him a thug, they make him human.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with this: when your child doesn’t want to follow in your footsteps and become a doctor or lawyer but instead, pursue a career in music, does that make them a nobody or does that make them independent, and passionate? When a family member gets a DUI, should that automatically label them as a drunk or were they just irresponsible? When Mike Vick gets caught in a dog fighting ring, goes to prison, serves his time, and comes out wanting to pursue his career and live life more abundantly, as opposed to tearing him down to make yourself look or feel better, should we not lift him up, so others won’t make the same mistake?

Copyright © 2009, by Les “TJ” Hooks, Hooks Freelance LLC

All rights reserved