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Kimmi
Therapy Thursdays
Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone
Tags: abuse, certainty, cocaine, ishmael beah, long way gone, smoking crack, susan shapiro
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Kimmi
Therapy Thursdays
Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone
Tags: abuse, certainty, cocaine, ishmael beah, long way gone, smoking crack, susan shapiro
Well, I get what your friends are saying (I think) but . . . their are normal circumstances and extraordinary circumstances. In fact, you and Ishmael are great examples of that.
You’ve had your challenges, but your life, overall, falls well within the parameters of “normal,” right? His life circumstances have been extraordinary by any measure.
Yes, we can definitely say with certainty that under normal circumstances we would or wouldn’t do certain things. Of course you’d never just walk out of your (normal) apartment and shoot someone. But if, by some extraordinary turn of circumstance you were forced into a life or death, kill or be killed situation, then who knows?
Just as someone who’s not an orphan can’t truly know what it’s like to grow up without parents, none of us can know for sure what we’d do if forced in Ishmael’s circumstances. And maybe it’s arrogant for us to even presume that we might know.
But I can say to an absolute certainty, minus a crystal ball, that I will never do crack and that any man who takes a shot at me had better have good aim, because he’s not getting a second chance and his next conversation is going to be with the police. Definitely.
Deborah! I love the distinction between normal and extraordinary circumstances, and how one’s “normal” life might take a turn to the extraordinary, and how that’s something we clearly can’t predict. And I love that you can say with absolute certainty that you would never do crack or accept abuse. I think that’s awesome. I think I could say the same thing, but I was challenged and wanted to get some feedback on the subject. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts!