The Disconnect

"Ni66@ I'm bigger than you, so what you wanna do.. didn't know he had a 22" Dr. Dre "Lil Ghetto Boy"/

It amazes me to no end how many of our elders have made their minds up as to not fuck with the youth!!

I know, I'm going in immediately you may say, I've also gotta apologize early to my auntie for the cuss words.. She's a dedicated supporter and she knows I mean no disrespect.. But, I don't know any other way to express how I feel about this one!

My statement about the elders not f'n with the youth is very much geared toward the elder bro's.. and with that being said, of course this is not a blanket statement, it's a short term opinion that I hope corrects itself!!

But, as of this moment, it's 💯% of what I feel to be true.

As of lately, I've noticed far too often that older dudes, or "Ol Heads" as I like to call them seem to see young men as a threat!

I think it's possibly something that's been going on, but maybe since I've begun gathering numbers myself/ getting older, I'm noticing it alot more.

Because I don't look my age, some of the ol heads have mistaken me for a much younger man, and that's usually when the bullshit comes into play!

If it's pertaining to work, some have tried to either flex seniority, or send me off as tho I'm a rookie not only to the job, but to life. Since I'm already prepared for their misjudgement of me, I let it go for a while, just to see how far their going to take it.. it also gives me a glimpse of their character, but once it goes far enough I'm always able to put a pretty quick end to it, respectfully!

Although some times they are absolutely out of pocket with the things they try to get away with, I still choose the respect approach! Not just because they're elders or "ol heads," but because it allows me the opportunity to control the environment, even while they think that they're fully in control..

The part that frustrates me about the elders has really nothing personal to do with me, It's the opportunity that is lost in them being afraid of the youth..

When I say afraid, I'm not speaking of them being frightened by younger people, but more along the lines of insecurity! Something that I've been blessed with as I've began leaving my younger days behind is maturity, and with that came the ability to empathize..

I can understand their thoughts, even when I don't understand or agree with their actions.. I was under the impression that youth was for energy, as age is for wisdom.. Wisdom for me far outweighs the energy that I once had that I didn't know what to do with at the time!

Not knowing how to optimize my energy when I was younger was a direct affect from not having a relationship with my father.

Luckily, I had a few ol heads that helped me get my shit together before I had gotten into too bad a shape. Many of these young men are in need of similar opportunities..

I've never forgotten who helped me when I needed it, and It didn't take allot of talking for them to get through to me, just straight talk if any at all!

Seeing a mature man handle his business can be enough to make a young man desire more, and that's a good enough start!

Just as my stance is when sista's and brotha's get out of their bodies talking that separate talk, as though we don't need each other.. it's the same answer when it comes to dividing the youth and the elders..

To get to where we're going, we need to know where we've been!!