I was very perplexed and intrigued by our discussion in last week’s
class about how external forces, such as a community, a neighborhood, one’s
parents, and one’s upbringing can either contribute or even hinder one’s
freedom. It was stated that kids and
teenagers from certain parts of the Greater Philadelphia Area could never get
out of their lives of poverty, welfare, crime, and violence because it was a
physical restriction that hindered their own abilities and achievements. It was also argued that those who are in those
difficult current conditions are not free because it confines them to that particular
state of living without the chance or even ability to be free from it – that
they aren’t able to attend colleges other than their city community college or get
jobs that are far from minimum wage.
I grew up and have lived my entire life in the Olney section of North
Philly, where the crime and violence rate is about as high as the number of
teenagers in that area who don’t finish high school. In comparison to the people in Olney who
can’t afford college or even the chance to get out of the neighborhood, there
are a plethora of people who still strive to attain and assert themselves in
order to combat their poverty-stricken lives and the drive-by shootings that
occur right on their street. I
personally know more than a handful of parents in Olney who have respectable
jobs and send their own children to likewise respectable colleges and
universities. I think that there are
times when one does feel as if he/she can’t do or even achieve better due to
their current lifestyles. However,
anyone, including those who live in difficult communities and situations, can
and is very able to leave their current harsh conditions because the mentality
of an individual is stronger than his/her own surrounding environment.
- Camille De Ramos
I think your story illustrates the remarkable ability of the human being to overcome all odds by rising from an impossible situation to create a new standard of living for themselves and their family. It demonstrates that freedom is the ability to decide that you don't want to live like those around you and work to a goal. Sure, some people might say that poverty eliminates freedom but I see that the strong let nothing stand in their way.
ReplyDeleteOne phrase really struck me: "mentality of an individual." At times we talk about wasted potential and wasted talent. This occurs quite often in this environments and situations, mainly because people do not believe they have the capacity to leave. A big reason for this is that they could be looked down upon for leaving the community. An example of this is Kendrick Lamar. He grew up in Compton and overcame some pretty intense odds to become the successful rapper he is today. In his album “Good Kid M.A.D.D. City,” Kendrick adds in a voicemail message (possibly his mother speaking) saying that he “should give back to his city.” One of the main issues this shows is that people are afraid to leave their surroundings because they know that many of those who do, fail to give back to their community. People who leave just aren’t looked at the same way. If, of course, they can look past this and overcome great odds, they can, as you said, get out of their situations and improve their lives, mainly because they have the freedom to do so.
ReplyDeleteAdding to the previous comment, I actually interpreted the statement “mentality of the individual” as another way of saying the will of the individual. The choice that you are claiming one could make to strive for a goal and to become someone who is defined more than just from his circumstances relates to the idea of having the will to do so. For me, will power is what drives our freedom of choice. So if you were to define freedom as will power in this example then yes, the people living in the inner city do have the freedom of will. -Janine R.
ReplyDeleteThis post goes along well with what we have been discussing at my service break trip meetings. I am attending a habitat for humanity trip this upcoming week where the people we will be assisting are facing extreme poverty. One of the most important things we were told to bring them is our love and hope in an attempt to bring up their spirits, helping the people to find happiness even in these less than favorable conditions. Therefore, it could be possible to free people from this poverty in the sense of happiness in the least.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post Camille as well as some of the comments that follow. Camille's story perfectly illustrates how economic conditions not only hinder freedom, but also enable them. For certain individuals, being surrounded by those that do well and do better than them gets them motivated and keeps them in line. Whereas for others, and for most who end up moving up from poor communities, the motivation comes from the fact "I have the ability to change my families circumstances if I use this freedom properly, so I need to try it with all I've got" and from there people are able to move up in society. On the other side, it is just as easy for these people to let their freedom restrict their future because they use it for wrong reasons. They have convinced themselves that their economic conditions greatly outweigh anywhere their free-will can get them, so they never even try.
ReplyDeleteWhile economic conditions do play a part in opportunity, it is not the deciding factor. There will be many obstacles that will have to be overcome on the road to success, poor economic conditions would just be another one of those obstacles. Truly, what I believe, is that hard work, passion and dedication are the only things you need to achieve what you desire. Some of the most successful people in the world came from next to nothing as well. Very rarely are things ever just handed to you in life. Most of the time you have to go out and take what you want.
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