Everyone suffers from addiction at some point in their life. That sounds a little crazy and shocking, but everyone at some point becomes addicted to a substance, idea, or entity; however, it does not need to be negative. Personally, I grew up in an area where drugs were around, but they weren’t the only thing. I myself have suffered from addiction and seen people I love fall victim to a substance.
Today I went to the American Red Cross food pantry in Roxbury. Its a fulfilling experience giving food to those in need, especially when you have not eaten yet). On my walk back I saw a lot. I knew the walk back to campus would take an hour and I was going to go through an area very different from what BU offers, but I also knew the walk would give me fresh air and help me see what i have not seen in a while. On the walk I saw one man putting crack into a pipe, a few used needles on the ground, three people shooting heroin in between a few trees, and one individual cleaning fecal matter from his body. It was a long walk and an eye opening experience. It made me feel disgusted, but understand that we have no right to judge, as we too suffer from addiction. The walk reminded of Tay (from the Boston bridges Program), who mentioned how helping those who are imprisoned and in the inner city were important to him. I realized that I am in a position to help them as well and that is all I want to do with the world.
Today I am addicted to God, my family, those who I have the privilege to call friends, my studies, volunteer work, and coffee (but I can stop whenever I want, I swear). I can use the world around me, what I am addicted to, to create a positive force for my community and subsequently the world, and that is all I want to do.