What A Man's Gotta Do
"If you want to fuck with me, you've got to be either one of two things -
- 1. Crazy, or
- 2. Out of your mind."
My friend shared with me that this was something a New York City cab driver had said once - to him.
It reminded him of a pivotal moment during his teenage years - a personal moment of truth.
Blond haired and blue eyed, my friend like to play ball with 'the brothers'.
He grew up in an urban area and during an era where whites and blacks were kept separate. He also grew up with a passion for playing both basketball and football.
His drive to compete with the top players took him to the black neighborhoods where he would go to play everyday, during the summer, with the 'the brothers'. There would always be a crowd of over a couple of hundred people there and he would always be the only 'white boy'.
One day, during a heated ball game, my friend found himself in a confrontation with one of the other players. This guy was physically imposing and he was trying to physically impose himself on my friend. Without warning this guy takes the basketball throws it at my friend's face, hitting him hard. Then he just stood there and looked him in the eye, as if daring him to retaliate.
My friend was faced with a critical decision -
To be known to everyone forever as a push over
or
To be known to his self forever as someone who can't be pushed around.
His instincts dictated that he would stand and that, by whatever means necessary, he would establish himself, to himself, as someone who would not be pushed around.
He did what he had to do and it went better than he thought that it would.
When the rubber meets the road, when you are faced with your own moment of truth, when you've been put in to the "it's either me or them" position, will you -
Cut and run; let them drive you out
or
will take a stand and stand your ground.
That’s my two cents (for whatever it’s worth),
Auguste Roc
auguste@danaroc.com
