The good book says that “where there is no
vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18. This is just as true now as it was when this
proverb was first written. In fact,
every day I see examples of people with a lack of vision in my Court, in the
schools and on the streets of our cities.
There are too many people dying mentally, spiritually and physically
because they lack vision.
An example of the lack of vision is a case that
was in my court room where a young girl, 20 years old, was living with her
boyfriend, 55 years old, and accused him of domestic violence. Though I will not get into the specific facts
of this case, the points of interests are as follows. The young lady was 20 years old, living on
her own after graduating from high school.
She was not working and not furthering her education. So I asked myself, how do people end up in
these types of situations? The answer is
that somewhere along the line she and the people in her life did not set a plan
for her. When I say people in her life
I’m talking about her parents, guardians, family members, school teachers,
counselors and school administrators.
Every person who had a chance to touch the life of this young lady before
she became an adult failed her. On top
of the communities failure, she failed herself.
Another example is a conversation I had with a
community man talking about the youth in the hood. This man mentioned that if these young men
don’t have anything to do, they will end up burglarizing and robbing
people. His solution? Have them pass out campaign literature, work
election polls and other odd jobs. My
response? WRONG! Small jobs and working here and there will
not secure a young person’s future.
Instead our young people have to get a vision, start working in the
direction of their vision and continue being educated so that they can
positively maximize their moments. This
is the solution to keeping us, as well as our youth from suffering due to lack
of vision.
The next step, according to Proverbs 29:18,
and very relevant to me as a Judge, is to keep the law. Keeping the physical laws of man are
important because it will keep you from going to jail. Also, keeping the law of
living through a vision will keep you happy and prosperous. To keep the law of living with a vision you
must: 1. Associate with people whose lives you would like to live. That seems like a simple statement but its
not. We must surround ourselves with people moving in the
right direction. This can be especially
challenging in the inner city where the biggest influences are often the
criminals or those who are stuck in the ghetto mentality. Avoid those people. Though you can have casual interaction with
them, hi and bye, don’t waste your valuable time with them. It’s possible that they could be holding you
back from your destiny. 2. Study or read
for at least an hour a day. If you are
in school this should be an automatic practice.
If you have finished school you must still continue to learn and grow.
You can study at the library, the book store or even on the internet. Once you identify what you want to accomplish
for your future, you have to put in the time to study so that you can actually
achieve that goal. Don’t let anyone tell
you that your best life can be achieved without hard work and dedication. Hard work and dedication includes studying to
be the best that you can be.
Our young people are suffering and even dying
due to a lack of vision but it doesn’t have to be that way. Get focused and make the rest of your life
the best of your life.
East Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge William L. Dawson is on a
mission to help people to Finish First, live their best lives and be Cycle Breakers!
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www.teamfinishfirst.com
