Sorry you had to lose your brotherk and best friend MMT.... Losing your brother must have been extremely difficult. Did you lose them both at around the same time? I remember the day I woke up to find my girl dead like it was yesterday and this has been bringing up old memories of all the friends I have lost over the years.
I was haunted the first time I saw the episode of Breaking Bad where Jesse wakes to find Jane in bed because she reminded me so much of my girl it was scary. This world can be so cruel sometimes because she was so sweet and innocent and it hurts to think that I indirectly contributed to her death. I would gladly take her place if it would bring her back.
People think that drug dealers are all money hungry scum preying on people just so they can buy designer clothes and tricked out rides but my cousin had a wife and two kids he left behind. Even though He sold heroin that brought harm to others it was because he was partially ignorant, didn't graduate from high school, didn't know the true nature of addiction and could provide a service and product that was directly requested of him. He was not a saint nor is anybody else. He lived for his family and he lived extremely modest. He would never leave any of his regular buyers sick. I think it says a lot about his character that his customers(a lot of them became friends) took it upon themselves to hunt this guy down and dole out street justice.
He was murdered for a measly half ounce of dope and a couple thousand dollars. So many lives ruined for what amounts to peanuts in the grand scheme of things and now two kids are left behind without a dotting father. Some people would say "Oh.... he was in the game and it was the chance he took" but those same people are so quick to jump and defend addicts and drug users without realizing that drug dealers are people trying to support their families the only way they knew how. He wasn't a cold hearted gang banger in the least bit. Now I have look into the eyes of his sweet, innocent 2yr old daughter and try to tell her.." where daddy went." This all makes me sick to my stomach.
I am sorry if I am bumming anybody out this morning but sometimes I think we loose our humanity if we are so easily able to turn our heads and look away from such things just because it didn't happen to us or have a direct or immediate impact on our lives. How can we expect compassion and understanding with our own trials and tribulations? Empathy is the glue that holds society together. People say the world runs on greed but we would not have made it where we are today as a race or country if everyone chased their own desires unchecked and unfettered while ignoring the pains of our fellow man. It is not our ability to stand independently strong that has made us great but our ability to work together. Without empathy we would simply eat each other alive in a desperate bid to trample our way to the top and it all starts when we turn our heads just because we find something unpleasant and don't want to be bothered with trying to empathize or understand because it doesn't concern us or our interests.
Well I got a bit off topic but I think it is a subject that is much more important than bodily fluids. A subject that is paramount to the survival and prosperity of our country "United We Stand, Divided We fall." Even the founding Fathers understood the importance of empathy. Sorry this death has really just rocked our family but we Puerto Ricans know how to stick together and we will survive. I will defend these ideals with my family, brothers, sisters, fellow addicts and Americans to the death(La familia.) I love you guys and thanks for putting up with my bullshit speech in my time of need. PEACE..........