by Tam Huynh
My belief system today is the result of years of rebuilding my life, from the once negative beliefs and values I chose when I joined a gang. My joining the gang pushed the belief system and culture of my Vietnamese de ance, and terror. It was the cost of believing this was that caused me to retaliate for being jumped by a rival gang, and kill an innocent man. Today my belief system is built upon these basic principles:
A. Higher Power Spiritually B. Living Animals
C. Family and its legacy
D. Self-Empowerment
E. Moral Inventory F. Community
By having these positive elements framing my day to day life, I am demonstrating to others like myself that a change in thinking impacts behavior and values. My belief system speaks volumes to the power of change. We can live life one of two ways, relative or active.
If we live relative, we are but hostages to negative impulses and life’s ebbing ways. If we live active our belief system and its choices offers us greater ability to obtain the best of every situation involving ourselves, others and life.
What is my belief system? Believing in the gang life style and my gang absolutely cost my victim’s family, my community, my family, society, as well as me a lot. I gave 100% of my loyalty to my gang yet, I was numb to the consequences of my choices and actions, which put my gang ahead of my family, relatives, and my community.
I was once upon a time, your age and rebellious/close minded/ and thirsty for the things that made me feel accepted, admired and appreciated. Now I know that all I really wanted was to belong, and to have a sense of security in new community and country.
My joining a gang was my way of lling up the holes in my world. It gave me attention and affection for my willingness to do whatever was needed in order to maintain respect before dishonor. My belief system and its values were truly wrong because they overran the correct values my mother and family maintained, which kept our family no matter where we resided.
Today, I ask each of you to think about where you are today. Think about the cost and consequences you and your family pay for you to pursue your negative choices. Consider the pain and misery you will encounter in spending a life sentence in prison because you valued your gang and homies greater than the lives, tears, and prayers of your mother and other family members. Or will you become another body bag and toe tag at the morgue? A bullet riddled body that your love ones must come to identify and claim for a spot at the cemetery.
What would be your thoughts as both your blood and life spilled upon a city street, the product of urban street violence, dying too young and needlessly in order to prove what?
Fortunately, you are not there today, you can change! This isn’t your life story; it’s only a chapter you are going through. I ask you to keep it real, by looking deeply at what your belief system is because it is your beliefs that chooses the road and destination your life will pursue. Today, choose life and the unity of those who seek to help you!!!
I am happy to say, that today my belief system carries the value of reaching out to each of you hoping that, my reaching out to you, will cause you to change the reality that you have now, for the achievable, unlimited, positive life potential of your tomorrows to come.
Respectfully yours… One love!