Hello Beat readers and writers, far and wide! Welcome back to another double-issue of The Beat Within, 28.39/40. We’re always so inspired by each and every one of the pieces we publish, and the writing here is no exception.
For this issue’s editorial note, we turn it over to Omar Turcios, to talk about what it means to fight the good fight. Omar, take it away!
It’s OT, reporting live from Managua, Nicaragua, from the land the quakes, shakes, and under this hot sun we all get baked! I want to extend a warm embrace to all of our readers and I hope you guys and gals are thrilled to read our latest double edition of the only magazine that keeps it one thousand with our readers and contributors.
I am really impressed with what you young authors wrote for this recent issue. I see many of you talk about how you want to do better for you, your family, and loved ones; and that’s what life’s all about. Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes in life. We all deserve the chance to keep bettering ourselves.
Everything in life is a process, and nothing happens overnight, not even success. So I’m extremely proud to hear many of you speak about your goals and future accomplishments and the fact that you want to stay out of these institutions, because as you see for yourself, this is not the life. We all deserve to be at home in our own rooms, with your loved ones, eating that home cooked meal, or having that option to order your favorite meal from Uber Eats.
I remember when I was in juvenile hall, I never had any intentions of trying to improve my life. I just told myself I was going to be much smarter and go right back out to committing crimes and keep living the street life to the fullest. As you can tell — and as I would later find out — the odds were stacked against me/us. I would get caught again, again, and again, until I got my federal penitentiary bid that would end with the ultimate consequence of being sent to Nicaragua.
But I’m not here to talk about my story as much as I want to talk about a certain topic that many of you wrote about. One of our recent topics was titled “The Fight: Tell us about the last fight that you got into, and was it worth it?” Many of you wrote about a physical fight, which is understandable, but I’m gon’ tackle this topic from a different perspective, and I do want all of y’all to listen close because I know something is going to resonate or strike a chord within your heart.
Let me tell you something ladies and gentlemen, and it’s plain and simple. Life itself is a fight. It’s a struggle, a hustle, a stress-case, whether you’re working that nine to five to put food on the table for your siblings, children, your family, or even for yourself, this life is a fight. It’s a fight to stay on course with your goals. And for those of you who just barely started liking school, getting good grades, or completing your credits, maybe it took losing your freedom to really realize that you had that fight inside of you to accomplish things that you never thought possible.
See, life ain’t easy. It’s a challenge, a struggle, an obstacle, a hurdle. One day you’re on top of the world and the next you’re wearing someone’s draws. From one moment to the next you’re burying a loved one, the bills are knocking on your door and you don’t have enough for rent, the light bill, your internet plan, whatever your responsibilities are in life.
Some of us had to grow up fast, and sometimes we sit back and think that life ain’t fair and you’re right. Life ain’t fair. No one said it was supposed to be. I grew up working twice as hard as my peers. I had to work, hustle, and try to go to school at the same time.
There are certain things in life worth fighting for. Fight for your freedom. Fight for your rights as a human being and as an American citizen. Fight so that your family could live good, fight to end this mass incarceration of all of our brothers and sisters. But most of all, fight to overcome the challenges that bring you down to the road of negativity.
We all want to spend time with our brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, mothers, uncles, aunts, friends and all our loved ones. So don’t walk away from your challenges and obstacles. Fight the good fight. Every single person that’s incarcerated is fighting to get out, so don’t take your freedom for granted. It’s not worth it.
I choose to fight to inspire others to realize their true potential. You are all stars, athletes, doctors, rappers, mechanics, hustlers, high school and college graduates. Fight to strive and be the best that you can be. This is what The Beat Within taught me. This is what David Inocencio taught me. I love you, brotha. I will continue to fight to keep giving others a voice, and I will continue to fight the injustices in life, and continue to fight to be the best version of myself to be the best brother, father, cousin, uncle, and nephew that I could be. That’s what I fight for. Now, what do you fight for?
Thank you, Omar, for sharing your insight on what we should all be fighting for. We exist with and for each other, and we must keep our eye on our personal and collective big-picture goals!
With fall in full swing and COVID back on the rise, we encourage all our writers and readers to be safe and stay healthy. Take good care of yourselves, and remember that by taking care of yourself, you also ensure the health and safety of those around you, especially our elders and those with compromised immune systems.
We appreciate you, our readers and writers, for the work you put in to make our publication possible. As always, The Beat goes on!