-Dortell Williams, Correctional Facility, Lancaster, CA
They say you only get out what you put in. I hear of guys “marrying up,” meaning that they marry someone better than themselves. But the strategy fails and they get divorced. Kinda explains why the divorce rate is so high.
Then there are the guys and girls who hang out with people smarter and sharper than they are. Why? Because they are sharper and smarter than they are. Eventually, that plays out, too. Who wants to hang out with dummies all the time?
So what works best in a relationship? I’ll tell you: When both parties have something to offer. The best thing going is when I can teach you something and you can teach me something. They call that iron sharpening iron. But how can a person “get sharp”?
How can a person make herself or himself smarter? The same way smart people do, they read. Smart people read. They ask questions to smart people, not people who do not read or study and they learn new things every day. The thing is, the more you know, the more worth you have — to everybody, no matter where you come from.
When you think about it, that’s the way the world works. Every person in society, except us criminals, contributes a little. The trash collectors keep the cities clean, which helps everybody else stay healthy so they can contribute.
So the nurses nurse, and doctors mend bones, close gunshot wounds and deliver babies. The babysitters look out for the kids while mamas type million-dollar documents (think big), drive million-dollar loads across the country, and teach students.
The news reports how well the students do, and the legislature passes more education laws to help the poor kids ‘cause they know education works (if this isn’t your world, then you can contribute by getting smart and changing this).
The bottom line is no one has to marry up, down, or hang out with unequals If we all learn new things, whatever struggles you may be suffering as an individual, can be fixed if we all step up to the plate. Ever seen so-called handicapped people do their thing?
The blind, those without arms or legs, people who can’t hear. They contribute; they make it happen in spite of the challenges. So, what’s stopping you?