TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN...

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July. Where I am the 4th has always been an amazing experience. From the time we found a lake home here on Burden Lake in upstate New York when my kids were teenagers, there has always been a mob here on the 4th. This is mainly because we, as well as everyone around the lake, had great fireworks. As the kids got older the fireworks got more and more professional...one year a friend of my son who was a pyrotechnician took charge of the whole thing.
Now my kids are grown and their kids are either in college, entering college or will be in the next year or two. All my grandchildren and their friends and our neighbor's kids found their way here yesterday. Some have recently gotten engaged, others are falling in love, and others have little else on their minds then the boating, waterskiing, tubing, trampoline jumping, and computer games that were all taking place. The scene is a very different one now...including the fact that there are no more fireworks--too much trouble and money. I didn't see the little kids anymore, I saw young adults going out into the world. And I'm acutely aware of the choices they will have to make, especially at this moment in time.

In conjunction with my time spent here I have been trying to frame a new play with music about domestic violence. I have done several interviews in order to get a sense of cause, and this week I plan to visit the county jail. Actually a Guard there was here yesterday and we talked. One theme comes up througout every discussion of any kind...drugs, drugs, drugs, access to guns and more drugs. In addition I was amazed to find out how many inmates use the system to further their ability to get drugs. No home where their is a relationship to anyone dealing drugs can be without a gun for protection. And this scene is not limited to the 'inner city'. We're talking weed(marijuana),smack(heroine), crack(laced cocaine),ice(chrystal meth)and pills--of every sort. And always alcohol...no one does any of the above without alcohol use. It is not just welfare kids who are faced with this phenomenon...it is high school and college students, lawyers, doctors, entertainers----all of us. Everyone on medication at any age for anything also must make choices. "Do I drink and drive home?" "Can I have something with the medicine I'm already on?" With overuse of any of the above listed, and a gun nearby, peppered with anger from all our stress---BANG! Another tragedy.

This is what those beautiful young adults are being faced with. To 'use', to 'party', to 'drink' and on and on and on. Certainly more pervasively than when I went to school. It appears to be the most common way to socialize. The good news is that I was able to glean hope from these kids who are all completely aware of that which I've been outlining and who still give me a sense that they possess an inner strenth and value system that will hopefully see them through this all important life 'choice'. Lord knows they will have so many more 'choices' as our world gets more and more difficult to navigate. What one of my beauties had to say was that the main thing is 'to be who you are" I like to think she meant "to be strong enough to be who you are". If you have a value system that doesn't 'value' these things, and if you have certain goals set for yourself---you have to be able to say "no". After all, they told me, "no one is shoving it down your throat". In fact I learned that other kids who make the choice to do these things do not disrespect those who decline. They just kind of say "whatever...more for me". And one young 'inner city'
girl I interviewed last week who has two brothers in prison, told me "parties aren't everything--I saw what happened to my brothers and I'm concentrating on my step dancing, not goin to 'parties'!"

I have no definitive answer here today...just thoughts that I wanted to share because I believe our primary war should be fought on the terrorism of the drug culture that is killing us faster than any other kind of the terrorism.

Dr. Mimi Scott
518 674-8505
917 846-2449