Apophatica

Bella Bond was found in a bag along Boston’s shoreline.  It is apparent that the two year-old was beaten/suffocated to death by her mother’s boyfriend who thought she was a demon.  Bella’s mother is a prostitute and drug addict who had a history of having children taken away from her by the state.

Too many of our youth are in unhealthy home environments and a significant number of them have no voice to speak out with.  While we have systems in place to deal with abusive and unstable parents, there are still many who fall through the cracks and end up dead either physically or emotionally.  Those who are “lucky” enough to survive the hostile environment they have the misfortune of being born in to, often end up dealing with emotional wounds the rest of their lives that lead to the perpetuation of destructive behavior.  Few, however, find a constructive way to work through their healing – people such as Marshall Mathers.

Mathers, the rapper known as Eminem, was no stranger to an environment that led to a fractured soul.  An addict mother with Munchausen’s Syndrome, a father who pulled a disappearing act, an uncle who was his same age who committed suicide, and other unhealthy factors were a reality at their home on 8 Mile in Detroit.

Mathers could have easily turned to the things that so many troubled youth do.  Drugs, violence, gangs, all awaited him and he started down the path toward them.  But then he realized he had a talent.  He found that poetic expression through rap was healing.

If only more youth had a creative outlet to express themselves and find the healing they need.  Unfortunately, too many parents and teachers are telling kids to do something constructive and that they will never make it on artistic ability.  They need to get a real job and deal with the emotional wounds that fester inside on their own.  As parents, teachers, and mentors, we need to encourage our youth to express themselves.  We need to give them a voice and let them find peace in their words while they still have them.  Bella will never have a chance this side of the veil to heal, but there is still hope for so many others.  Hopefully through this expression they can clean out the skeletons in their closet and redeem the vision that still lingers in the headlights.

Cleaning Out My Closet is Eminem’s moving account of dealing with the emotions from his childhood.  Headlights is the sequel and apology to his mother for being so harsh.  Grab your tissues and enjoy.

This entry was posted on September 29, 2015 at 10:39 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.