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yep
I had to reply because bringing up your story helps me see maybe why I am doing this in the first place.
I own a small lawn service. I had hired a 17 year old that had slowly proven himself to be the best helper I had ever used. I stuck with him because he displayed the most honest and hardworking ethic I had ever seen. I now feel personally responsible for him because I am the only person he is around that has knows anything about anything. His Mom and Dad were in prison for alot of his life for everything under the sun. His Mom remains on Heroin and so does her live in boyfriend. His Dad disowned him and basically kicked him out of the house. I chill out at his duplex and hang around with him sometimes if I have nothing else to do because we really get along. And there is no other conclusion, that he has no guidance and will never receive the right guidance, but the person(me) he spends most of his time with knows better but didn't want to get into this because work is work and his business is his own. But we started playing darts together and doing petty things now that it is winter and there isn't much work. I have slowly seen direct correlations between his parents and his actions he shows outside of work.(alcohol abuse, frivolous tatoos, no personal responsibility, HITTING HIS DOG, calling his 13 year old sister a bitch with no hesitation, beating the fuck out of his best friend etc. etc. etc. When I work, I work with a sense of duty and my service provides structure and honest work for him. Something he has clinged onto. I respect the good honest work ethic in him, but he continues to self destruct away from work and I know exactly why he does those things and could find a way to address it. I put myself in his shoes. I don't know where to start with him because on a consciousness level, we are at opposite ends of the spectrum and anything I say tends to go straight over his head and not absorbed. But I know he listens and wants better. I feel his pain and don't see clearly because I had suppressed alot of the things that had gotten me the good things in life. Now I revisit them because I need to find answers to help him out and relieve the overwhelming sense of anxiety I have when I think about all of the things he may doing that could any day ruin his life completely. I understand business is business and I treated it that way while I was focused on getting through the season. But now that we aren't working all of the time and I keep catching glimpses of his life and understanding why he suffers, aren't I responsible to some extent? I just don't know where to start because my understanding level almost doesn't go deep enough to deal with issues that are much deeper than I had ever had to confront for myself, but am now searching for him and because I had overcome degrees of parental abuse, I know it can be applied to a greater extent if I just keep following the path. I will not give up until what I say actually brings about a real change in the things that cause him to self destruct, it is just too much a part of his being to make a dent though. That's another part of this whole thing, and subconsciously it may be the main reason I am making this sincere effort again and not thinking I would ever need to again. I am trying to reinforce my own beliefs that I had lost sight of and extend them further in order to find a way to communicate on his level. I know that he still wants to beat the hell out of the guy living with his Mom. He would deal drugs if he wasn't able to make money with me. All he knows how to do is mow yards. The only skill he has ever known, and by using that and providing him with respect and an opportunity to make an honest living, he was able to buy alot. But he would blow $500 a week on bullshit. Over and over, not attempting to save up money for anything. But when he had $15 to make it to the end of the week, he had no problem and inflcted suffering on himself by not eating and not paying off more important things. If I don't give him some answers or guide him, he will end up in prison and doing harder drugs. His path is headed directly there. Unless, someone who knows better doesn't allow it to happen. I will find a way and I will continue to try to start on some level, but it is finding that breaking level with him that I don't understand because I had never gone through the depth of pain that he experiences. I came to the conclusion last night that I have to be at peace with the fact that I have tried to help and will only continue to help. I can't do more than that. I know he could, one day, understand himself as well as, or atleast much better, as I do and break through barriers and rejoice like I have, and turn his life around, but the starting point is what continues to allude me. Until then, I have no choice but to keep searching until it becomes clear what I need to say or do in order to get things across to him. Yesterday, I saw him hit his dog viciously and I told him bluntly to never do that again. And I won't tolerate it. But I know he will do it again, just not in my presence. I need a better understanding of how I should approach this. I think I'm close, but I'm not there. I need to be wise and very well thought out about this. I can't just make sense for myself because if it doesn't make sense to him, then the cycle will continue and it would devestate me to know that I could have done something and I wasn't responsible enough to help. It is really sad, and I just want to cry because I feel I won't be able to do enough before he gets locked up or something horrible happens. It is really unnerving and hard to just forget. I have to facilitate a change somehow and it needs to happen soon. I know that. It's codependancy and it is understandable. I just don't understand all of it yet. Or maybe I do, I just don't know how to clearly explain it in his terms. What do I do?
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 Birdseed or death.
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