Was listening to Eminem in the song Airplanes part 2 (Featuring B.O.B and Hayley Williams), and as usual was surprised at how the lyrics made me think:
"allright lets pretend Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen
lets pretend things would have been no different
pretend he procrastinated had no motivation
pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind
marshall you’re never gonna make it makes no sense to play the game there ain’t no way that you’ll win
pretend he just stayed outside all day and played with his friends
pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend
and it wasn’t time to move and schools were changing again
he wasn’t socially awkward and just strange as a kid
he had a father and his mother wasn’t crazy as sh-t
and he never dreamed he could rip stadiums and just lazy as sh-t
f-ck a talent show in a gymnasium ***** you won’t amount to sh-t quit daydreaming kid
you need to get your cranium checked you thinking like an alien it just ain’t realistic
now pretend they ain’t just make him angry with this sh-t and there was no one he could even aim when he’s pissed it
and his alarm went off to wake him off but he didn’t make it to the rap Olympics slept through his plane and he missed it
he’s gon’ have a hard time explaining to Hailey and Laney these food stamps and this WIC sh-t
cuz he never risked **** he hopes and he wished it but it didn’t fall in his lap so he ain’t even here
he pretends that…" - Eminem
Explicit words aside, I was reflecting on the part of his song where he commiserated on how he might not have made it if he had lived a "Normal" life. Life challenges were the factors that made him who he was, and made him the successful man he is today.
Which also makes me wonder: as Social Workers, parents, leaders, etc, are we too obsessed with creating a "safe" culture where we focus on protecting clients/children/colleagues from the various stressors that they may face. We create systems and purchase luxuries for our children so that they would live better lives than we experienced, protecting them from bullies, school work, etc.
But perhaps it is such challenges that would make them stronger. The need to think of strategies and alternatives at the developmental key points in their lives, which would give them the necessary skills to face future challenges, and face adversity with courage.
Then, as social workers, how can we empower our clients towards finding strengths in the face of difficulty.
So that they come out better from it.
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