There But For the Grace of God
I started noticing superficial similarities.
He had a shaved head just like me,
and we were both the same age, separated by 3 months exactly.
He was born June 1st, 1953.
I was born March 1st, 1953,
and as I listened to his life story,
of mental health issues, darkness and misery,
I began noticing stronger similarities,
between this unfortunate individual and yours truly.
His problems as a child, his falling into the company,
that would influence his life most heinously eventually.
His low self-esteem, his vulnerability to be drawn in,
by anyone who made him feel special, and/or important,
and as I sat staring into my flatscreen,
I was taken aback suddenly.
The image on my screen was not he but me.
"There but for the grace of god goes I,"
was the first thought I had before I broke down and cried,
but I wasn't crying for myself, I was crying for him,
because he too, like I was also a victim,
of an environment that influenced our behaviour and decision making.
My path just happened to be not as extreme,
as this individual who publicly is seen as a villain,
but it could have been.
"There but for the grace of god goes I,"
I continued thinking as I continued to cry.
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