Sometimes you wake up and telegram is like:
"HEY! Want an existential crisis?"
highschool sads
By the way, this Tiller IS NOT @/CptnTiller@mastodon.social
This was a guy I knew in highschool, he was sorta like a brother to me, and sadly he started doing a lot of bad drugs and stealing stuff, so I had to cut him out of my life.
I still wonder if I did the right thing... but I wasn't really in a place to help, and I was afraid he'd get me into trouble. He'd tried to steal booze while he was with another mutual friend and they both almost had the cops called on them.
highschool sads
I still feel like such a prick for kind of abandoning him... If we don't help each other, who will?
He meant a lot to me, I had so many good memories with him... but... I needed to worry about my future. Saying that kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but it wasn't just me I had to worry about. My family kind of needed me to be self sufficient. Hell, I still have to funnel money to my mom or her and my siblings would be way worse off...
re: highschool sads
@Saintajax33 I mean... you were a teenager. You were not emotionally, physically, or intellectually equipped to actually help this person with what sounds like serious problems. That isn't your responsibility, not in a society that tends to sideline teenagers and doesn't give them the emotional training to deal with that sort of scenario.
What could you actually have done? This person had serious chemical addictions and was engaging in escalating dangerous behavior. You'd either be a) along for the ride and getting in trouble b) fumbling to find a way to help and potentially making it worse or c) making the choice to step back and hoping that would be a wake up call to the person that they're seriously harming themselves.
You did the responsible thing for yourself and your friend by stepping back.
you are not a doctor or professional you were a kid who didnt even have your own nonsense sorted out.
re: highschool sads
@Saintajax33 You say "if we don't help each other, who will" but what exactly could you have done? tell them what they're doing is hurt themselves? how often with out them changing.
The praxis of helping others implies you know how to help or have the tools to help effectively. Just doing things without a plan or tools isn't inherently helpful and can exacerbate. Especially if the person isn't directly asking for help.