Another Sunday. Another young life lost.

Twenty-nine-year-old Leyandrew Hubbard is dead after a gunman opened fire while he and others reportedly played cards beneath a roadside shed in Potters. Another man remains hospitalized, fighting to recover from his injuries.

The police will investigate. Politicians will offer condolences. Friends will post photographs and broken-heart emojis. Then, as often happens, life will move on.

Except for one group.

Tomorrow, young men will return to that same shed. They will pull up chairs, shuffle cards, light cigarettes, pass drinks, and laugh as though nothing has changed.

This letter is for them.

Many young men have become so attached to “the block” that they no longer realize it is holding them hostage. They wake up with nowhere to be, no goals to pursue, and no urgency to build a better future. The street corner becomes their office. The gambling table becomes their workplace. The conversation never changes, and neither do their lives.

Then one day, gunfire interrupts the routine.

Some believe they are safe because they are “not involved.” But bullets do not stop to ask who is innocent. Violence does not check whether you came only to lime for an hour or whether you were simply passing by.

Wrong place. Wrong time. That is all it takes.

Every funeral reminds us of the same painful truth: life is precious, but it is also fragile. Yet too many continue living as though tomorrow is guaranteed.

Ask yourself an honest question: What has the street given you?

Has it helped you buy a home? Has it taught you a skill? Has it helped you support your parents, raise your children, or build a future?

Or has it simply consumed your time while convincing you that doing nothing is normal?

Hours become days. Days become years. Before long, the dreams you once had are replaced by excuses. You become known not for what you accomplished, but for where you spent your afternoons.

There is another way.

Learn a trade. Start a small business. Go back to school. Find a mentor. Volunteer. Get a job. Leave the people who celebrate wasting time and surround yourself with those who expect more from you.

No one is saying life is easy. Jobs can be hard to find. Opportunities are not always equal. But sitting on a corner every day will never improve your circumstances.

The saddest part about tragedies like the one in Potters is that they become familiar. We read the headlines, shake our heads, and move on until the next shooting.

It does not have to be this way.

If even one young man decides today that he has spent enough time on the block and chooses instead to invest in himself, then this tragedy may yet save another life.

Do not wait until your family is planning your funeral.

Do not wait until your photograph is printed on a memorial T-shirt.

Do not wait until your mother receives the phone call every parent fears.

Walk away from the corner while you still can.

Your future is waiting somewhere else.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: LETTER: The Street Will Never Love You Back.