How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Other in America: A Rememberance

Laymon's essay, "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Other in America: A Rememberance" was a raw account of life as a black person living in the Deep South. The way Laymon framed his story around the young black people who faced (and were literally killed) by racial violence proved a very stark tone to his reality. I think the most compelling part of the his story is the when he talks about everyday we kill ourselves and others by doing cruel things to each other. He gives many examples of the hostility and violence he has been through such as the young guy randomly pulling a gun on him, the frat guys shouting racial slurs at him and his girlfriend, and even when he puts a gun to his own head. These instances highlight the ways in which we choose to die slowly.

I think that what Laymon is trying to say here is that instead of doing these cruel things, we should choose to help ourselves and each other by being present and giving, and nice. This is how we choose life. Laymon offers his friend Gunn as an example of how with his help, he choose life more often. He and Gunn help each other by "telling and listening to each other's odd-shaped truth." My takeaway from this piece is that even though, we constantly have the opportunity to kill ourselves and each other by being selfish and cruel, we can choose life by doing the opposite. Our choices not only will affect ourselves, but everyone we encounter.