[Spoken Word] Funny thing about dice… Everybody blames the roll. Almost nobody studies… the hand that keeps throwing them. [pause] I used to think luck… was hiding from me. Turns out… I was calling habits… fate. [pause] I knew people… who could predict tomorrow… because they refused to change today. That ain’t prophecy. That’s repetition. [pause] Snake eyes… ain’t always bad luck. Sometimes… it’s two chances… looking exactly the same… because you never learned… there were other numbers on the dice. [pause] I blamed the neighborhood. Then I blamed the police. Then I blamed my enemies. Then I blamed my family. One day… I ran out of people to blame. And I met the man… who’d been following me… my whole life. [pause] It was me. Not the child… that learned survival. The adult… who forgot to question it. [pause] Nobody chooses… their first teacher. But every one of us… eventually chooses… whether to keep repeating the lesson. [pause] Some people… inherit fear. Some inherit confidence. Some inherit silence. Some inherit violence. None of us… inherit permission… to stop thinking. [pause] The most dangerous prison… ain’t made of concrete. It’s made of conclusions… you never examined. [pause] I used to think… strength meant… never changing your mind. Now… I think strength… is looking your own beliefs… in the eye… and asking… “Who taught me this?” [pause] Some answers… will make you proud. Some… will break your heart. Both… will set you free. [pause] So before you blame… the dice… ask yourself… Who’s been throwing them? [pause] Maybe… it was never luck. Maybe… it was always… a conversation… you never had… with yourself. [Silence]
