Blaise had a grim look on her face as she looked at the people that was around her. She wanted to get to the bottom of things, and listening to people brag about how much money they made on their latest "enterprise" was beginning to bore her. Clearing her throat, she managed to get their attention before she began.

I've been hearing a lot lately in my circles about the d-word. Do I mean drugs...diamonds...Detroit? No, friends. I have been hearing the word "drama" being thrown about. People are complaining about it, getting worked up over it, and some even want to leave this world over it.

What's drama? Well, I've heard several definitions of it. Drama is...

• When you see your friends getting killed
• When you see people in your family get what you feel are undeserved promotions
• When you perceive the same bloodlines getting authorization to set up families
• When people say something you don't like in the streets
• When people talk shit to you during a poker game
• When you get into an argument over a cup of coffee in the coffee shops
• When your bodyguards get killed during a war
• When you get disciplined for breaking one of the rules of your family

I'm sure we can all add to that list. But what does it all mean?

Blaise takes out a piece of paper and reads from it

dra·ma   noun \ˈdrä-mə, ˈdra-\

:a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces

So we have a number of people who are getting upset and even leaving this world because of the "drama". I only have one question to ask them.

What in the hell did you think this place was - a freaking vacation spot?

Have we coddled people for so long that they cannot handle simple situations without having a mental breakdown? Let's face it, we won't be around forever, and we are always looking to see who the next up-and-coming mobsters will be. But if this sort of people are the majority, then we're in trouble.

How much responsibility should we take from cultivating this sort of mentality from our ranks? None? Some? A lot? And more importantly, what should we do when this becomes a reoccurring theme?

For anyone out there who feels disillusioned because of anything I mentioned above (or a similar situation), here is something that you should remember.

Be accountable for your own actions, and don't let other people's hangups become your own. This life may be tough, but you have the ability to be tougher. Whatever that does not kill you, will make you stronger. So don't take the easy way out - fight for it.

She took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of everyone that was around her. Slowly exhaling, she nodded her head slightly as she saw emotion in a few people's eyes, knowing that something she had said struck a chord inside of them.

I think has been something thats existed for a long time, since the shift of many from the old country years back, and for newer blood is a comfort zone here that maybe they never had before.   I recently watched a group of approximately twenty immigrants from eastern europe come here, they explained how quick criminal and legitimate people were killed for nothing more then sport and here they could profit, aspire and grow in a safe bubble.

When people come into this world, now they know if they keep a 4 hour tag they have a week to profit, plunder and not kick up, and if anything happens to them, they have a level of knowledge that if the person who attempts if failing a whack, they will be killed and this person can continue roaming not kicking up to anyone in some cases.  Long ago people had their 24 hours and that was it.  I am not saying is bad for business, but is a softer touch.

Second, people go ia for weeks even over a month, and in some crews where they are struggling to grow, this is fine as they stay on the pay roll just coming back when they feel.  I remember having to make earner at one stage, and constantly being active just to join a crew back in what some people call the height of this thing of ours.

third, some things can be settled by money not bloodshed now.  IF someone screws up, they used to die, and was compensation as well in many cases.  Now coz people who screw up are so highly valued in some cases, throw enough money at something and the problem is gone.

Fourth, friends, if you have the friends in the right place it doesn't matter what you do.  Yes people can hunt them for it but their friends can bg you, build them up and then when they do the same and punished for it when their friends have gone, they throw their toys out of the pram.

Fifth, we have a softer world, we don't have to hardcore the game, in some cases, we see crew members untagged even above the made rank sometimes.  Things people used to care about, a long time ago, my family had 200+ members under him all with the family tags.

I could keep continuing with this but the truth is, we have a softer environment to live in, with bgs, capping of abilities, environment and a coffee shop environment where we can sit in anonymity in some cases and seperate whats said there from whats said on the street corners or in alleyways.  We have punishments for blood lining, asking too many questions and this too a degree means screw ups can walk around us as we are judging their bloodline as innocent again, people can have the softly softly touch as they rank and in some cases is no meaning to rank.  A relative of mine ranked to boss with only 2 million earned, no real gun  and limited street or family presence and this is a problem.   The difference on what one family may rank people for to another can be vast, with 10-15 million being earnings for boss in some families my line has served.  This is what some people don't understand and is always easier to go somewhere else and work, by claiming you retired and come back as a new alias to rank with someone else, especially a friend.

A big problem is boredom, we have a big war, we rebuild.  Some people hold on to the bitterness, and when they fail in their plan, go to bitching and moaning about something they were to inept to do anything about.   People are bored, and find little things to pick at in many cases, not everyone is happy to simply wander along making money, they crave blood, power a change that many thought would come with war.  Instead they found the world never changes, just a case of rinse repeat.

two basic idea's strike me at this time

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. 

It only ever takes a small group to change the world.

Meaning if your bored and unhappy with this world today, you will be tommorow, etc unless you aide change in one way or another.  This way of life and society is not for everyone but with suicides, retirements and rogue actions of ranks it shows something needs to change.

Secondly, now by this i am not making a threat or revolutionary statement, Power is often controlled by the small group, and they have the influence to change things easier.  Not so long ago the streets burst with new people, great activity then for many including myself, it slowed.  Is there a limit on what our abilities, and what we have around us can motivate or encourage us to do, or do we become stagnant with the rest of society at stages?

Wait, you mean this isn't a vacation spot?

I must say this is a beautiful speech. It hits a lot of solid points that hold a lot of truth. It does seem people people throw their arms in the air over many of the things you listed. I think many have forgotten that this is the mafia. Or maybe they pretend it is not the way I see some try and "play the game". 

"Be accountable for your own actions, and don't let other people's hangups become your own. This life may be tough, but you have the ability to be tougher. Whatever that does not kill you, will make you stronger. So don't take the easy way out - fight for it."

I could not have said it better myself. People need to man up and stop getting so emotional over small things and be accountable for their actions. BacktoShootPeeps, that was a brilliant response as well. It seems money has corrupted "some" of the way things are handled now. But that is not always the case at all so will not brush everything with the same coat of paint. I am trying to run my district the way I know the game "the old way".I am sure many others are doing this as well. I had to make a tough decision a while back, but at the end of the day it is the mafia. Some people probably complained I am a murderer. But all the underlying conditions would have got me killed in those shoes a while back if I were that person. Also, I seen a case just recently with a very disturbed bloodline, who was/is upset over not being promoted in someones crew because they earned a lot. Okay earnings are fine and dandy but that doesn't earn a automatic promotion from a Don or godfather or whomever.If someone thinks that they need to relearn the basics.

Again I don't think we can paint everyone with the same brush though. Tagging is very important to me, if you can't show me your loyal to me by doing something so simple you will not be getting made that is for sure.

Every point I read here is solid however, I think with the new people we have in place leading now we will slowly see a change for these things, bright times are ahead and this world is prospering.

Let's face it - life is easy for the average joe. They sell drugs, play poker and fuck around in coffee shops most of the day. So yes, I'd say that in some ways it is like a vacation. And maybe that's the issue. So how do you fix it? It's simple really. Show these people that this isn't a goddamn vacation spot, it's the mafia. 

Harden the fuck up, people.

What is wrong with selling drugs, playing poker and fucking around in coffee shops most of the day? 

 Is there a limit on what our abilities, and what we have around us can motivate or encourage us to do, or do we become stagnant with the rest of society at stages?

That's a great question to bring up. I think it's up to the leaders - those in bold, slants and every Made Man+ person, to keep up the standards. But you are right - it is easier to just go with the flow, even if it means that we are not reaching our potentials.

For short-term purposes, I don't think it's anything wrong with that. But when people feel that just because they "sell drugs, play poker and fuck around in coffee shops most of the day" that they are entitled for leadership positions or exempt from the most basic standards, it's because they lack discipline. Of course, they are responsible for their own actions, but then I wonder sometimes whether the going with the flow mentality has anything to do with it.

I think is a regular problem, i have seen it in past family where people slow gun training, when theres been no war on there city for a while, they spend a little less time time stack up some money in the currency exchange, and the longer the stagnancy continues the more sloth like some parts of society comes.  People talk about changing at many of these stages how society moves or works with varying levels of resistance or argument, but is not always enough support, 

Many of us try to start in-house generally to motivate and encourage, and see what we can do; unfortunately with varying success.