Hello, Newton County, and all others following this very intentional, introductory column.
Let me invite you into the mind and thinking of Nytravious Smith and the haberdashers who tailored it as it is.
I am a very strong believer in trauma and history. I believe that these two things, with the addition of God of course, mold us into the people we look at in the mirror every day. My childhood felt as if it was just like anyone else’s, although it was filled with impulse, father absence, generational curses and much more.
The sometimes problematic reactions to my history and trauma seemed as if it was just “Nytro” being a kid when, in all actuality, I was expressing hurt I didn’t know vibrated from the keratin on my toenails to the hairs on my skinny little head.
But in the privacy of my depression and worry, I came across a short little quote that changed my total perspective and outlook on life. This quote states that: “The mind replays what the heart can’t delete.”
Every letdown, every missed match, and even every argument that once made my heart ache just replays in my mind and turns into a new genre of depression or impulse.
So after years in a state of torpor, I became a very critical thinker and astute reader of different philosophies. These things allowed me to hone new perspectives and gain an ambition and passion for the things I pursue today.
Out of this, I asked myself four questions: What do you want to do and why? What have you done to connect and help others? What helped you cope through your hardships? Who are you and what’s your ultimate mission?
I’m sure you guys are curious to learn the answers to these essential questions I asked myself, so here you are.
What do you want to do and why?
I originally thought that I wanted to be a lawyer. I came to this conclusion because I wanted to help people whom I’ve always seen fall victim to an often biased justice system. Although after deep thinking and prayers to God, I came to the conclusion that I’m more attracted to the idea of understanding trauma and why we do the things that we do.
I feel that I can be more of an asset if I help when the help is not wanted rather than when it’s needed. So becoming a psychiatrist provides me the ability to do in-depth learning about the intricacies of the mind and allows me to understand the sociology of our communities.
What have you done to connect and help others?
This one was a very pivotal question for me, and it was a question that, prior to, I’d never thought of. So I started coaching, not just because I love softball and wrestling, but because I’ve always known what it feels like to be the underdog or the person who can’t keep their anger inside.
This gave me a unique perspective when coaching. I was not only able to be a student and coach of the games, but I was able to connect with kids in ways no one else could. I was a safe haven for those who got the same heartaches I once got.
What helped you cope through your hardships?
There are three major things that kept me from becoming a product of my environment: sports, education, and understanding how politics have played a major role in keeping Americans in this continuous cycle that I’ve mentioned all throughout this column.
In all these aforementioned areas, I look forward to bringing you news on them in the near future.
Who are you and what is your ultimate mission?
I’m mostly an old soul, one that enjoys the simplicity that life brings, like the great neo-traditional country singer, Alan Jackson once stated in his song, The Older I Get, “It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff, that makes you rich.”
My lifetime goal is to be a person for the people — one who loves, one who’s dependable, and one who makes my county and this country a place that embraces and conquers the mental and spiritual warfare we fight every day.
So from this little brown boy from the Nelson Heights and Green Acres communities, I give you a local columnist and journalist who cares and understands the hurdles and obstacles that come with living an urban life.
I promise you transparency and real news on things that matter and affect our everyday lives. I will not only write about the bad but also the good while finding ways to continue to help.
Nytravious Smith is a contributing writer to the Newton County Journal. A 2023 graduate of Eastside High School, Smith is a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta, majoring in psychology on a pre-med track and a minister at James Paschal Missionary Baptist Church of Covington. He can be reached for story tips and feedback at nytravioussmith32@gmail.com.
