I was born into a very religious household. My mother was a nebbish Orthodox Jewish woman who was scared of her own shadow and was always anxious. My father, although considerably less serious about his Judaism, was still quite religious. A lot of who I am is from my parents and their religious influence, but there is a larger part that is the complete opposite of all that religion and Judaism espouses.
I went to an all-boys Jewish school for my elementary and middle school years. The teachers were religious, the principal was a Rabbi, and most classes were in Hebrew. For the most part, my peers were well-behaved, mild-mannered and studious. By comparison, I was constantly in trouble. I got into fights, lit fireworks in the school, disobeyed the teachers, you name it.
Despite being in regular trouble and always fighting, I would never look for problems and was never a bully. In fact, I hated bullies and would stand up for the other kids that couldn’t stand up for themselves. I would make sure that if someone gave me or my friends issues, dealing with me would be an even larger problem for them.
There was a bully that would get pleasure out of bothering other people and seeing them in pain. I don’t know what went through this kid’s head, but one day he thought it would be funny to insult me. He took his arm and swept everything off my desk. I didn’t say a word or lift a finger. Instead, I waited until the halls were empty and his bag was in his locker. I unzipped my pants, pulled out my dick and pissed in his locker and soaked everything he had in my urine.
I marked his property as my territory.
By the time high school started, I began to realize that authority figures are imagined. They don’t exist. It’s up to you to believe that someone else is in control and can place limits on you. Most people live in fear of what others do or say. I decided to reverse that idea. I would dictate what I’m doing. You should live in fear of what I have to do or say about something. Needless to say, I got in a lot of trouble because I wouldn’t take shit.
Although I wasn’t studious in the conventional sense and hated school, my time in high school taught me many lessons about life – the main one being that money talks. I had become friends with some Russian kids, a few of whom were extraordinarily wealthy. We were all rowdy and uncontrollable and would often get in trouble together. However, I began to notice that for families that were wealthy, the consequences of their actions seemed to disappear while the poorer ones bared the burden. Those who had money were seen as powerful and power was respected. This realization changed my life and from that day forward I vowed to myself that I would never be broke.
When high school finished, everyone I knew went to University, but I didn’t. It was a waste of time I couldn’t justify. Aside from my faith, making money was the most important thing to me, and the way I saw it, university was just a financial roadblock blocking me from making real money, so I started working. Without any post-secondary education, the only jobs I could get were low-paying. It was shit money and shit work, but I did whatever I could. I did landscaping, snow removal, worked at the local skating rink, anything I could do to save money. I told myself that I would never be broke, but here I was, shovelling snow making pennies. I was really frustrated and it was only a few months after summer break had ended, but I kept my faith in god.
One Thanksgiving weekend, I met with a friend who had come back from university. He mentioned that he was making a killing selling weed back at his dorm and that if I wanted to give it a shot he would introduce me to his supplier. My ears perked at the sound of this opportunity. It seemed like a way up from taking out the trash and shovelling snow all winter. So, I took my savings, bought a scale and as much weed as I could, quit my job and got to work.
I treated drug dealing like a legitimate business. I kept meticulous records, I networked with people, I made sure that my finances were always in order and eventually gained a reputation as a reliable and serious distributor. More than that, I looked after my customers. I would drive to them at any hour of the day or night to deliver their product. I would go above and beyond to ensure my customers were satisfied.
My supplier, impressed by how fast I would sell his product, could tell I was serious and not just your average lazy half-assed drug dealer. I worked hard, I worked fast and I was reliable, so he eventually agreed to exclusively sell me his best product. I now had the best product coupled with a consistent and reliable consumer base. Not long after business started to boom. At $2000 a week I was making more money than I ever could have if I was stuck at university or some minimum wage job.
But, despite my success, I was still hungry for more.
In order to expand, I decided to diversify. I asked my supplier to connect me with a larger wholesaler who needed a distributor for his products. He introduced me to a large, immaculately dressed, tough-looking Italian man. We sat down, had an espresso and talked business. I had certain terms that needed to be met, much like him, in order to make the deal work. We went back and forth for a while until we reached an agreement. By the end of the meeting, I was in the business of selling marijuana, cocaine, Xanax, promethazine and Percocets.
I could not have imagined the success of that deal. The margins were much higher, the demand was insatiable and I had completely diversified my product line. I started moving my products through underground gambling circuits that I had become affiliated with and business exploded. My income soared. I was making over half a million dollars a year. That’s more money than most slimy lawyers and investment bankers who spent most of their 20s in school.
Many people think my success would change me and my relationship with Judaism, but it hasn’t. It has only strengthened my connection with God. As such, I show praise and gratitude by putting on Tefillin six times a week and saying the Shema Yisrael prayer every night before bed to thank God for all good that has graced me.