A look into humanity ::: Responsibility To Bring Peace

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“It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow”.

-Ralph Ellison

Coming to terms with the person inside is the first step to peace and responsibility in all of man kind. We must take responsibility for our selves and must respect our image as men and women. Not for what we look like on the outside but for what we are on the inside, that eternal truth is our humanity, and it is something that we share. We all require the air provided by God.

Misguided religion has been the scourge upon man for far too long. No matter our beliefs, in our journeys to truth, we should not impose on another persons right to breath and believe. The thoughts of God are to create a balance and to bring light to a world that has been dark for far too long. To fight in the name of religion is to smack God in the face with lies and self interest. This is an injustice to the value of the written word and what it entails. As human beings who pray, we should not prey on the weak, the different, or the misunderstood. As practitioners of truth we should remain true, to the word and the wishes of our God. Peace begets peace, as the same goes for violence!

The journey of life is a long one, no matter how short we deem it to be. Each and every man is placed upon this planet to carry on the truths we all share. To enlighten the grain that feeds each and every man and women that sits at the table, no matter their age, race, or practice, this is a food of righteousness.

War has been a plague on mankind and has taken from us all of that in which we love. Harmony is no longer a place in our hearts world but a place we seek and that is not a positive attribute to pass on to our children who shall walk down the same road we have traveled just to protect themselves against the legacy of misguided ideology that we have created amongst one another.

American poet Nikki Giovanni once stated, “In the name of peace they wage wars. Ain't they got no shame”? When I first read this, something came over me that has caused me to wonder, and then wander amongst man observing our faults and our greatness. It is this lack of stability that cause man to attack another, the fear of being overcome by another that causes man to draw first blood. Once this begins, justification of ones actions become inevitable, although justice and a just heart is out of the equation, the flock that the lies are told to, tend to believe because of tribal similarity whether it be country, religion, race, or another classification that can be identified to breed such injustice in the form of the spoken word, which leads to more lies and perpetuated evils.

Why is it that the Muslim and the Jew, must carry on this hatred for centuries, when war is the one evil that causes more pain and suffering to both parties? Why is it that the White and the Black divide exist in the first place in a country that is so great? Well I have learned that the stronger the engine the more the exhaust stinks. The diet of hatred, defecates and leaves an foul stench that resonates throughout the decades and in some cases the centuries. We must stop eating the lies, and begin eating the truth. The energy that it takes to eat the lies is far more exhausting that the energy it takes to eat the truth. “No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise.” Those words from Marian Anderson, rings true in all aspects of life not only is it true for nations, it is true for the people.

“I have been true to the principles of nonviolence, developing a stronger and stronger aversion to the ideologies of both the far right and the far left and a deeper sense of rage and sorrow over the suffering they continue to produce all over the world”. These are not my words but they are my feelings towards the matter and Joan Baez could not have been more right. Although we must keep in mind that the rage can not manifest actions of violence but actions of peace. We must put rage in its rightful place. If we are too feel rage we must utilize our feelings in a more positive way. A way that takes our social findings and manifest something greater in the realm of peace. The human heart has the strength to make war, and fight war, but it is how we fight the war that has come upon us, that determines the peace in its aftermath. The lack of peace after war is the sure sign that the war has done nothing but to shift power, and this is the essence of the evil that war is. If we are to change the essence of war, we must first change our methods of war, and in turn do away with it once and for all.

The irony in life is that we are taught history to never repeat this history. However it seems that we are not enlightened by this history but more so empowered by it to repeat and to perpetuate the same crimes against humanity or to live as its victims depending on the historical point of view. I say this to point out a ugly truth, man wants to retain history for his own purpose. It is to remind the new generation their birth right, I have yet to see the majority use history for change, it is the minority that has been fighting this tireless war against humanity. This minority can be a race, a tribe, or some pseudo form or power structure in a classes society and so on.

For example you teach a kid in school that his race is powerful through subliminal messages then his mind stated is to grow into manhood thinking his privilege is the nation and his birth right is its throne. Whether he becomes racist or not, he is misguided and therefore more likely to commit race crimes without effort or thought. This is the worst form of racism known to mind, I call it blind racism, its shooting without aim, and that is as deadly as a gangland drive by shooting, it takes out anyone in the way, whether man, women, child, or elder. This example rings true for religion as it does for sexism, and as mush as it does for the classification of a people. Entitlement is the root to evils that has burned mankind. The soul of the torturer is deemed bright when the tortured is deemed dark. There is no sense in that when man has no place to judge the next man.

Is a blond better than a brunette? Is a Jew better than a Muslim a Christian greater than a Buddhist? Tall better than short? Black better than White? Rich or poor? I think not, for the being is the value and not the belief or appearance. Because ones knowledge is greater on a particular matter does this make you greater than that person who's knowledge of the same subject is lesser? I think not, and believe not, but do you? Are you willing to teach your ways if the interest is there or would you rather feel superior? If history teaches us anything the top is lonely for a reason. Do not isolate your ideas for power, share in your ideas, and if those ideas are not positive then you do away with them and find individuals that can breed positive light into you mind and heart. We do learn from history but history should be a tool to strengthen everyone not just some.

“The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”, now Alvin Toffler, identified this problem we must see to it that we eliminate it from remaining so. What are we going to do in order to make sure that those who think they know are shown the right path to truth, and what are we going to do to burn the lies, even from history?

No foundation built on a lack of fundamental interest in all parties within its structure can remain strong.

Humans tend to stay on a line so that it is easy for them to choose a side. Now I know that this seem to be a strong statement but I have come to learn that man is more likely to choose a winning team even if it bites at the core of ethical values from within. In some cases remaining without action to ones ethical opinions has been a great crime to humanity. A moral compass swings in the center depending on your position it may swing further to one side than the other. But if you are center with your actions and is is against your so called conviction, then you are on the side of the system in place to keep you down or those who you care to lifted up. Talking about a matter in your home does nothing but make you look good to your friends but it does not change the world around you. Bishop Tutu stated, “ If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality”.

It is written; “ If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”, Romans 12:18.

Now Bump Forward, and go out into the world and do for other as you wish for them to do unto you. Give your hearts to men and women, to child, to elder, to friend, and to foe. For it must be so in order to destroy the cycle of pain. This is not about eternity but about peace on earth, eternal homes are built on the foundation of our earthly actions. If you build your reputations and lives on earth by destroying and conquering others, then that is what becomes of your eternal soul. Destruction is now in your heart and your heart is the book that your soul reads.

If eternity is of no interest to you, then take heed to this. Earth is the home of your child, your brothers child, your sisters child, do you want to leave your house dirty when you are on vacation? Do you want to be remembered as the one who left the house dirty? Who cared very little for others safety, and well being? Those around you are affected every day by you, and those you breed lies to.

So no matter your religion, your race, your goals, you class, neighborhood, city, states, high country or low country, nation, ethnicity, skin tone, creed, ideas, and/or education, you must begin or continue to treat others with respect and live your life with true dignity, but a dignity that thinks itself higher than that of another.

As we approach 2009, we welcome a new change in our world. We have a president that can represent the people(all people) and has done so thus far. We must support him as if he is the catalyst but not the solution, but as a conduit to the solution, as someone who can take our positive ideas and create a new world for everyone to live in. His mind and his body is Americas and within this nation we know that means he belongs to the well being of the world, with this nations power, a legacy can shift, and should shift for the betterment of all man kind. The eyes of the world is upon us, whether you are black or white, dark or light, standing up to hate with peace and perseverance will grant the future the power to thwart the evil that has plagued humanity for far too long.

Malcolm X said, “ You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has freedom”. This is true for all, and on the grand scale we must thrive towards a world that breeds peace no matter the dangers we face. This generation has chance to rewrite the patterns of our history and bring to the globe a change that has been due for centuries, in every corner, within every home, every cave and every place of worship and learning. We must unify our ideas and our goals as one people, one blood, with one life, that can change the ones to follow for the better of the planet and the unification of a planet.

Pride is death to all who believe in it, and too all, who fear those who carry it as a brandished weapon for a position of power. No matter the setting we are in, power is a force that can be destructive or constructive, it is something that must be controlled. Oppressed or oppressor must not use power in a negative way, but must utilize its positives and kill off its negatives, in order for mankind to continue existence in true harmony.

I want to leave this with a quote from Rachel Carlson. “ Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is – whether its victim in human or animal – we cannot expect things to be much better in this world... We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing we set back progress of humanity”. Now you must realize that inhumanity is that which places precedence over that which it deems lesser than it is. Another human can suffer just as much as a fish caught for pure game and tossed back wounded with no line of defense in its natural order of survival. Until it heals it is forever watching its back for tragedy, and in most cases the pain inflicted never leaves the soul of the creature. This rings true for animals and humans alike.

Now Bump Forward and begin to envision a world where your brother and sister, looks different but is not different in virtue. When this come to be, the world can begin to heal, and as time passes the moments that inflicted trauma will die in the time-line. Then the brother will no longer appear any different than your sister, we are all one blood and we all have one life.

Before we all begin this journey towards a better tomorrow here are some links that will aid you in your journey. The following links will lead you to the information and a clip of the documentary that I watched that spawned these ideas to come to light.

Bill Moyers Journal : Beyond our differences

IMDB spot for docufilm

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Misconception the life blood of racism

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When a African American male reached the age of maturity, he begins to see that which his parents warned him against in his former years. The ugly truth has finally shown its face and all that it is worth. Racism begins to become a part of his life more so that not. He has to tip toe around every subject and interaction and depending on his professional life, this may be more intense to deal with.

I myself have been faced with too many days of misconceived ideas of what it is to be a black man. I have not grown up in the country so for me it is more culture shock and brief moments of wonder.These moments lead me to believe that there is much to face in the coming years that we must abide by new rules if this country is to survive the war its cancer laden thoughts seems to spread amongst the living body of the human race.

As I read the article " Racial Tension In A 'Split Second'." I realized that we must analyze the disease and get to the root core of it in order to destroy race related misunderstandings amongst the known world.

In my own interaction I have become far too cognizant of what I need to say, it is to the point that it is calculated and precognition is the master of every moment in my social life. Therefore I am offering very little genuine thought to a social scene. Now allow me to be clear on this. In my hearts of hearts of hearts, all that wish for in my social interactions is to make new friends and enjoy each moment in time as if it is the only moment. However I live within a city that has very little trust of the African Tan. So when you take the time out to sit down and talk with someone of the white race, you tend to be hesitant because you do not feel that you should be put in a spotlight of skepticism. Which is something that Afro-America faces from the rest of America, and in many cases from it own affluent.

So my question to this is, so what now? What do you do when you are faced everyday with misconceived notions about who you are? What do you do when a white women rushes towards you and her cart, in walmart to grab her purse out of the baby seat in the shopping cart, just to breath a sigh of relief, after she realized you walked past without that negative intent she assumed of you? What do you do when you are faced with this everyday of your life?

African Ameircan are often thought of as having little to say in social settings. However there is more to it than meets the eyes of those suspecting individuals. African Americans have much to say and would like to share their open minds with others. However they are often faced with combating miconcepts of who they are. By the time they prove other wrong they are exhausted and in no mood to share ones worldly ideas and creative thoughts.

Thinking that placed people in boxs hurt in many ways, whether it physical or emotional the pain hurts. The war will go on and at this point it is a cold one that can in any minute reach a boiling point.

So what does humanity as a whole need to do?





 

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A open Eye : A Realization of possibilties

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We spend the majority of every given day with our eyes shut, and that extends itself to the larger parts of our lives. In realization of this I came to a halt of some sort, that struck me hard as if lightning hit the path in which I walking on. None the less, the effect itself was enormous and there was nothing that I could do to change the moment that had transpired. All that I could do is acknowledge it and breath into myself a new life.

Now BUMP FORWARD:


What led me to realize this is the day in and the day out toil that we have in our personal lives. Toil such as dramatic interactions with everything that we do as a people. It is, as if our lives are magnified, because we feel so small. Although humanity is effected by this as a whole, it seem those more succumbed to a desolate existence are more than likely to do something to get noticed. Hence Graffiti of the Hip Hop Generation/Genre. Although I consider it an art form to be reckoned with, and there is no doubt in that. Where the work was place tell us two things. One that they do not have a venue to display their talents and two that they need to display their lives the best way that they know how.

Today we have African American Culture bringing in more money than that of the slave trade, and I say that lightly. With Hip Hop and all its creative formats on display from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and its home town of America. It has given us a sense of identity. A celebration is in order for the accomplisment and the creativity that I am sure will survive for years to come and create sub cultures and genres, that will be forces to reckon with in their own right.

People( My Dumb ass friends) have been speculating about Barack Obama's win and the world that it has affected. Under this new administration, many say that African Americans will lose all sense of self.What they will lose is a sense of loss. They will lose a sense of minor existence and live up to that which is their right. Their lives will expand in new creative ways and bring about the change that the next 4(0) {acres} years, need in order for the world to be. The mule is our spirit and we got it back.

The Acres rest on the back of a campaign that changed the globe forever. We are not loss we are not criminals, we were not lames, we were in pain.

I write all of this to say, that although we may walk around in a painfully obviouse stuper we are beyond that of gravel. We can take our faces off the ground and pull our herts up and bring to the world somethign new. With an open eye, the second one will see the world and all its possibilties.

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Racism will become more prevalant

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As the days roll on I realize that racism will become more prevalent in the American communities. I have this feeling that there will be a nasty backlash of hate crimes that will cross the line and leave you wondering if the line was crossed. However that may be ,there will be violations due to those who are going to clearly unpack their bags and let out the baggage, onto unsuspecting victims.

Take for instance this case down at NC State.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina NAACP wants North CarolinaState University to expel four students accused of painting racistmessages about President-elect Obama on campus.

School ChancellorJames Oblinger held a closed-door meeting Wednesday with NAACPPresident Rev. William Barber to discuss the graffiti in the campusfree expression tunnel.

Barber wants an official response within 48 hours. Oblinger says both sides have agreed to move forward.

Fourstudents admitted spray-painting the messages, including one that useda racial slur and suggested shooting Obama in the head.

Officialshave said the unidentified students won't face criminal charges becausethe writing wasn't a hate crime since it was written on a wall wherefree speech is encouraged.

Lets Discuss

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My heart grows roots :::: The Effect of " An Open Letter to Barack Obama"- Alice Walker

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I am sitting in the coffee shop getting a awesome house recommended Chai Soy Latte with a Shot of Espresso. What a great drink it is. However this is not why I am writing this. What I wanted to share with you is what takes place afterword.

I am reading Alice Walker's, open letter to Barack Obama and I almost come to tears realizing that the letter written to Barack Obama, will affect all those who read it, which will cause the feelings towards a sense of responsibility, not matter how long lived that feeling may be, it will be felt.

What I took away from this great letter is the pain and the glory that people of color wear as a badge of honor. It has deepened my search to truth and given me the understanding to deal with it properly when I find it. To march within my heart and not for show amongst the masses. This is not a race to the finish, but one to end the insult of the dehuminizing sting of racial misunderstanding and misconcept-ion.

This letter is not only for African Americans and people of color, but for all those who see a brighter future for all of man kind. Although it is clear that Alice is askind Barack not to lose his soul in the White House, It is also evident that she has acknowledged that we must all chip in to make this a new world, under his leadership.



I want you to read this letter and tell me what you think then BUMP FORWARD to a new future.

Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

Youhave no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us beingthe black people of the Southern United States. You think you know,because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. Butseeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, yearafter year, decade after decade, century after century, only to bestruck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almostmore than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intendedto burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because ofall the relay runners before you, North America is a different place.It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all thegenerations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit ofAfrica and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actuallyappear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take yourrightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, isa balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

Iwould advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster thatthe world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible forbringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that youdo have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make aschedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with yourgorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that yourfamily is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soonbecome juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice theirwives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smilesso lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way tolead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking aboutall this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax.From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which isall that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endlesscars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space theycan manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clearto them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within thereach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to takeon other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out offear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not justin those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. Wemust learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversarieswho are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you arecommander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect ourbeloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my motherused to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin,but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of wholecommunities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of rulinga people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poorpeople, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

Agood model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented bythe Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confrontsthe Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is thesoul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. Allelse might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, topeoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple andmajestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you dogracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, isthat expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kepthappy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us,lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

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A little about Kem :: My plan

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Are you one of those people who think they have a plan, just to wake up one morning to realize that it was all an illusion? If this is true then welcome to the party.

I have opened my mind to many things over time that did not capture the essence of me. The time is now that I bring to light that which I seek out. I hope in laying out my ideas over the course of this week you will follow me. One thing you may realize, is that I bring a sense of pride and I even may come across rude and cocky. However I need for you to weed through what I have to say and see it for what it truly is. My plan!

So what is my plan you ask? I plan on becoming the essence of truth. For too long I have subdued that which is me and prevented myself from living in the moment. This hinder me from becoming more intelligent in social situations. This is a big road blog to earning a degree in street smarts. If the world does not react to who you are then you will not have a world to live it. Everything around you is false and you will become obsolete in your own life. A journey is to be taken not faked.

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America has now graduated from the college of reality!

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I know that I am late throwing my opinion into the ring. However I needed to take some time to believe this actually happened. So after a long weekend of celebratory inebriation, I thought it was high time that I put my two cents in.

As I was watching the news casters sweat out the moments until a new American President would be announced. I looked over at my girl friend during the commercial break and stated I am going to shave and when I get back let me know what happened. As I stepped away she pulls my arm and points to the screen in amazement. Some home there was not warning, the new station flashed across the screen, Barack Obama 44th president of the United States of America.

As my face began to drop and my heart beat changed rhythm, I dropped to my knees and kiss the carpet. Then I shouted America is Growing up. Then she asked me what did I mean by that. I responded saying, this country went through an great period of infancy thinking with very adult problems and misconceptions. Now it is beginning to step into it collegiate thinking, where its education is becoming more independent of the lies, that was funneled into its many minds. All people of color, from black to white we begin to redefine the world and the country. It will begin to administer answers to old concepts as well as to the new. That is what it is to come of age.

Then I sat down to watch an acceptance speech that I will never forget. It will forever be in the history books as one of the all time top speeches. Rhetoric at its best.

So with all of that said. I would like to point out that American can reach the level at which it needs to reach in order to become that true world power that it is. What it will become is based on how we support those we need to support, and how we hold them to that which they said they would do. However keeping in mind that we must be held to that same exact standard. It is important that we make our way together with the mind to get thing done with out delay.

As Americans we must form as a united country and together bring "The Dream". We must show other nations, and I paraphrase, that it is not about "the color but the content of ones character". Which entails ones breeding, class, or ethnic group as well, by my definition as I hope many others.

I am well aware that we must not focus on race in this new presidency. It is my hope that it is just a symbol to how far we have come as a whole nation or people. We need to not expect special favors as a people, we need to take advantage of its energy and propel our own lives in all areas of social standings. From Doctor, lawyer, street sweeper, bar tender, teacher, judge, students, and all other occupations of life. We must aim for them with pride in our learning's, and maintain them with fervor if currently we stand in these positions.

If any thing was captured or should be captured on election day. It is this; Americans are more United by common goals and dreams, if we share them together we can make the world shake at its core.




Here is the speech and time that changed my life forever. Watch them then Bump Forward.

Obama Acceptance Speech HQ (Part 1) 11/04 - Barack Obama Victory Speech November 4th 2008

Obama Acceptance Speech HQ (Part 2) 11/04 - Barack Obama Victory Speech November 4th 2008

Obama Acceptance Speech HQ (Part 3) 11/04 - Victory Speech

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Sarah Palin is proof that a new education plan is needed in this country!!

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Facts are Facts! Then why is it that many people do not have a clue as to what needs to be done to get them straight. It is simple read a book other than the one that you were given in an American School, because it is more than likely that you were lied to and misinformed in the first place. I want to give you my prime candidate for misinformation or the lack there of.


Sarah "MF" Palin

How do you screw something like this up when you are running for vice president? I tell you how, she is a out of touch republican, that had one thing on her mind. Keep things the way they are and do very little to change it.

Now I do not want to jump on the band wagon with this, but it is in my best interest to do so. I must point something like this out, because she is not the only American to have lack of knowledge about Africa. She is just the first to say something that proved it in the public eye.

So what is it that we do about it. We begin with the new administration promise and hold Barack Obama to it at all cost. See it is crucial that all of America is educated on the globe and how we are all affected by ignorance. That same lack of understanding it the root cause to violince that hase plagued the globe and our wonderful united but seperated states of America. My point is clear we must all be reeducated in order to make this land a place that you would want to raise your offspring in. America and Americans have something in common, it must change.

Bump Forward!

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Were Jesse Jacksons Tears Real?

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I wanted to answer this question blindly before I read others opinions on this. So here is my response to the question I was posed about his tears last night.


hose tears were real. Now the authenticity can stem from him seeing the dream realized. They may not be for Barack as much as they are for the state of black affairs. From the perspective of what he has seen over time. This is a moment he did not see ahead of him. Think for a second when he was standing next to Martin Luther King and that bullet hits his closed warrior and mentor. From that day and may minutes and hours before that, even days, he did not see this day. Heck even after that with all the hate crimes that are peppered across the country and the rampant disrespect of the African American in shopping areas, and towns across the country. NO he did not see this day.

Those tears are as authentic as the matter that earth was formed with. I can understand that it is questionable judging from the mans hater stand point during the campaign and I am paraphrasing, " I would like to bust his balls", you would think he had it out for the man. However Jesse Jackson is human and he may have said some things that may have led us to believe that he does not like the man. However I think it was a moment of raw naked thoughts, that should not exist but did. But that does not mean that he does not want him to succeed. He only feared the success or it not happening, so he did was most crabs in the barrel do and that is make raw comments that wind up as a dirty foot in the mouth.


Just to recap his thoughts on Barack and apologies that followed:

The Rev. Jesse Jackson issued an apology to Barack Obama Wednesday for making what he called a “crude and hurtful” remark about the Illinois senator’s recent comments directed toward some members of the black community.

According to Jackson, a Fox News microphone picked up comments he meant to deliver privately that seemed to disparage the presumptive Democratic nominee for appearing to lecture the black community on morality.

Jackson didn’t elaborate on the context of his remarks, except to say he was trying to explain that Obama was hurting his relationship with black voters by recently conducting “moral” lectures at African-American churches.

Jackson’s apology came a few hours before Fox News planned to air the remarks.

Speaking to CNN Wednesday, Jackson said he feels “very distressed” over the comments.

With all of that stated I think that he is crying simply because the future is finally taking into account that Rainbow he has been pushing and electing a man for his substance and character and not for the color of his skin.

The Dream has been realized and work must be done to make it a remarkable one.

Here is some News Coverage on this moment

LA Times

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The tension before the title

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Today was a huge day in modern history. For the first time since euro recorded history and African American had the opportunity to head into the oval office. This position is huge on many levels and has tipped the scales and caused both tension and awe. People feel change in either direction, in which some fear it for various reasons and others have embraced in with hope and vigor.

I must admit that I thought, in my early years as a United States citizen I would not see this day in my youngest years. I thought that I would have to await this day for at least several more decades. One man and a nation of believers have changed that for me as I have for them. I believe fully with all my heart this change will stick in history and will perpetuate the guidance of equality that is needed in this country.

Take in to mind the bright eyes of a child who would be safer in a world where there is not native enemy. One where we are free to embrace the unified cultures and ideas. Where we are stronger and more diligent in our purpose as a nation. Greeting our neighbors from afar with a open heart and mind, willing to take them in with open arms. A world where hatred begins to die and no longer has a place to feed itself. A society where education is the key and is no longer restricted from every corner and crevice of the United land of America, within each city, district, and state, those who seek knowledge gain it. Those who are beginning to enter the systems leaves the system with every tool needed to survive and given proper directions to master their talents and gifts.

That world we speak of is minutes away. SO BUMP FORWARD : FOR WE ARE A THINKING NATION!

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Why do these people want to believe that Obama is a Muslim

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What is it with people who think that Barack Obama is a Muslim or Some Sort of Terrorist? I am scanning the internet looking for coverage of the campaign and I come across so many videos filled with hatred and lies. It is becoming painfully obviose that this nation is in pain. The people who forge ahead to maintain racism and hatred are out there. They do not want to see a nation that actually works together for the greater good of every man and women.


Take a look at these videos.




Now look at the people that are part of these midnight town hall meetings and they actually believe the things that come out of their mouths. WTF!? "A one man terror cell" "He Got the blood lines." These idiots will believe anything to keep America down.

I have many questions and it leads me to understand that although we came this far. We are still in a fight for change. Barack Obama is the bridge to change but it takes us all to make this change possible. We must confront people like this with truth and kindness, although we would like to smack them with a weed whacker.




Why is it that they choose to hide behind the lies. What town meeting are they having that they actually believe this crap. Barack Obama is a United States Senator for crying out loud.



If you are racist just say it and move on with our lives. But hiding behind fale forged pseudo information is not making your case. It is making you guys that persist with the he's a muslim crap look like racist douche bags.

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Is Gossip is for those who can not climb on there own or is it something else?

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The following is my response to an article on Scientific American's website. My opinion(s) on this is to generate others thoughts and to begin taking on this silent issue to get a better understanding of it and what it means to society.

Since this is my rag I Wish to expand a bit more on the subject over time. However first I would like for you to read the actual article. After the article read my response then tell me what you think about the subject.

By Frank T. McAndrew

In the past few years I have heard more people than ever before puzzling over the 24/7 coverage of people such as Paris Hilton who are “celebrities” for no apparent reason other than we know who they are. And yet we can’t look away. The press about these individuals’ lives continues because people are obviously tuning in. Although many social critics have bemoaned this explosion of popular culture as if it reflects some kind of collective character flaw, it is in fact nothing more than the inevitable outcome of the collision between 21st-century media and Stone Age minds.

When you cut away its many layers, our fixation on popular culture reflects an intense interest in the doings of other people; this preoccupation with the lives of others is a by-product of the psychology that evolved in prehistoric times to make our ancestors socially successful. Thus, it appears that we are hardwired to be fascinated by gossip.

Only in the past decade or so have psychologists turned their attention toward the study of gossip, partially because it is difficult to define exactly what gossip is. Most researchers agree that the practice involves talk about people who are not present and that this talk is relaxed, informal and entertaining. Typically the topic of conversation also concerns information that we can make moral judgments about. Gossip appears to be pretty much the same wherever it takes place; gossip among co-workers is not qualitatively different from that among friends outside of work. Although everyone seems to detest a person who is known as a “gossip” and few people would use that label to describe themselves, it is an exceedingly unusual individual who can walk away from a juicy story about one of his or her acquaintances, and all of us have firsthand experience with the difficulty of keeping spectacular news about someone else a secret.

Why does private information about other people represent such an irresistible temptation for us? In his book Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language (Harvard University Press, 1996), psychologist Robin Dunbar of the University of Liverpool in England suggested that gossip is a mechanism for bonding social groups together, analogous to the grooming that is found in primate groups. Sarah R. Wert, now at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Peter Salovey of Yale University have proposed that gossip is one of the best tools that we have for comparing ourselves socially with others. The ultimate question, however, is, How did gossip come to serve these functions in the first place?

An Evolutionary Adaptation?
When evolutionary psychologists detect something that is shared by people of all ages, times and cultures, they usually suspect that they have stumbled on a vital aspect of human nature, something that became a part of who we are in our long-forgotten prehistoric past. Evolutionary adaptations that enabled us not only to survive but to thrive in our prehistoric environment include our appreciation of landscapes containing freshwater and vegetation, our never-ending battle with our sweet tooth and our infatuation with people who look a certain way.

It is obvious to most people that being drawn to locations that offer resources, food that provides energy, and romantic partners who appear able to help you bear and raise healthy children might well be something that evolution has selected for because of its advantages. It may not be so clear at first glance, however, how an interest in gossip could possibly be in the same league as these other preoccupations. If we think in terms of what it would have taken to be successful in our ancestral social environment, the idea may no longer seem quite so far-fetched.

As far as scientists can tell, our prehistoric forebears lived in relatively small groups where they knew everyone else in a face-to-face, long-term kind of way. Strangers were probably an infrequent and temporary phenomenon. Our caveman an­cestors had to cooperate with so-called in-group members for success against out-groups, but they also had to recognize that these same in-group members were their main competitors when it came to dividing limited resources. Living under such conditions, our ancestors faced a number of consistent adaptive problems such as remembering who was a reliable exchange partner and who was a cheater, knowing who would be a reproductively val­uable mate, and figuring out how to successfully manage friendships, alliances and family relationships.

The social intelligence needed for success in this environment required an ability to predict and influence the behavior of others, and an intense interest in the private dealings of other people would have been handy indeed and would have been strongly favored by natural selection. In short, people who were fascinated with the lives of others were simply more successful than those who were not, and it is the genes of those individuals that have come down to us through the ages. Like it or not, our inability to forsake gossip and information about other individuals is as much a part of who we are as is our inability to resist doughnuts or sex—and for the same reasons.

A related social skill that would have had a big payoff is the ability to remember details about the temperament, predictability and past behavior of individuals who are personally known to you; there would have been little use for a mind that was designed to engage in abstract statistical thinking about large numbers of unknown outsiders. In today’s world, it is advantageous to be able to think in terms of probabilities and percentages when it comes to people, because predicting the behavior of the strangers with whom we deal in everyday life requires that we do so. This task is difficult for many of us because the early wiring of the brain was guided by different needs. Thus, natural selection shaped a thirst for, and a memory to store information about, specific people; it is even well established that we have a brain area specifically dedicated to the identification of human faces.

For better or worse, this is the mental equipment we must rely on to navigate our way through a modern world filled with technology and strangers. I suppose I should not be surprised when the very same psychology students who get glassy-eyed at any mention of statistical data about human beings in general become riveted by case studies of individuals experiencing psychological problems. Successful politicians take advantage of this pervasive “power of the particular” (as cognitive psychologists call it) when they use anecdotes and personal narratives to make political points. Even Russian dictator Joseph Stalin noted that “one death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” The prevalence of reality TV shows and nightly news programs focusing on stories about a missing child or the personal gaffes of politicians is a beast of our own creation.

Is Gossip Always Bad?
The aspect of gossip that is most troubling is that in its rawest form it is a strategy used by individuals to further their own reputations and selfish interests at the expense of others. This nasty side of gossip usually overshadows the more benign ways in which it functions in society. After all, sharing gossip with another person is a sign of deep trust because you are clearly signaling that you believe that this person will not use this sensitive information in a way that will have negative consequences for you; shared secrets also have a way of bonding people together. An individual who is not included in the office gossip network is obviously an outsider who is not trusted or accepted by the group.

There is ample evidence that when it is controlled, gossip can indeed be a positive force in the life of a group. In a review of the literature published in 2004, Roy F. Baumeister of Florida State University and his colleagues concluded that gossip can be a way of learning the unwritten rules of social groups and cultures by resolving ambiguity about group norms. Gossip is also an efficient way of reminding group members about the importance of the group’s norms and values; it can be a deterrent to deviance and a tool for punishing those who transgress. Rutgers University evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers has discussed the evolutionary importance of detecting “gross cheaters” (those who fail to reciprocate altruistic acts) and “subtle cheaters” (those who reciprocate but give much less than they get). [For more on altruism and related behavior, see “The Samaritan Paradox,” by Ernst Fehr and Suzann-Viola Renninger; Scientific American Mind, Premier Issue 2004.]

Gossip can be an effective means of uncovering such information about others and an especially useful way of controlling these “free riders” who may be tempted to violate group norms of reciprocity by taking more from the group than they give in return. Studies in real-life groups such as California cattle ranchers, Maine lobster fishers and college rowing teams confirm that gossip is used in these quite different settings to enforce group norms when an individual fails to live up to the group’s expectations. In all these groups, individuals who violated expectations about sharing resources and meeting responsibilities became frequent targets of gossip and ostracism, which applied pressure on them to become better citizens. Anthropological studies of hunter-gatherer groups have typically revealed a similar social control function for gossip in these societies.

Anthropologist Christopher Boehm of the University of Southern California has proposed in his book Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior (Harvard University Press, 1999) that gossip evolved as a “leveling mechanism” for neutralizing the dom­inance tendencies of others. Boehm believes that small-scale foraging societies such as those typical during human prehistory emphasized an egalitarianism that suppressed internal competition and promoted consensus seeking in a way that made the success of one’s group extremely important to one’s own fitness. These social pressures discouraged free riders and cheaters and encouraged altruists. In such societies, the manipulation of public opinion through gossip, ridicule and ostracism became a key way of keeping potentially dominant group members in check.

Favored Types of Gossip
According to one of the pioneers of gossip research, anthropologist Jerome Barkow of Dalhousie University, we should be especially interested in information about people who matter most in our lives: rivals, mates, relatives, partners in social exchange, and high-ranking figures whose behavior can affect us. Given the proposition that our interest in gossip evolved as a way of acquiring fitness-enhancing information, Barkow also suggests that the type of knowledge that we seek should be information that can affect our social standing relative to others. Hence, we would expect to find higher interest in negative news (such as misfortunes and scandals) about high-status people and potential rivals because we could exploit it. Negative information about those lower than us in status would not be as useful. There should also be less interest in passing along negative information about our friends and relatives than about people who are not allies. Conversely, positive information (good fortune and sudden elevation of status, for example) about allies should be likely to be spread around, whereas positive information about non­allies should be less enticing because it is not useful in advancing one’s own interests.

For a variety of reasons, our interest in the doings of same-sex others ought to be especially strong. Because same-sex members of one’s own species who are close to our own age are our principal evolutionary competitors, we ought to pay special attention to them. The 18-year-old male caveman would have done much better by attending to the business of other 18-year-old males rather than the business of 50-year-old males or females of any age. Interest about members of the other sex should be strong only when their age and situational circumstances would make them appropriate as mates.

The gossip studies that my students and I have worked on at Knox College over the past decade have focused on uncovering what we are most interested in finding out about other people and what we are most likely to spread around. We have had people of all ages rank their interest in tabloid stories about celebrities, and we have asked college students to read gossip scenarios about unidentified individuals and tell us about which types of people they would most like to hear such information, about whom they would gossip and with whom they would share gossip.

In keeping with the evolutionary hypotheses suggested earlier, we have consistently found that people are most interested in gossip about individuals of the same sex as themselves who happen to be around their own age. We have also found that information that is socially useful is always of greatest interest to us: we like to know about the scandals and misfortunes of our rivals and of high-status people because this information might be valuable in social competition. Positive information about such people tends to be uninteresting to us. Finding out that someone already higher in status than ourselves has just acquired something that puts that person even further ahead of us does not supply us with ammunition that we can use to gain ground on him. Conversely, positive information about our friends and relatives is very interesting and likely to be used to our advantage whenever possible. For example, in studies that my colleagues and I published in 2002 and in 2007 in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, we consistently found that college students were not much interested in hearing about academic awards or a large inheritance if it involved one of their professors and that they were also not very interested in passing that news along to others. Yet the same information about their friends or romantic partners was rated as being quite interesting and likely to be spread around.

We have also found that an interest in the affairs of same-sex others is especially strong among females and that women have somewhat different patterns of sharing gossip than men do. For example, our studies reveal that males report being far more likely to share gossip with their romantic partners than with anyone else, but females report that they would be just as likely to share gossip with their same-sex friends as with their romantic partners. And although males are usually more interested in news about other males, females are virtually obsessed with news about other females.

This fact can be demonstrated by looking at the actual frequency with which males and females selected a same-sex person as the most interesting subject of the gossip scenarios we presented them with in one of our studies published in 2002. On hearing about someone having a date with a famous person, 43 out of 44 women selected a female as the most interesting person to know this about, as compared with 24 out of 36 males who selected a male as most interesting. Similarly, 40 out of 42 females (versus 22 out of 37 males) were most interested in same-sex academic cheaters, and 39 out of 43 were most interested in a same-sex leukemia sufferer (as opposed to only 18 out of 37 males). In fact, the only two scenarios among the 13 we studied in which males expressed more same-sex interest than females did involved hearing about an individual heavily in debt because of gambling or an individual who was having difficulty performing sexually.

Why Such Interest in Celebrities?
Even if we can explain the intense interest that we have in other people who are socially important to us, how can we possibly explain the seemingly useless interest that we have in the lives of reality-show contestants, movie stars and public figures of all kinds? One possible explanation may be found in the fact that celebrities are a recent occurrence, evolutionarily speaking. In our ancestral environment, any person about whom we knew intimate details of his or her private life was, by definition, a socially important member of the in-group. Bar­kow has pointed out that evolution did not prepare us to distinguish among members of our community who have genuine effects on our life and the images and voices that we are bombarded with by the entertainment industry. Thus, the intense familiarity with celebrities provided by the modern media trips the same gossip mechanisms that have evolved to keep up with the affairs of in-group members. After all, anyone whom we see that often and know that much about must be socially important to us. News anchors and television actors we see every day in soap operas become familiar friends.

In our modern world, celebrities may also serve another important social function. In a highly mobile, industrial society, celebrities may be the only “friends” we have in common with our new neighbors and co-workers. They provide a common interest and topic of conversation between people who otherwise might not have much to say to one another, and they facilitate the types of informal interaction that help people become comfortable in new surroundings. Hence, keeping up on the lives of actors, politicians and athletes can make a person more socially adept during interactions with strangers and even provide segues into social relationships with new friends in the virtual world of the Internet. Research published in 2007 by Charlotte J. S. De Backer, a Belgian psychologist now at the University of Leicester in England, finds that young people even look to celebrities and popular culture for learning life strategies that would have been learned from role models within one’s tribe in the old days. Teenagers in particular seem to be prone to learning how to dress, how to manage relationships and how to be socially successful in general by tuning in to popular culture.

Thus, gossip is a more complicated and socially important phenomenon than we think. When gossip is discussed seriously, the goal usually is to suppress the frequency with which it occurs in an attempt to avoid the undeniably harmful effects it often has in work groups and other social networks. This tendency, however, overlooks that gossip is part of who we are and an essential part of what makes groups function as well as they do. Perhaps it may become more productive to think of gossip as a social skill rather than as a character flaw, because it is only when we do not do it well that we get into trouble. Adopting the role of the self-righteous soul who refuses to participate in gossip at work or in other areas of your social life ultimately will be self-defeating. It will turn out to be nothing more than a ticket to social isolation. On the other hand, becoming that person who indiscriminately blabs everything you hear to anyone who will listen will quickly get you a reputation as an untrustworthy busybody. Successful gossiping is about being a good team player and sharing key information with others in a way that will not be perceived as self-serving and about understanding when to keep your mouth shut.

In short, I believe we will continue to struggle with managing the gossip networks in our daily lives and to shake our heads at what we are constantly being subjected to by the mass media, rationally dismissing it as irrelevant to anything that matters in our own lives. But in case you find yourself becoming just a tiny bit intrigued by some inane story about a celebrity, let yourself off the hook and enjoy the guilty pleasure. After all, it is only human nature.

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Can Gossip Be Good?"

At this stage in humanity we can survive with other means to communicate a thought on another person. However the problem is true as the observation. We as humans feel the need to have a stepping block to stand on in order to reach the top. There is a science behind this, and whether or not your needs are met by the defamation of one character or the next. Now I know that is a strong word, but I know from one Gossip hole to the next the story is never accurate.

It is much like watching the news. New reporters are always fishing for the hot story and this lead them to be sloppy and and often lazy with their approach to telling an accurate story. I have noticed in Journalism that the story is as true as the dollar. What is told is based on how much is it worth to the teller to actually spend time telling the story. With that element involved we are led down a trail of lost facts and lack of honesty for the dollar. This is no different amongst your pears. It is just the same in every circle and the media is the prime example of a huge circle with a ring leader.

Gossip will always be around. However there is a fine line between news and Gossip. One so fine that if in the wrong hands news can be come gossip, and once it is gossip, it is detrimental to all that take part in it and not just for those who are talked about. Although the subject(s) of gossip are hit the hardest and in the most obvious of places. The listeners are robbed of opportunities to bring about a relationship with the person if they are steered towards a direction that is not of their own opinion.

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A dream come true

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As I was waking up this morning I realized that the world will not stop for me. Now I know you must be saying to yourself no shit Sherlock. But stick with me on this one.

Last night I bumped my head hard on the mental idea that I was human. I realized that all that affect me also affects others. The realization that I was not special hit me right on the top of my head and there was nothing that I could do about it. I was up the creek without a paddle as they would say.

Ok here is the gist of this morning. I awakened from a very interesting dream filled with clues and ideas that I could not comprehend during its play time.  In this dream I had everything that I could ever wish for without working hard for it, then a sudden turn came about. All of a sudden a brain opened up and became filled with motion and activity beyond anything that I have every seen. Within this mind, I can see art, worlds beyond imagination, music, and writings, along with skyscrapers and loving couples with great families. Achievement was on high with positive marks in everything. Then the alarm clock went off. So what does this mean you ask?

For once in my life I realized that I have finally awaken from a long dream coated nightmare, of not working hard at what I Wanted. The thing is I have the talent and the skill, mashed against the mind and the will to get things done. However I have become complacent with mediorcre results that allowed me minor joys in life. I realized in this dream that I had to create what I wanted and be creative at doing so. Until then I would hate everything that I am doing and nothign will come of it because it will seem like labor instead of art.

The moral of my story is that life is art. It is up to you to paint the picture with the design within you mind and heart. Until you do this it will be basic and far to fundemental for you to care. Almost repetative and mundane. This will drive you into the ground without accokmplishing your personal goals. So when you awaken everyday, think for five minutes how you will apply a piece of you to what it is that you do. That is all that your life ask of you and you should ask the same of your life.

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Sunday Morning Questions

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We wake up every Sunday morning with a barrage of thoughts, what I am sure are infamous questions amongst those who are not prepared. What is this week going to be like? Am I going to accomplish the ultimate success? Will I find my way? What the hell happened last night? Who is this next to me? Although these questions are examples of positives depending on how you look at them. They are more likely to spend time in your mind as a huge negative followed by uncertainty, that cause us to freeze up. This is the norm and something needs to be done about it.

I plan on beginning this week by eliminating the negatives associated with the thoughts and look at the positive. Take for instance, the who is this next to me question. The first thoughts in your mind should lead you to want to get to know the person better. All to often we awaken from Hot Drunken sex, sober and ready for the world, but soon roll over to realize that we have a guest. An invited guest that we need to know better. However after sobriety we tell the lie, it is when we are drunk we tell the truth. When one inhibitions are broken down, you get the real person. So take into account that what you have there is a piece of the real you lying next to you. Deal with it and get it right this time.

Whether you are male or female you have dealt with this. I have as a male dealt with it in the past and I am re hatching these thoughts to understand who I am and where I am headed. Maybe then I will be able to answer the other questions that are on that Sunday morning list. Such as will I be able to do something of significance this week?!

So if you are reading this. I challenge you to open your mind everyday to what has taken place. Use that information to build a stronger you. The well informed are powerful and those who are informed about themselves are ten times that. Be powerful by knowing thy self. All that you seek comes from within and nowhere else.

So the next time you awaken with a question in your mind. Remember these famous words.

A. Powell Davies:

Life is just a chance to grow a soul.

Abraham Lincoln:

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Write these thoughts down in bold letters above your mirror, in your cubical, in your office, make it a wallpaper on your computer. This will remind you to take honest steps towards that which is important; yourself!

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Whole and Unique

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The journey of life consist of days and the seconds within them. The challenges of that journey is all based upon how you accomplish each moment. When you are offered to get something done get it done. No matter the scale of each task life is affected not only by the outcome but by that which we consider insignificant and useless. It is those little things that we pretend do not matter, but if they were gone we would lose ever willful piece of who we are. On the flip if that was to go an we aimed for who we are we will accomplish life, far greater than our current status.

The other day I am in the office and I realize that things are not going as planned and I am piling up work in the form of lost opportunity and lack of focus. My superiors are ringing my phone and sending me meeting request to figure out what exactly is up with me. I have very little answers formulated. All I have at this time are excuses; valid reasons that I allow to become the road block on the road to my success. Then it comes to me one night as I am review my calendar. I missed everything and my output is down by 30%. I am not writing the stories, I am half assing every attempt to produce viable works. I read through what I have to offer and I am drawing blanks as to what needs to be done.


The problem is that it dawns on me I do not fit into the puzzle correctly. I am trying to fill the wrong piece of it.  It is when I stepped out of myself and looked at the entire problem, I identified my role and accomplished my task.

It is not easy doing so because everyday of our lives we are forced to make due. We are broken down to work in areas on the global map of  survival and in doing so a large group of us are lost and can not be reclaimed. It is the few that are reclaim their niche that go for the gold and win. Just because you play Hockey does not mean you will be a great golfer. Don't get me wrong you can work at it, however if you do not love it, you do not fit. The binding glue that will take you to the future is a love for what you do. Simple plans are often big plans if they are done with love. It is then when you are loving what you do that you will be able to add your uniqueness to it and become whole.

The future is only kind to those who love themselves and what they do. So go out there look ahead and begin to apply love to what you do, and if you can not find out where you fit in the puzzle and go for it with love. Own every moment of your life as if it is your last minute to get it right and you will find success.

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