What have we learned?

Its been eight years since the 9/11 attacks happened. Seems like so much has happened since then but then again it seems like it was just yesterday. That day will live on forever in the minds and hearts of many Americans. I will never forget where I was when I found out about the attacks. I was a senior in high school and I had just come back from a senior counseling trip. I couldn't believe what I was hearing not to mention the person who told me was not a credible source. It wasn't until i heard it on the radio that I realized the magnitude of what happened. Our country was sent into a frenzy in a matter of minutes. Never in a million years did anybody imagine that anything like that could have happened.
So you have to ask yourself what has changed in eight years? What did we learn from 9/11? One thing is for sure airline security is tighter than it ever was. But what else has changed? for the first six months after 9/11 everybody was singing kum-ba-yah and floating on cloud 9. Then reality set back in and we all went back to being our prejudiced, selfish, judgmental selves. We continue to place labels on ourselves and others that divides more and more everyday. if you dont know what labels im talking about then I will give you a few examples: republican, democrat, black, white, christian, muslim, straight, gay, etc. We spend more time fighting about the things we disagree on instead of trying to build on the things that we agree about. We never take the time to actually sit down and talk with someone instead we just judge them from afar. The world would be much better if we would try to understand each other. most importantly as a whole people do not respect each other. When you respect someone you are more likely to listen to them with a open mind and heart. It is my belief that we were all put on this earth to serve a greater purpose. I mean why else would we all be so different? There would be no point of us living if we were all carbon copies of each other. Thomas Paine said it best "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to to the death your right to say it". So the next time you decide to label someone before you get to know them. Just don't....

Family First

This past weekend I truly learned a life lesson. Thank goodness I was able to be off work on Saturday so I could spend time with my family. On Saturday my parents had a get together at their house for my uncle (that I see maybe once a year) who was in town for the weekend. Its funny how times change because I used to dread those cookouts and family outings. In the past few years I have a greater appreciation for spending time with my extended family. I actually look forward to those times now. Although I look forward to the times that I spend with my family I still feel like I could do more to keep in contact with them. They all stay in the metro Atlanta area so I really have no excuses. As we were outside shooting the basketball around. I decided that we should get a game going the older cousins vs the younger cousins. When the game the first started I was taking it easy because I was trying to keep my clothes clean and not get sweaty, but as the game went on I really started having fun and I didn't get care anymore about my shoes getting dirty or my clothes getting sweaty. I was enjoying the time with my cousins, something that doesn't happen to often. After the game it made me realize that I need to spend more time with my cousins because I know they look up to me and I want to be a positive influence in their lives. not to mention I can relate to them in ways that their parents can't. I say all this to say if you have people in your life that you care about show them that you care because tomorrow is not promised. It doesn't necessarily have to be your blood relatives. We all have many families, whether its your work family, school family, or friends. I just want to say thank you to all my families (Jackson family, Hayes family, my work family, my Marquee family). The truth is your family will always be there no matter whether you succeed or fail. Your family "keeps it real" with you even when you don't want to hear it. Family is ALWAYS there. You can't run TRUE family away. Your family is your foundation and without a foundation your house (life) will crumble everytime.

Reparations? Really?

Lately there has been a lot of talk within the black community about reparations. For those of you who are unfamiliar with reparations it is a proposal by some in the United States that some type of compensation should be provided to the descendants of enslaved people. Of course an argument can be made that the plight of black people was significantly affected by the institution of slavery but that is not what this is all about. The truth is that there are other ethnic groups of people that have been persecuted in the past and there were no reparations for them. So what makes black people so special? You can certainly argue that the treatment of Native Americans was just as bad as African-Americans. Do you really think Native Americans would rather have casinos and a few plots of land? or their pride and families alive? If you take too long to answer this then you probably need to re-evaluate your life. The fact that people are actually discussing this is laughable to me. The people who really needed reparations are dead and gone. What have we done to deserve anything? Now let's really be honest. What would most of us do with the money if we got it? Most of us would blow it on material things like cars, clothes, jewelry, etc. Dave Chapelle probably wasn't too far off with his skit. lol. Money doesn't change the kind of person you are it only reflects who you already are. All this talk about reparations only devalues the struggle that our ancestors went through. To think that you can ease the pain of hundreds of years of suffering with money and land is ridiculous. Slavery WAS a tragic part of our history but it WAS a tragic part of our PAST. There is no way that we can move forward as a people, country, and world if we do not let go of the past. Reparations is just another excuse for black people to use why they are downtrodden and blah blah blah. We all know even if we had reparations there would be another excuse. Let's be accountable for own actions and stop looking for handouts.

This messgae was inspired by the ignorant comments of a Mr. Warren Ballentine

A.T.L (A town like none other)

As far as I can remember Atlanta has always been the city that has reinvented itself time and time again. The city of Atlanta has been many things and home to many people but the fact remains that this is still "Atlanta". You see although Atlanta has become a melting pot for much of America especially for African-Americans it still remains a "southern" city first. Atlanta is a city deep rooted in southern history and southern values. So to truly understand "our" culture you have to be "A native", an "A" native to be exact. Atlanta has become known as a "transplant city". It seems as if there are more "transplants" living in Atlanta than actual natives. I have nothing against the transplants because I can only assume that they came here for a better life. At times it does feel like the people from out of town don't show enough respect or maybe us natives don't show enough pride. Either way when I'm at certain events or places I feel like a foreigner in my own city. You have to ask yourself: Are the "transplants" harder workers, have a greater sense of urgency or is it just that us, ATLiens have taken our city for granted and expect everything to be served to us on a silver platter. I must say that I think it is a combination of both. So the next time you think about complaining about the "transplants" taking over, I suggest you take time to make sure you are doing what you can to represent your city. Remember you can't complain about the system unless you are taking action. This article was inspired by Stanza's song A.T.L (A-Town Luv), a true commentary on our great city, Atlanta.


A.T.L.- Stanza
http://www.djteknology.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/stanza-atl-dirty.mp3





-Truwordz







P.S.



Wearing an "A" hat is not going to cut it!!! lol!!

Self-Conscious: The first to admit it (after Kanye West)

No matter what anyone says people value the opinions of others. Its human nature to want the approval of your peers. Self-consciousness is just a natural part of human behavior. Although we are all self-conscious to a certain extent there are times when we take it too far. Our society has always placed a high value on outer appearance. Because of this there is always pressure to look a "certain" way. Our minds have been trained to judge people based on their outer appearance. For some reason people attach "good looks" with "good personality, attitude". A guy is more likely to give the girl who is a "video vixen" the benefit of a doubt before the "average" girl. Women are more likely to give the guy with the "chiseled frame" a chance over the guy who is a little "chubby". The truth is some of the most "beautiful" people on the outside are some of the "ugliest" on the inside. There are a lot of women that will not go outside of their house without their "face" on for fear of being judged or ridiculed. Where does all this come from? If a girl is only recognized for her "looks" her entire life then she is going to feel like less of a person if her "look" is not "together". There are a lot of women and men too that feel the only they have to offer is their "looks". Why would anyone want to be with someone who is not even comfortable in their own skin? If you feel like all you have to offer is your looks then I suggest you get to know yourself better. (no pun intended. lol.) Guys can be just as self conscience as girls, I mean what do you think all of the luxury cars, diamond chains, designer suits, $300+ shoes are for? You think its all for us? Most of it is to attract women of course. The truth is fresh cuts, beauty salons, hair weaves, make-up, designer jeans, expensive jewelry do not define who we are they are only temporary distractions that hide our soul where the "true beauty" lies.

Schools Out??

If someone told you the first school in Georgia that was completely run by African-Americans is on the verge of no longer existing would you believe it? Well this might become reality sooner than later. The school that I speak of is Morris Brown. At one time Morris Brown was a big part of the AUC. Just recently the city of Atlanta cut off the water at the school because of delinquent water bills in the amount of $380,000. The story hits home for me because so many people in my family received their education from Morris Brown. Morris Brown has always been the school that gave students a chance to receive a college education that normally wouldn't. Why haven't any notable figures in the African-American stepped up to help? Where is the bailout for this prized historical institution?

To Protect and Serve?

I work in the Camp creek marketplace which is located in East Point, GA. One morning I was headed to BJ's to put gas in my car. As I'm making the turn to BJ's my car stops, I tried to crank it, but it was obvious that my car was out of gas. If you are familiar with the Camp Creek marketplace you know that BJ's is directly across from the East Point police precinct. So my car is directly across from the police precinct. It's probably about 9:30 in the morning so the shopping center isn't busy at all. A police officer pulls up and asks "what's going on?". I tell him about my situation and he tells me that he will talk to the other officers about helping to push my car. As I'm waiting I hear the other officers outside talking about my situation. Basically they were saying they weren't going to help me. The first officer finally comes back and he proceeds to tell me "that pushing the car wasn't going to work and that if I didn't move my car it would be towed. So I guess five police officers can't push a car 50 feet? After walking to the gas station, I finally get back to my job about 30 min later. As I'm walking back into my job I see the police officers behind my store playing around on one of those "segways" (waste of time and money). I guess thats why they couldn't help me. They were too "busy" making my community "safe". Is there where my tax dollars go? Now I do take full responsibility for not having enough gas in my car. But I thought it was their job to "serve" and "protect" especially when they have nothing else to do. Maybe my expectations are too high or maybe theirs are just that low. You be the judge.