Precious Self-Hate

How many times do we down the drink of self hate until we our intoxicated with ignorance? It is a simple question that arises when I listen to rap music and black men use precious as a punchline. How precious is it to material profit to profit off a hate for your own? It seems that profit is perpetually linked to the linking of blackness to self-hate. As our theme songs diminish our worth we must ask ourselves is blackness worth anything anymore? Or have we simply sought to be judged as individuals while we collectively conspire to alleviate our collective identity to the scrape heap of white supremacy. So once what was thought to be sacred is no more. Our love one another seems to be reserved for recollections of the past while past one another on the street without a second thought. These are the simple thoughts of one who wonders if we will ever see that if precious is a punchline then the joke is on us.

Immune to Tragedy

As the world keeps turning I wonder if we have become immune to tragedy? Have we lost our ability to grapple with the reality that the world is changing and not for the better? This is a difficult truth for most to embrace because the prospect of the inevitability of goodness to win out seems to be continuously injected into the American bloodstream. This hollow optimism allows for us to rationalize tragedies of Aurora and now Wisconsin as blips on the path to continued human progress. The truth is these tragedies are not blips, and when we trivialize the lost of life, or when we refuse to wrestle with the larger questions humanity suffers. When we think that our job is done with status updates or  clicking the like button on trending articles, the possibility to truly learn and be transformed by tragedy is lost. We must do more. We must challenge a culture that continually diminishes the value of human life. We cannot simply choose to move on. The time is now to stop, and grieve for the lost life, and to also grieve for ourselves, if we cannot recognize that something more than our condolences is needed.

A New Story

What are the stories that we tell ourselves? What are the narratives that we follow that shape our worldviews? And is it time to for a new narrative? Is it time to discard the idea that this world was made for us and us alone? Is it time to due away with the notion that rigid ideologies provide salvation? It would seem that salvation may not be in our control but the ability to destroy sadly seems to rest collectively on our fingertips. So, the time is now to start a new narrative. To relinquish the story of competition and individualistic ambition. Truthfully, ambition without consciousness is simply a vice that causes more discord. We must recognize that any narrative that is not rooted in a love of the people is doomed to more us closer down the road of destruction. So, lets awake from our slumber and begin to redefine the way we see ourselves and ultimately our world. Our futures depend on it. Let's Get Free!

Let's Get Free

We are in a battle with those who seek to makes the chains of oppression common accessories for the masses. So, the masses must refuse to adorn themselves in the garments of apathy no matter how comfortable those garments maybe. No, we must stretch our vision so that it encapsulates those that we may have previously classified as different. We must resist the notion that our ambition should be focused on anything other than making sure that everyone is free. And this freedom is not connected to monetary gain or the accumulation of trinkets. No, it is connected to the idea that everyone should be free allow for their authentic selves to spring forth. Let us fight for a better world. A better world where justice and peace are the pursuits of those who crave success. Let's redefine success. Let's move away from values that are destroying our world. Let's fight to make the measure of a human being the capacity to love not destroy. Let's Get Free!

The Myth of the Bad Employee

I am not a bad employee. I simply do not give a fuck about the task I am being asked to complete. Is it completely irrational to believe that my poor work performance is connected to my complete lack of interest in the task? I believe my rejection of the mundane is a testament to my inability to accept bullshit as a way of life. Life has to be more than structured obligations and spending mass amounts of time punching time clocks, doesn't it? Am I wrong for wanting more? I do not have the talent for convincing myself that getting up everyday and doing something I hate for money is worth it. So, ultimately it is my defiance that makes me a bad employee. It is my inability to be domesticated into a way of life where it is natural to accept that being a cog in an oppressive machine is the meaning of life. That accumulating meaningless trinkets is enough to offset the sheer boredom that a capitalistic system brings on. I am convinced there is more. So, I will continue to be characterized as a bad employee as long as dehumanization is prerequisite for employment in this evil capitalistic system. Let's Get Free!

Pull yourself up by your Bootstraps Lebron the American story

The things we believe about Lebron are the same ignorant things will believe about success in America. Why can't he just win the title? Even in the midst of a team sport our selfish narrative of individualism blinds us to the truth. Individuals do not win titles teams do. However, this would be difficult for our country to accept. A country that prides itself on believing that individuals determine their success alone. That systemic barriers do not limit the life chances of many and that by simply making the right choices success will be the outcome. Lebron is great that does not mean that there are not other teams better than the one he is on. Winning a title will be determined by the collective. It is this collective narrative that would transform our communities as well. The belief that success is not simply this singular goal that can be achieved by our greatness. We need help! Can we accept that, can we see past the allure of believing that we can do it all. The American system wins if we keep alive these narratives that the system has no impact. That individuals can simply will themselves to success. This is as likely as one man willing himself to a team title. Something to think about. Let's Get Free!

Damn Seattle!

When did the town become a place where violence was so prevalent? I, like many others am wrestling with this question. As I see numerous updates that highlight the fear that now grips our city. I am left with the realization, Uncertainty is scary. It is difficult when we recognize that those ideas that we have taken for granted must be re-examined. Safety is a privilege that it seems we have taken for granted. Now, the question is how will we challenge ourselves and our communities to be better? How will we make the choice not to give into the despair? It is easy in times like this to make your circle smaller. So often we tend to believe that there is no one that we can trust and that barriers and fences will make us safer. However, we must resist this logic and recognize the solution occurs when we begin to truly see one another as brothers and sisters. Beautifully flawed individuals trying to deal with the same cruel world. That skin color, sexual orientations, economic class or political affiliation does not shield us from the same fundamental issues. The truth is, We are in this together, and until we accept this, and place the value of life at the centerpiece in the restoration of our broken world we will continue to fall short. Falling short screaming in solitude Damn Seattle!