Why do we wait?
Why must we wait till the sky is falling,
To answer our brothers and sisters frantic calling.
Help me! Help me! I need you now!
But no one moves until we’re prompted by the ground.
I’m starving, I’m broke, and I need a job,
But none of us can help until we can be a part of the help mob.
Each and every day we all know of those that are caught in the struggle,
But we can’t give assistance because we have our own lives to juggle.
We all have struggles and we all have problems,
With our minds on forever, together we can solve them.
It’s not just a nice thought, it’s actually our obligation,
To help our human brothers and sisters regardless of their nation.
So instead of waiting for the next tragedy to strike those less fortunate,
Let’s help each other daily because it is so important.
And the best part of it all is that everyone wins,
So let’s focus on helping each other instead of focusing on each other’s sins.
We all know that times are hard these days. Survival becomes more and more difficult with each hour that passes. Instead of worrying about our own situations, we should try to help others overcome their struggles; then we can put our energy into positive pursuits instead of contemplating negative outcomes.
We are all a part of the human family and so we must strive to assist our relatives in any way we can. It is only to our benefit to help each other daily, not just when we are in a horrible situation. And the more we make communal assistance a daily action, the less we will have to do when calamity strikes. And even if we do have to help more in times of emergency, it will not be a new experience for us. Together we can truly make our world the place we want it to be. We just have to stop letting times of tragedy be the only times we are concerned about the greater good.
We’re all here together, so let’s live like it.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Everything is great.
I’m better than you, and I need you to know it,
I’m so much better than you I gotta say it, I can’t just show it.
I have more money and I have a faster car,
All around my city I’m treated just like a star.
I have a better life than you, and I know you hate it,
Without your envy, I wouldn’t have made it.
My wife is prettier, my husband is finer,
Your clothes are from Wal-mart, mine are all designer.
My kids are super smart, they even excel in the arts,
The best you can do for your family is take your kid to the city park.
I’m better than you and you wanna know why?
It’s because I say so, now go ahead and cry.
But hold up a second, what’s that you say?
You just saw my wife with some other man the other day?
My mortgage is past due and my bank account is over-drafted,
And for dinner yesterday I almost fed my kids their pet rabbit.
My son is getting held back and my daughter can’t read,
My husband is a known creeper and my car is just on a lease.
Oh, ok, man, I guess you actually know the truth,
I feel like one of these rappers that got exposed outside the vocal booth.
So my great life is all a front and there is no nirvana,
And I’m not even married, I just have a baby mama.
Man I feel bad, just like I usually do,
That’s why I focus so hard on making you feel the same way I do.
So many of us put so much effort into making things look like they are fine when they truly are not. We put lots of energy into appearing to be richer or better off than we are in hopes that we will gain the respect and reverence that someone who has actually reached the level we aspire to already receives. Instead of trying to fix our problems or make our lives better we find ways to make it look like everything is going great, when in reality the walls are coming down around us. This is even more devastating because as we appear to have everything under control we turn away those who can help us from losing control.
The great news is that although we may feel pressure to appear perfect and problem free because that’s how everyone else is, the reality is that everyone is dealing with something. No one’s life is perfect. Therefore we can put our focus on improving our own situations instead of putting up a front so that everything appears gravy. Then, once we have truly reached our nirvana we are able to help others reach the same space in their lives instead of making them feel bad about their own issues. And everyone wins. You feel better about your situation because it is on the way to being better and eventually it is actually better. And you can then help others feel the joy of living a life that is fulfilled and flourishing instead of tolerating a busted and disgusted existence.
I’m so much better than you I gotta say it, I can’t just show it.
I have more money and I have a faster car,
All around my city I’m treated just like a star.
I have a better life than you, and I know you hate it,
Without your envy, I wouldn’t have made it.
My wife is prettier, my husband is finer,
Your clothes are from Wal-mart, mine are all designer.
My kids are super smart, they even excel in the arts,
The best you can do for your family is take your kid to the city park.
I’m better than you and you wanna know why?
It’s because I say so, now go ahead and cry.
But hold up a second, what’s that you say?
You just saw my wife with some other man the other day?
My mortgage is past due and my bank account is over-drafted,
And for dinner yesterday I almost fed my kids their pet rabbit.
My son is getting held back and my daughter can’t read,
My husband is a known creeper and my car is just on a lease.
Oh, ok, man, I guess you actually know the truth,
I feel like one of these rappers that got exposed outside the vocal booth.
So my great life is all a front and there is no nirvana,
And I’m not even married, I just have a baby mama.
Man I feel bad, just like I usually do,
That’s why I focus so hard on making you feel the same way I do.
So many of us put so much effort into making things look like they are fine when they truly are not. We put lots of energy into appearing to be richer or better off than we are in hopes that we will gain the respect and reverence that someone who has actually reached the level we aspire to already receives. Instead of trying to fix our problems or make our lives better we find ways to make it look like everything is going great, when in reality the walls are coming down around us. This is even more devastating because as we appear to have everything under control we turn away those who can help us from losing control.
The great news is that although we may feel pressure to appear perfect and problem free because that’s how everyone else is, the reality is that everyone is dealing with something. No one’s life is perfect. Therefore we can put our focus on improving our own situations instead of putting up a front so that everything appears gravy. Then, once we have truly reached our nirvana we are able to help others reach the same space in their lives instead of making them feel bad about their own issues. And everyone wins. You feel better about your situation because it is on the way to being better and eventually it is actually better. And you can then help others feel the joy of living a life that is fulfilled and flourishing instead of tolerating a busted and disgusted existence.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Living the Dream
I had a dream last night that the world woke up,
And everybody decided to give this stupid race thing up.
No more looking for my box as I fill out these papers,
No more knowing how I act before I show you a caper.
All race does is give you the wrong idea,
Makes you believe some lie when the truth is quite clear.
I’m on my grind and I hustle because I don’t know no better,
In reality I’m just trying to survive anywhichway, however.
But that’s not what you see, cause you already know me,
You met me last time you flipped on your t.v.
And I know you too, how you can’t bust no move,
Looking all crazy, as you think you groove.
And what does that have to do with my color?
Nothing at all, I just can’t call you my brother.
And after all the drama and the misunderstanding,
Being stuck on these colors got us not feeding our families.
Too busy being divided, when the Earth done provided,
Plenty food and shelter for us all, but we still gotta buy it.
So at the end of the day the bottom line is that green,
And we all gotta get it for all the same things.
So instead my race, focus on what I need,
I’ll do the same for you and help you get what you need.
As we celebrate a beautiful dream let’s focus on what makes us the same instead of some usually irrelevant differences. Our cultures are important, but they shouldn’t limit our compassion for our fellow man. More importantly, our cultures are much deeper than our skin tones. Our past experiences may be colored with pain because of our race, but our futures must be free from racial definition. We have already seen this year how little control we have over the world, so we must focus on our unity as we struggle to survive. Survival is special and beautiful and makes life worth living so lets help each other as much as possible, regardless of our color or creed. The content of our character is the greatest contribution we can make to our cultures and our world. One love, One life, One nation.
And everybody decided to give this stupid race thing up.
No more looking for my box as I fill out these papers,
No more knowing how I act before I show you a caper.
All race does is give you the wrong idea,
Makes you believe some lie when the truth is quite clear.
I’m on my grind and I hustle because I don’t know no better,
In reality I’m just trying to survive anywhichway, however.
But that’s not what you see, cause you already know me,
You met me last time you flipped on your t.v.
And I know you too, how you can’t bust no move,
Looking all crazy, as you think you groove.
And what does that have to do with my color?
Nothing at all, I just can’t call you my brother.
And after all the drama and the misunderstanding,
Being stuck on these colors got us not feeding our families.
Too busy being divided, when the Earth done provided,
Plenty food and shelter for us all, but we still gotta buy it.
So at the end of the day the bottom line is that green,
And we all gotta get it for all the same things.
So instead my race, focus on what I need,
I’ll do the same for you and help you get what you need.
As we celebrate a beautiful dream let’s focus on what makes us the same instead of some usually irrelevant differences. Our cultures are important, but they shouldn’t limit our compassion for our fellow man. More importantly, our cultures are much deeper than our skin tones. Our past experiences may be colored with pain because of our race, but our futures must be free from racial definition. We have already seen this year how little control we have over the world, so we must focus on our unity as we struggle to survive. Survival is special and beautiful and makes life worth living so lets help each other as much as possible, regardless of our color or creed. The content of our character is the greatest contribution we can make to our cultures and our world. One love, One life, One nation.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Blame is soooo overrated
Blame
I finally figured it out, I finally got it,
All my problems and issues have been solved, no doubt about it.
I know what to do, and I now know the reason,
I finally found someone to blame for this season.
This season of pain, this season of anguish,
These days of despair and the dark nights I languish,
With so much angst and so much anxiety,
But now that I can blame someone, none of it is a problem for me.
Blaming somebody makes it all feel better,
I can go outside and play now, no matter the weather,
No matter the outlook or the things I may face,
By blaming someone else I get to keep my happy face.
But the more I think and the more I wonder,
I’ve found that blaming others isn’t that much of a wonder.
It’s not my golden ticket, not my ultimate solution,
As a matter of fact it just adds to my brain pollution.
Because after the blame has been placed and someone has owned it,
I still have to face the issues that all of this started with,
So I guess what I thought was my answer really wasn’t that great,
And after I found someone to blame I was still stuck in a place,
That I didn’t want to be, a place just not for me,
So instead of blaming anybody, I’ll just let the blame be.
Blame is so overrated. So many times when we face an issue or a problem we put tons of energy into figuring out who or what is to blame instead of focusing on what we can do to change our circumstances.
Whenever someone starts telling me about an issue their having and they want to find who to blame, I always respond with questions: Then what? Now that you’ve found out who’s fault the issue is, what are you going to do about the issue? What can you do about it?
These questions are crucial to answer because they lead to actual solutions. Blame just leads to more questions or a dead end. If we focus more on finding solutions and less on who to blame, I’m sure we will have much better outcomes to the dilemmas we face. This is not to say that blame is irrelevant, even though a lot of times it may be, it’s just to show that after we’ve found someone or something to blame, we still find ourselves with lots of work to do to fix our problem. So instead of working on figuring out who we should blame, let’s just work on being better and making sure we don’t make the same mistake over and over again.
I finally figured it out, I finally got it,
All my problems and issues have been solved, no doubt about it.
I know what to do, and I now know the reason,
I finally found someone to blame for this season.
This season of pain, this season of anguish,
These days of despair and the dark nights I languish,
With so much angst and so much anxiety,
But now that I can blame someone, none of it is a problem for me.
Blaming somebody makes it all feel better,
I can go outside and play now, no matter the weather,
No matter the outlook or the things I may face,
By blaming someone else I get to keep my happy face.
But the more I think and the more I wonder,
I’ve found that blaming others isn’t that much of a wonder.
It’s not my golden ticket, not my ultimate solution,
As a matter of fact it just adds to my brain pollution.
Because after the blame has been placed and someone has owned it,
I still have to face the issues that all of this started with,
So I guess what I thought was my answer really wasn’t that great,
And after I found someone to blame I was still stuck in a place,
That I didn’t want to be, a place just not for me,
So instead of blaming anybody, I’ll just let the blame be.
Blame is so overrated. So many times when we face an issue or a problem we put tons of energy into figuring out who or what is to blame instead of focusing on what we can do to change our circumstances.
Whenever someone starts telling me about an issue their having and they want to find who to blame, I always respond with questions: Then what? Now that you’ve found out who’s fault the issue is, what are you going to do about the issue? What can you do about it?
These questions are crucial to answer because they lead to actual solutions. Blame just leads to more questions or a dead end. If we focus more on finding solutions and less on who to blame, I’m sure we will have much better outcomes to the dilemmas we face. This is not to say that blame is irrelevant, even though a lot of times it may be, it’s just to show that after we’ve found someone or something to blame, we still find ourselves with lots of work to do to fix our problem. So instead of working on figuring out who we should blame, let’s just work on being better and making sure we don’t make the same mistake over and over again.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Love is in You
Where’s the love?
Where’s the love in calling me names,
Where’s the love in playing so many games?
Where’s the love in working for money,
Where’s the love in always being so lonely?
Where’s the love in the big ole bureaucracy,
Where’s the love from brothers that look like me?
Where’s the love when I go to school,
Where’s the love when I go to buy food?
If God is love and He’s always around me,
How come it’s so hard for love to find me?
Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the way I live,
Maybe I’m stingy and always too slow to give.
Maybe it’s what I believe, the God I praise,
Maybe it’s my color, am I too dark of a shade?
But after all the maybes and all the questions,
I have to come to find that I’ve learned a few lessons.
And the greatest one that I’ve learned so far,
Is that when I look for love I shouldn’t look so far.
I don’t need to look to the heavens above,
I don’t need to look down deep, below the mud.
I just need to look inside myself,
And there I will find enough love for me and everyone else.
As we go through our days looking for love and wondering how we can love better and stronger, we must always remember that we cannot love anyone or anything until we honestly love ourselves. When we truly and unconditionally love ourselves we are able to give pure, passionate, and empowering love to others. We will surely find plenty of love in ourselves and ultimately be amazed at all the love that we receive from others as we share our love with the world.
Where’s the love in calling me names,
Where’s the love in playing so many games?
Where’s the love in working for money,
Where’s the love in always being so lonely?
Where’s the love in the big ole bureaucracy,
Where’s the love from brothers that look like me?
Where’s the love when I go to school,
Where’s the love when I go to buy food?
If God is love and He’s always around me,
How come it’s so hard for love to find me?
Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the way I live,
Maybe I’m stingy and always too slow to give.
Maybe it’s what I believe, the God I praise,
Maybe it’s my color, am I too dark of a shade?
But after all the maybes and all the questions,
I have to come to find that I’ve learned a few lessons.
And the greatest one that I’ve learned so far,
Is that when I look for love I shouldn’t look so far.
I don’t need to look to the heavens above,
I don’t need to look down deep, below the mud.
I just need to look inside myself,
And there I will find enough love for me and everyone else.
As we go through our days looking for love and wondering how we can love better and stronger, we must always remember that we cannot love anyone or anything until we honestly love ourselves. When we truly and unconditionally love ourselves we are able to give pure, passionate, and empowering love to others. We will surely find plenty of love in ourselves and ultimately be amazed at all the love that we receive from others as we share our love with the world.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year
Thank God it’s Friday, I’ve been waiting so long,
Thank God it’s Friday, and 2009 is gone,
Not to say the past year has been so bad,
Because when 2010 is over I’m gonna be just as glad.
Glad cause new years bring new opportunities,
New starts, closed chapters, so many changes for you and me.
It’s the end of old things, old ways, old days,
No more dead end situations or spiritual decay,
The new year is pure with no stains from the past,
But we can’t forget last year cause so much of it lasts,
And the things we just did don’t vanish in a dash.
So as new as it seems, 2010 will be eerily similar,
To the start of last January and end of last December.
So let’s get started in 2010 right where we left off,
And give our very best effort to end it much better off.
2010 is only going to be as new and refreshing as we make it. The only way to change yesterday is to take different actions today. What are you going to do differently in 2010 to make sure that you end up better off at the end of the year? I truly believe if we strive to be better in spirit and effort, everything else will fall into place.
Thank you for starting your 2010 off with me and as I said in my little poem above, I sincerely hope, wish, and pray that we all end up in a much better place at the end of this year than we are today (no matter how great we are currently doing)!
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