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Utopians make the world go round part 2 –Must Read–

African Origins — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:00:43 +0000

“Often all it takes is a simple flipping of the coin to gain perspective and begin one’s journey: on the flipside of neuroticism, lies sensitivity, on the flipside of rage, lies passion; with difference comes the insight of unique perception, and within an “overly active” imagination lies boundless possibility.”

“You don’t have to be naturally brilliant to become a visionary; you just have to follow through and refine your craft. You don’t have to believe in yourself, so much as believe in the importance of the journey you are on or choosing to embark upon — the innate worth of visioning, of going deeper, of creating something where there was nothing, of giving some kind of insight or inspiration to the world. Believe in the value of adding your voice, however thin and wavering, to the chorus of voices throughout history who have called out: I am here. This is how it feels to be alive, this is how it feels to be me. How does it feel for you? “

Please Read continue reading. I don’t need to say anything further. This blog post by Tai Carmen captures all that the Utopian searches for, all that the Utopian is.

The Outsider As Visionary ~ part II by Tai Carmen

December 16th, 2011 § 25 Comments

“In an overstructured world only the misfit is free.” ~ Tom Robbins

“Your visions will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, wakens.” ~Carl Jung

“Vision without execution is hallucination.”~ Thomas Edison

The word visionary is a nebulous term, evoking mad bouts of genius or peyote smoking shamans, but we shouldn’t be scared off by the word’s exotic implication. In its simplest form, a visionary is one having or marked by foresight and imagination, fresh ideas that push the boundaries of the accepted or the known.

“When you grow up,” remarks Apple computer visionary Steve Jobs, ”you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.

“That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is — everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”

In our last post about The Outsider, we discussed common traits, identifying the outsider as one who, to quote French novelist Henri Barbusse “sees too deep and too much.”

The Outsider is sensitive, often with introverted tendencies, imaginative, many times plagued by a sense of isolation and unreality. He does not identify with the common values of the society around him, rebelling against the role he’s been given, often out of pure necessity. Many don’t rebel, but remain outsiders forever in their hearts. To these I would encourage an outlet of self-expression. The outsider, simply put, is a square peg who finds himself in a world full of round holes.

Of course this, combined with natural sensitivity, will inevitably create some neuroticism in the typical Outsider, for which he is well known.

But, the Outsider need not be tortured by his difference. Rather, he can recognize that within his unique perspective, within his sensitivity and keen ability to “see too deep and too much” — his power of noticing what others miss, of being on the outside looking in at the way the world works — lies the seed of the visionary. This is the true destiny, the true potential, of the Outsider.

“The visionary,” Colin Wilson notes, “is inevitably an outsider.”

Often all it takes is a simple flipping of the coin to gain perspective and begin one’s journey: on the flipside of neuroticism, lies sensitivity, on the flipside of rage, lies passion; with difference comes the insight of unique perception, and within an “overly active” imagination lies boundless possibility.

Without recognition of their own potential gifts, without a constructive outlet for their depth and intensity, the frustrated Outsider can become easily depressed. We’re already sensitive, and once we submit to the pain of our own hearts, often the deluge of the world’s collective suffering rushes in as well. The unexpressed outsider can even pose a danger to themselves or others. As the great Lebanese American poet Khalil Gibran once observed:

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst? Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters.

Which is why it is essential to push in the direction of our potential. An unexpressed dreamer is like a beautifully made guitar that never gets played, but hangs collecting dust on the wall.

It’s easy to let oneself off the hook with the protest that one doesn’t have any fantastic potential. This is a cop-out. No one just picks up a pen and writes the great American novel; they put years and years into studying the craft of writing. They submit wayward drafts to ruthless revision and often scrap fledgling starts (Flaubert’s first novel was so full of flaws, he ended up burning it at the urging of his friends, after which he wrote Madam Bovary, considered a masterpiece. James Joyce’s first attempt at a novel, Stephen Hero, was rejected by publishers and never saw the light of day, but later became reworked into one of his most influential and critically acclaimed works, Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man.)

It’s a myth that the ‘true genius’ just starts painting and pulls a Picasso out of the essence of his magnificent spirit. Picasso studied formally from the age of seven onward. While Mozart showed extreme aptitude at a young age, it was no less his dedication which brought about the fruits of what is now called his genius.

You don’t have to be naturally brilliant to become a visionary; you just have to follow through and refine your craft.

You don’t have to believe in yourself, so much as believe in the importance of the journey you are on or choosing to embark upon — the innate worth of visioning, of going deeper, of creating something where there was nothing, of giving some kind of insight or inspiration to the world.

Believe in the value of adding your voice, however thin and wavering, to the chorus of voices throughout history who have called out: I am here. This is how it feels to be alive, this is how it feels to be me. How does it feel for you?

“The vitality of the ordinary members of society is dependent on its Outsiders,” notes Colin Wilson. Despite, he might add, messages of conformity to the contrary. “It is their strenuousness that purifies thought and prevents the bourgeois world from foundering under its own dead-weight; they are society’s spiritual dynamos.”

Everyone loves a successful visionary, but while one is still visioning, and brewing one’s ideas, when one is simply on the journey of discovering one’s source of strength and insight, the road of the Outsider who dares to dream is no easy foot trail.

Of course, once you’ve created some kind of product — a book, a technology, an album – then our consumer-oriented society feels more inclined towards praise, or at least the begrudging admission that perhaps you’re not totally crazy.

Until that time, however, you must be strong. You must be the source of your own illumination; remain tenacious, patient, determined. Some days you won’t be able to summon any of these feelings, and in that case, give yourself the day off. But come morning, rise again.

The visionary is one who is tapped in to the invisible forces inhabiting mankind’s collective imagination. As Jonathan Swift said,”Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” In his Psychology Today article, “Long Fuse, Big Bang,” Eric C. Haseltine, Ph.D elaborates:

“Neuroscientists have learned that the brain is an extremely efficient consumer of energy (calories from food) because it cuts corners and cheats. For example, instead of ingesting and processing all available information — and in the process consuming a tremendous amount of energy — the brain throws away most of what it senses, and frugally focuses only on a tiny percent of information that’s likely to be valuable. Ignorant brains are efficient brains, and efficient brains run cool.

“So what does your brain’s temperature (or lack of it) have to do with becoming a visionary? Everything. Another way of describing your brain’s strategy of willful ignorance is blindness. [...] Becoming a visionary is simply a matter of knowing where your brain’s hard-wired blind spots are, then focusing your mind’s eye into those blind spots.”

In other words, a person who doesn’t see or think like the rest will be all the more likely to have a visionary perspective, and pushing one’s own boundaries of perception will pay off creatively. Open your mind, embrace your own unique perspective, brew it, dream it, study the craft of it, and add your voice to the chorus.

Utopians make the world go round part 1

African Origins — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:46:45 +0000

“And I have always wished that for myself.”

“And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

— Steve Jobs

Martin Luther King was a visionary a dreamer

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~

Thomas Edison

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”

—Fredrick Douglas

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Most quotes were found and cited on this page: Brainy Quotes

Hip Hop is still alive.The Best Cypher on BET ever.

African Origins — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:11:44 +0000

I didn’t need this cypher to prove to me Mcing was still alive, but it puts a smile on my face, because it reinforces what I already knew. Hip Hop has always been alive–music has always been alive, art is still alive. Because no matter how disastrous the music industry becomes after art collides with commerce there will always be the few willing to buck the trend. There will always be people who aren’t too cool for their craft of art, dance, singing, poetry, writing, songwriting/emceeing. Real Hip-hop cypher between real lyricists. All nasty. I have shivers this was amazing it was glorious it was Emceeing at it’s finest. Beastmode. It was impetuous, brilliant wordplay, it was scary, it was harmful to wack rapper’s bank account, it was…………

Sun Rise

African Origins — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:00:07 +0000

I made a video using the best Show on television.

Reactionary vs Progressive Activism

African Origins — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 05:38:46 +0000

I meant to publish this some time ago, but it does have relevance in light of the 9/11 anniversary.

Reactionary vs Purposeful activism. I am no shining model of revolutionary living myself. I am not a warrior on the battlefield against social injustice, I’m not a freedom fighter against enemies of the people. Not to say I am not willing to be all those things, I’m just trying to figure it all out still, I guess. I am not really an activist in any sense of the word either. I am a bleeding heart progressive with lofty vague objectives—I keep an unrequited love for the world that only a romantic could muster. I aspire to see a “better world,” or “make the world a better place,” or better still, “spread love and positivity anywhere I can.” That’s probably why I am so passive in my particular implementation of “activism.” I haven’t defined plans or goals, but it honestly makes me feel good. Watching the recent events in the news concerning the London Riots, and the actions of Anonymous, Lulsec etc, I’ve come to the conclusion that most of these people never have defined goals either. I feel great for donating to causes here and there, feeding the homeless, and signing online petitions but what is the goal of it all? What is the plant? I’ve always felt like every act of altruism is a counter to the evil in the world; I want to feel like I am making a difference no matter the size of the contribution. I truly feel like charity and volunteer work does do good for some people. Many people might call my views delusional, lacking in pragmatism, a very lackadaisical attempt at solving real world issues. But I understand, the truth is no one man or woman can solve all real world issues. It takes a group of like minded individuals to devise a plan to impact society in a productive and purposeful way. Different groups dedicate time, energy, resources, to causes they find the most important. For instance, if a group of people want Congress to repeal an act, or pass an act,(think civil rights, net neutrality, healthcare bill) Who is the audience? How will they receive my message(literally & figuratively)? How does a group appeal to such a governing body?

No matter the cause, people who aspire to bring change need to plan and anticipate the affects of their actions. Let’s look at the Tea party.

I don’t agree with many of the views of the Tea Party, but they were able to change one of the two major political parties in America through an unrelenting grass roots movement. They disassociated from the more rogue elements trying to join their movement (White nationalists, Neo-Nazis, racists, etc) and were able to maintain credibility(relatively) in a public space. Some might say technically they were backed by the very wealthy Koch brothers so maybe they aren’t the best example of a grassroots movement. But money isn’t the issue here it was the methods of public protest. Their public outcries and outreach caught the media’s fascination and spotlight. Their methodology of protest was very similar to that of the civil rights movement and the women’s rights movement. These groups were able to gain traction in the idea marketplace. Just like in business, no one wants to buy what you’re selling if it isn’t presentable. No one wants your services if you aren’t presentable, and no one wants to hear your voice if you cannot present them in a responsible sensible way.

My brother sent me an articlecontaining an interview with a rioter’s response to causes of the chaos. And he said, “if we don’t riot, then you won’t listen to us.” I don’t know the guys age, but I’m guessing he’s very young. He gave a very short answer loaded with meaning to demonstrate a youthful rebellion. This guy may have a political stance, but is misguided in carrying it out. Who will be receptive to his ideas after these events? Who will listen after millions of £’s in damages to small businesses and public services in the surrounding community? If anything, your voice has become more marginalized now then before. You are a rebel without aim; you are a scourge to society; you are not a threat to the establishment you detest, you are a threat to everyone! If you wanted a voice, I know law enforcement will definitely be listening now, that’s for sure. I heard on NPR today an English judge sentenced a young man to 4 years in prison for inciting violence in his own town. Harsh, but once again: Cause and affect.

Watch this video.

This is not an opinion. This is not a position in an argument. This is a visceral simple-minded reaction to complex matters. It will make you feel good (if you get away with it) but it will not and does not help anyone.
Youtube embed:

And I am not saying radical times don’t call for radical measures.

For example, I think if Americans want to gain back autonomy and correct the democratic process from corporate tyranny it will take radical action. I watched a documentary on Ancient Greece which captured what I feel might have to happen worldwide lol. In the documentary a tyrant (a man named Isagoras) pissed off the people of Greece to the point of mass uprisings and fighting, of which forced the regime up a mountain, leading to a more democratic state. The tyrant was exiled and the people chose a new ruler who came up with the first example of modern democracy.

I believe any kind of peace comes from understanding and living with a purpose and duty to yourself and others. And I believe resolve comes from acting with courage and insight. Children act out impulsively when they don’t get what they want.

The Tree of Life is one of the greatest films ever made.

African Origins — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:07:24 +0000

Powerful visuals fill this movie

Art is human expression; it captures historical moments, movements, people and places; art conveys human triumphs, human struggles, human hopes and dreams; art captures the human experience. By my definition, I believe there has been no greater form of art created than the motion picture/film/movie. And having said that, The Tree of Life is one of the greatest movies I’ve ever witnessed. A classic film, not just by today’s standards, but in the history of film making. It’s an ambitious film in its style and message, but Terrence Malik takes you on a journey to explore life’s essence in 2 hours and 14 min.

The movie starts with a light and a bible verse,

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation … while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7 )

and this quote by one character, Mrs. Obrien(played by Jessica Chastain) follows “Old Jack’s quote:”

“The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow. Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. Likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it. And love is smiling through all things. The nuns taught us that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end. I will be true to you. Whatever comes.”

The plot centres on an American family, the Obrien’s, and their struggles with questions concerning this life and death. They are a religious family who have their world turn into a whirlpool when one o f the children dies at the age of 19. They question their god after the loss of their son and try to cope with their loss using the bible. The film’s setting spends a lot of time in the memories of the eldest son, Jack(played by Sean Penn), who is now a middle-aged man still reeling over the loss of his brother. The movie travels even further in time to the beginning of Earth and has few voices when it does so. The questions asked of god when the boy dies are very poignant because these were questions I used to ask before my de-conversion. The questions still ring in my ears because they have existed from the beginning of human thought and human history.

Quotes from the best IMDB:

Young Jack: Where were You? You let a boy die. You let anything happen. Why should I be good ? When You aren’t.

Young Jack: [on camera] Help me not answer my dad… Help me not to get dogs in fights… Help me to be thankful for everything I’ve got…

[whispered voice over]

Young Jack: Where do You live?

[on camera]

Young Jack: Help me not to tell lies.

[whispered voice over]

Young Jack: Are You watching me? I want to know what You are. I want to see what You see.

Father Haynes: He is in God’s hands, now.

Mrs. O’Brien: He was in God’s hands the whole time. Wasn’t he?

All of life’s essence, complexity, fragility, exhibited in one family. It’s like watching all of our questions spoken from others and answered the best they know how. The movie is steeped in a metaphysical and biblical explanation of life. Me being a secular humanist in my world view and personal philosophy, it’s hard to put down my lens and biases as I move through this life, and even harder when watching a movie dealing with such heavy subject matter. I am also someone who believes value is relative and not absolute. I consider myself an existentialist in the most basic definition possible(I am no expert). For instance, Some people will see beauty in life’s intricacy and abundance and others won’t care. Some people are inspired by possibilities, viewing their life as one of many. Others remain glued to a script they didn’t write. The Tree of life is filled with passion and hope—it’s like witnessing redemption through cinema, and I value it greatly. It’s an event you have to witness not watch.

Ok I’m done sweating, I’ll zip up my pants, I’m done pleasuring myself after watching the movie and writing this post. I will note one imperfection. I find the attempt to redefine god through its lens and explain life using this redefinition to be a little stale. It’s an explanation of god that’s been done. But in any case, I fell in love while watching this movie and became smitten with its style and presentation of its message(s). I am in awe obviously and have watched it twice and will watch it many more times.

Update:

“What you bring to the film will ultimately effect what you take away from it. “ Very good review of the same movie.

I copied the top image from another really good review here.

I also decided to post this song, Sun Rise. It is a song that describes my journey from beginning to the present. It’s called Sun Rise because I want to see the light after living in darkness/blindness for so long. Well I want to see the Sun Rise. It is a song on my Who’s Afraid of The Dark? project. Check it out.

Produced by 100bulletz

If link won’t work try this:

http://snd.sc/rkWhqs

Oh No I’m still here. I missed out on the Biggest Bailout of the Century. Holy Shit!

African Origins — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:16:03 +0000

I stopped blogging in anticipation for this day. I don’t want to be destroyed in the final battle. I don’t want to be thrust into the lake of fire. Alas, my greatest fears have crystallized……I’ve been left behind!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Here, this guy Xenocrates explains why the rapture failed.

One of the realest posts ever.

African Origins — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:58:39 +0000

People underestimate the crack epidemic on the black community and the ramifications of negligent drug policies. Here Killer Mike aka Mike Bigga breaks down the harsh realities of having a mother, a guardian, a relative addicted to a powerful substance. Through it all he was able to make it through and become successful at something few people could hope to achieve. That’s why I was always a fan of the dungeon family, killer Mike(Mike Bigga) OUtkast, goodie Mob et al. They represent the true story of Atlanta, and to a greater extent, the human experience of people. They form a collective of talented individuals with unique styles and talents but still represented Hip-Hop to the fullest. One could listen to Mike, Outkast, goodie mob, cee-lo and them and get a feel for the south. Now we got these ………………….oh never mind just read the post. I promise a well-written and inspirational read to those who do. Peace.

My Thoughts on Mothers, Sons, Love & Addiction by Mike Bigga

That B.B. King lyric cuts deep! I grew up in the crack era. I grew up
�in the actual crack era, not the one you always hear rappers rap about
where they were all rich and knew Pablo, Papi, Hector or some other
random Spanish name that fits to make the bar rhyme.

Bullshit, BTW.

I grew up watching men and women fall from descent, working viable
people to zombie-like shells of themselves. I watched TV as former
President Reagan and his self-righteous wife said, “Just say no,” and
created the false “drug war” that was really just a war on Black boys
and men, the poor and the addicted.

In the “trap” we called these unlucky people who suffered from the
illness of addiction J’s (short for junkies). As the CIA and Reagan’s
man Oliver North allowed cocaine in the US (Iran-Contra), unskilled and
skilled labor jobs left the country and cocaine became the alternative
economy for urban areas. Little boys became household breadwinners and
lots of mothers became addicts.

Within these children, deep-seated cynicism began to creep in and
fester like a cancer. The drugs that turned once decent folks into
desperate sick addicts, willing to sacrifice what dignity they had in
exchange for a drug, had a parallel effect on the community; it turned
sellers into cynics void of compassion and sympathy. The same family
members you loved and would give you school money were now shells of
their former selves.

I connected with Jay-Z’s music more because of a story he shared about his shooting brother on “You Must Love Me.”�
�Whenever I listened, I remember having my “bomb” (package of rocks)
stolen by a dear family friend, Eric. I can still smell the
gasoline-filled bottles I prepared as I sat at the stop sign waiting for
�the lights to go out in Eric’s mother’s house. I remember seeing his
mom and her live-in, mentally-challenged boarders and him go in the
house.

I remember Rodney “J,” a good and decent man once, now sadly just a
“J” walking up and asking me for a sack. I remember the puzzled look on
his face when he said, “Fat boi, what’s wrong? Why you ain’t smiling?
You’re always smiling.”

Then, I remember the look as he noticed the smell of gas and saw the
four freshly filled bottles with gas and sugar in them and realized I
wanted PAY BACK! I saw a sadness in him like none I had ever seen from
him. He had known Eric had stolen from me and he knew I was gonna get
pay back.

Rodney, in that moment, dropped the “J” and was just an older Black
man schooling an angry and misguided child. With all the moral fortitude
�he could muster he sternly said, “Fat Boi, what are you doing, man?
Son, you cannot do that.”

He told me there are innocent folks in there, and he reminded me that
�he, Eric and even my mom were sick. They all had the same disease and
one day I will look back at this and it will not be as important. He was
�right. That moment is below petty, and I was just a stupid, angry kid
about to throw my life away for 2k in drugs!

I wish I could say that after Rodney took the cocktails and high
tailed it, all was good and I learned my lesson and became a better me. I
�didn’t. After Rodney took the gas-filled glass grenades, I waited on
Eric for two days, I caught him, and I beat him up pretty badly. I
dragged him the front yard for the neighborhood to see, and I wanted
every “J” to know you cannot steal from me. I wanted the other dealers
to see you will not take advantage of me. I did it in my mom’s front
yard because I knew, somewhere deep in me, she was involved. Her
addiction had made her party to this theft. I knew that I could not hit
her, so I punished Eric with all the 18-year-old strength I had.

I sent him away to DeKalb Medical broken and bleeding.

I left my humanity there in that yard alongside his blood. I left my
sympathy and compassion there, I abandoned my humanity. I killed part of
�me that day. I killed the boy that loved and trusted his mother. I
killed lil’ Michael who always honored Denise because I knew her
addiction and bipolar disorder would be the death of her and possibly me
�if I didn’t.

I am glad for the time God gave me a healthy, honorable and engaging
mother, even if it was only a few short years. I hope one day my
mother’s mental illness and the illness of disease will loose her from
their vise grip, but my self-defense is cynicism and in reality I doubt
it. I guess what I’m saying is I accept her. I know she is broken and
will more than likely die because her kidneys have failed and she now
lives only because of dialysis due to years of drug abuse and hard
living.

But she’s mine.

She is the mother I was given and I’m thankful for her regardless.
She’s my mother. She died for a few minutes while having me at 16, and
she says something of her got left on the other side, and all the
goodness she had left she put in me. So I’m fighting, girl, I’m fighting
�to foster that good and retain my humanity. It’s hard but I’mma do
this. I have to for her grandchildren, my children. I have to be fully
open to all emotions for them.

I cannot blame these folk for being fun-loving partiers; they like
the current users of X, oxy, syrup, etc. They had no idea what kind or
turmoil cocaine and crack would do. Cocaine was an atomic bomb that
wiped away our collective moral compass. If they were able to see
face-to-face 20 years ahead, maybe they would have opted out of the
80s/90s party scene. Maybe women like my mom, young business
owners/mothers would have put a lot more time into their biz and kids,
less into their friends and the social scene. Maybe, just maybe, my life
�and the lives of countless other early 30s folk would be different.

We used to watch The Cosby Show and envy those kids with two
�parents, dinners together, money without crime, fun without drugs. I am
�determined to forgive my mother for leading a wasteful life and get
back on the path of good with her. I am more determined to be a whole
human being for Malik, Aniyah, Pony Boy and Michael.

Kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, it’s time to forgive and let go.

We have to be what our generation’s adults were not. We gotta be more
�like the Cosby’s and less like us rappers. We have to reclaim our
humanity by releasing this hate that is in us and being open to love.
Love your people—imperfections and all. I forgive my mother, not for
hurting me or my sisters and her own mom and dad, I forgive her for
hurting herself. I know she’s still sick, I know it will probably be the
�death of her. I know she has betrayed me many times, but I also know
she loves me… and she ain’t jiving… she’s just sick. In honor of mothers
�and sons everywhere, people fighting with addictions keep fighting. You
�can win!

It’s Bigga.

Fin!

BONUS: “All for You (Niecy’s Song)” [Produced by Cool & Dre] Off Monster, 2003

All Chilean Miners Rescued

African Origins — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:00:29 +0000

In case you didn’t know , there were 33 miners trapped 2,050(that’s half a mile underground) feet underground in Chile. There’s no way you didn’t know because this has been in every news outlet I’ve seen for last 2 months. I can’t even imagine being trapped in a room for more than 30 minutes. It actually happened one time and I didn’t wait for any outside assistance I desperately knocked the door down. Few people can do this, but I have superhuman strength, so it wasn’t too far outside the realm of possibility for me. But speaking of strength, how do you end up trapped underground with 33 other guys for 68(9) days??? I can only imagine what was going through their minds. In my opinion, this is great news, a news story that gives us a break from all this madness that’s been in the news cycles 24/7. It played out like a movie and I’m sure we’ll probably see the movie next year or so. Wow, but it reminds you that life is precious and time is precious. These guys went to work one day thinking they would get to go home after their shift was done. They never anticipated or planned for their underground entrapment to occur before telling their loved ones I love you. For me it puts things into focus and makes you just wonder about how fully you’re living life. It feels like a human triumph in some ways, over nature. To see them all come out smiling and everyone’s clapping, it’s like watching soldiers return from war. It’s awesome. I have a link to a very well-written article that captures all the moods of the story and then the rescue mission in it’s entirety.

There are many superheros here; other than the Chilean miners, there are the engineers the NASA engineer and other experts numbering 1,000 altogether made the rescue a reality.

Here: MSNBC Chilean Miners article

Post 9-11

African Origins — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:14:31 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

[Shit I forgot to post this. I was gonna post this on 9/11 forgot to but I saved it on my computer.] I can never forget. 3,000 died 300, million traumatized. Airplanes glide where no bombs could. That was just some random writing I did. I remember I was at my 1st period class Current Affairs sitting in disbelief of what I was witnessing on the news. Then I remember the rumors and the murmuring throughout the hallways on my way to 2nd period. By 2nd period we knew it was not some aviation malfunction, but a coordinated effort; it was definitely a terrorist attack. The rest of the day was filled with shock and horror before it came to anger and vindictiveness.I remember the event like it was yesterday. It’s times like these that force you to remember. Maybe it was the helplessness you felt as an unwilling spectator, maybe it was the evil that day which frightened you out of your mind, or maybe the attacks changed the way you viewed the world and the security of America. Whatever it was I hope you can all remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for others. But my greatest memory after the attacks was the resiliency of the American people. It seemed for a time that there was no stronger bond, and a unity I’d never witnessed before. Everyone had American flags and seemed to forget all the silly trivial things that tend to divide people in a pluralistic society. That was the light in a dark tunnel, the flare in a cloud of smoke to me. That was America at her greatest and most beautiful. I still remember it like it was yesterday.