Peace Is…

Peace can be anything an individual feels to look at it as. Peace can be a homeless man getting a hot meal from a stranger. Peace can be a child finding a home away from home. Peace can be wars coming to an end. Peace can be enemies now becoming friends. Peace is whatever you find calmness and contentment as. With money issues, job issues, stress, wars within countries and within ourselves and individual troubles, the world has yet to find peace.

Money is hard to come by these days. I believe it’s due to how America has become. America has become a lazy country. Effort and persistence is rare to find now a days. No one wants to go out and do what they have to do to succeed. Now days, the mindset of a genuine slacker is ‘things have to be handed to me because I can’t get it by myself.’ If you’re at the top, you don’t think to help those looking up at you from the bottom. I’ve heard before; if you’re aiming for peace, make it with your enemies and strangers, not friends and those you already love.

Stress, I believe is one of the main reasons peace isn’t formed completely in America. If you look at it at another point of view, lack of peace is the main cause of stress as well. But the thought of peace is what keeps many going.

There is no way to peace; peace is the way- A.J. Muste.

I could talk about the many wars that lead to nothing but more enemies, retaliation and of course, more wars, but for what? We know the problems we just can’t seem to find the solution. America isn’t ready for peace. Fighting isn’t the answer to everything. Peace has to be attained before anything can go right from here on out, for a better America. The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man or one party or one nation. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

There are so many things going on in the world lately. Things that I’m aware of but I’m ashamed to admit, it’s never truly fazed me. So much hurt and sorrow. So many living today, fearing whether they’ll make it to see another tomorrow. Families living and working to meet ends. Children growing up in the streets becoming enemies with those who were once friends. Who cries for those looked over? Who’s willing to lend a shoulder? Without hope and someone willing to be the brave first to make others follow, we’re a hurting America.

Peace be still. Matthew 8:23-27

Martin Luther King Parody By Yours Truly "))

“I Have a Dream . . . The Voice for Teens”

 

            I speak the truth to you, my fellow teens, that though we get migraines and a ‘suffer in silence’ type of feeling when our parents are in that nagging mood, I stay driven to have this dream. This is a dream that every teen thinks of but never speaks of aloud unless pushed to their limit.

            I have a dream that one day on the planet of rebellion, the mothers won’t try to fight the stage we go through and that fathers won’t raise their voices to get their point across. If we want our space, they must find it within them to understand and let us stay on our peaceful, soothing, stress-free, galaxy we resorted to. If we close the door, obviously it was closed loudly for a reason. If we locked that door, parents, it doesn’t justify your actions when you knock on it repeatedly; trying to talk over our music we turned up to drown you out with.

            I have a dream that my experienced parents would dig deep to find and remember what they were like when they were teens. That for once, they will BOTH be the cool parents.

            I have a dream- I need space and understanding- today and on forth.

            I have a dream that one day, my parents won’t come to me fuming, wary faced and foaming at the tight, confined corners of their mouths, ranting about the house not being clean. If they just looked at it from the point of view I do, the house would look clean and organized enough to pass for a Better Homes and Garden magazine feature. Mopped kitchen floors to a Mr. Clean shine, the bathroom Pine Sol-ed up, the living room, family night ready and each room, ‘Cribs’ television ready. If they could look past the dirty clothes pile up to the ceiling and a few keep-sake junk stuffed under the bed. I rebuke the many candy wrappers and a few dozen dirty dishes arranged in a well-organized hide and seek form from showing themselves.

            I have a dream that on those great Friday mornings where I’m floating on spaceship Serta where I want to get all the sweet sleep I can before school starts that I will not be woken up to get trash ready because I refused to do it the previous night. If I cover my face to shield myself from being yanked, pulled, jerked or all of the above at the same time, that they will spare me this one morning instead and do it themselves.

            I have a dream today and on forth

I have a dream that when I want something, money shall not be an issue. If I want that pair of shoe I will get it. If I want to go out and funds are low, you will not throw in my face the many stacked bills and the fact that I have a job. Had I known I’d need the money in my near future, I wouldn’t have spent it so carelessly. The saying about money growing on trees would no longer be a sarcastic, rhetorical question. By the grace of God, money WILL grow on trees!

These many subjects are what I dream. With this rooted hope will make way if there is a will. With this dream, a prayer isn’t far behind. I will vanish the words no, curfew, low funds, baby sit, stop and many others I don’t wish to elaborate on. With this dream, I hope that communication won’t be as big a factor as understanding, curfews and other privileges will and can be negotiable, and we’re granted the freedom we humbly and sweetly ask for.

This will be a fine day. The day we come together to take pictures, eat, dance, bond as one. The song ‘We Are Family’ will be sung from each of our vocal cords to fill the house with warmness, comfort, love and affection.

If our warm home is one that is also down for equality and individuality, it will be looked upon as a great and fortunate American home.

Let “teen-dom” ring!

Let “teen-dom” ring from the overstuffed closet within the confinement of every teen’s bedroom. Let “teen-dom” ring from within the organized unorganized death trap we call our closets. Let “teen-dom” ring from the many “warning” faces given from upset parents. Let “teen-dom” ring from our lint filled pockets and dead flies that whizzed out of our wallets. Let “teen-dom” ring from every bad grade we got and never got a real chance to prove that it was the teacher’s and not our fault. Let “teen-dom” ring for every time we would get scolded for replying or merely speaking our minds only to have our comment called ‘back talking!’

More so, let “teen-dom” flow thorough not just mine but EVERY teen filled household.

When we let “teen-dom” prevail, when It’s allowed to ring from every ear bleeding, loud,  music playlist, every clothes scattered bedroom carpet, every tooth pasted covered bathroom sink, and every unwashed, heaping load of clothes we will get a satisfaction unimaginable. That will be the day the world would change for the better. We have a say, a mind of our own and most importantly, we have a voice. Teens shall overcome the many obstacles we must face whether by choice or not.

We shall overcome.

Teens at last! Teens at last! Thank God Almighty; we are recognized teens at last!

 

Changes Don’t Happen Overnight

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If the world evolves constantly, why do only certain things change? If the world is changing, it should change as a whole. So why do some things never change? Change is for the better and America as a whole is supposed to change as one. Why does America look the other way on those less fortunate who want to evolve with the rest of us but can’t due to circumstances? Change is coming possibly; I just don’t believe it truly has arrived.


Sure you could debate with me about it but once I’m set on something, it’s tough to change my mind set. Tying this in with the real matter has to do with late rapper/actor, Tupac Shakur. A few simple verses heard from the rapper are deep enough to make anyone wonder and question things he sees that we never truly sit and think about. He had a view on everything, he made it so we could relate even if we weren’t in the circumstance; we understood and his mind was on a bigger picture. He saw what we either didn’t want to see or what we refused to look at.


“I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin changes; learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers… I see no changes all I see is racist faces. Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races. We under, I wonder what it takes to make this one better place, let’s replace the wasted.”
When I listen to the song titled Changes, release in ’98 by Tupac, it sets me back and it broadens my thoughts on the world today. Most of the things he talked about still haven’t changed. Racism may never go away in our world. Gangs are heavy in the streets. Same color people are quick to drawing their guns and repping their blocks or affiliation. Higher class people are still holding their noses up at the lower class.

Change doesn’t come over night. Not everyone is used to change. It’s hard to adapt to something we’re not used to. I heard somewhere that the world changes every minute and you have two choices; Grab on and ride with it or remain stubborn and get left behind. It’s that simple.
The question that is still left unanswered though is when is change going to come?
“There are only two things that are constant and that’s change and change.”-Tupac Shakur

You Deserve This Day, M.L.K

Einstein said that, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Chief Visionary Officer, Robin Sharma said it best when she said; “Authentic leaders dare to dream impossible dreams.” Martin Luther King Jr. was indeed an authentic leader. His dream was far more detailed, elaborated and beyond any thoughts that ran through a colored person’s mind at the time. For that and many more reasons, not only is there a holiday in honor of Dr. King but why many are honoring Dr. King in early January.


The MLK Week for Peace is a collaborative celebration among the four major private universities in New Orleans. People gather to reflect on the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to take in and appreciate his love of collective work and social justice. The theme this year is “Unity and Diversity: Universities for the Dream.”


Of course, the celebration is being held in many other states in honor of  Dr. King.
Having just learned about this celebration it really is an eye-opener. Sure I’ve known about Dr. Martin Luther King Day but I never looked into how others around the world are celebrating. I guess I have always been hearing but not listening. I mean, sure I have so much to thank Dr. King for and a huge part of it is for how life today is; how I can walk with people of different nationalities and not have to make a secret of it. How I can be what I want and say what I want to say, knowing I have a voice and it having nothing to do with the color of my skin. Dr. King made it possible for colored people to be counted for and paved a way for us to be individualized human beings with a mind of our own, mouth to voice our thoughts and the strength to stand for what we believe in.


"We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” Quotes like this from Dr. King is just what makes him memorable and celebrated. He saw the big picture while others didn’t bother looking through the lens. Dr. King’s vision was for peace, unity, equality and justice.


This Week of Peace is for those who realize how much they owe to Dr. King. It’s for those who are grateful to him for bringing nonviolence acts and words of wisdom to society’s attention, for those witnessed us at our lowest as a nation along with Dr. King who now can witness us as equals. Young or old, this celebration is to honor him for uniting us and giving us more than what others (whites) thought we deserved.


Freedom doesn’t have a price and segregation has no place here. If it weren’t for Dr. King and his struggles he overcame, we may still be wondering when change would come.


"There is no gain without struggle." –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

I love this kinda life :))

AU Kick-Off

The AU Kick-Off was more than I expected it to be.

There was so much going on that I didn’t know where to start. I invited my brother and dad along to enjoy the festivities with me. My brother and I started off writing our names to get our name plates. As we walked around some more to check all that was going on out, it got hotter and hotter. The area started getting less roomy and if you know me, heat and Georgia don’t get along that well. We decided to get a snow cone which I thought would help me chill. It did but it wasn’t as tasty like snow cones I eat usually are. It was basically colored ice -___- ß that’s the face I had when I took my first bite out of it. After that …errr… experience we went to get our faces caricature-ized. (Not really a word but I established it) J . There were two caricature artists. We evidently went to the wrong lady because when she showed us her finished artwork, my face dropped. The picture looked nothing like me or my brother. She was smiling like she wanted that reaction.

 Later we decided to eat. The food was like all their other foods. They always serve burgers and hotdogs; nothing special in my opinion. We stopped to get a better caricature from the other lady who we were grateful for because she was just AWESOME! We ended our fun-ness by picking up our license plates and cooling off in the shade. It was pretty cool overall though. It got me out of a few classes and entertained me. Who could ask for more?