I had a very interesting day today. I was given some insight into things that I didn't know I was even thinking about. Just pray that I make the right decisions and don't screw stuff up.
Thanks!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Conversations
Have you ever found yourself in a conversation that's one sided, either you won't shut up or the other person won't?
Well what do you think, are you embarrassed or irritated?
Dumbstruck or challenged?
Really, why is it so hard for us to just listen?
We live in a society that teaches us to be dominant and strong , to do whatever we can to be the best and first....we fight amongst ourselves for it and build sports around it and we ever wage war because of it.
Ultimately we don't like to listen, because it's too nice.
Humans are naturally aggressive ...
it's true throughout history and in our current age of "enlightenment" you would think that we could find a way to communicate without having to take such drastic measures to accomplish our goals.
We don't listen because it would take too much time away from what we love...conflict.
Watch movies, television, even the news there's always conflict involved...physical, emotional, and mental conflicts are all around us. We thrive on them and can't wait to come in contact with another one.
It's in our very nature even though we don't want to admit it.
I'd like to sit in a room full of diverse men and women and have a conversation. I'd ask them the most profound questions I could think of and just listen and try to learn from them. Now I won't agree with them all, but do I have to.
Isn't a great conversation one that has a little bit of everything in it?
I wonder if I could sit people in a room and have that entire room LISTEN not just hear each other.
I wonder if that conversation could begin a little change in someone? Maybe even the world.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Let the Movie Season Begin...
I guess you can call this summer's movie season "the summer of the sequels", there are at least five movie sequels coming out this summer and not just sequels, we're talking thirds, fourths and fifths (there's even a ninth, but they're not advertising it as that). So I'm excited about this summer season, because I want to see most of these movies...I'm soooo excited about a few, that I'm completely beside myself.
For me, the summer movie season kicked off with DISTRUBIA, I saw a trailer for it and thought it looked cool and I wasn't disappointed. Next up is Hot Fuzz, which I haven't seen yet but WILL!!! And well the rest....I'll just leave a list below, hopefully you'll see them two and we'll have something to talk about!
Spiderman 3
Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Bourne Ultimatum
28 Weeks Later
Ocean's 13
Resident Evil: Extinction
Halloween
And these are some movies that seem interesting, but aren't sequels
Transformers
1408
The Kingdom
Stardust
So enjoy your summer at the movies and until my first review....the Balcony is closed.
For me, the summer movie season kicked off with DISTRUBIA, I saw a trailer for it and thought it looked cool and I wasn't disappointed. Next up is Hot Fuzz, which I haven't seen yet but WILL!!! And well the rest....I'll just leave a list below, hopefully you'll see them two and we'll have something to talk about!
Spiderman 3
Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Bourne Ultimatum
28 Weeks Later
Ocean's 13
Resident Evil: Extinction
Halloween
And these are some movies that seem interesting, but aren't sequels
Transformers
1408
The Kingdom
Stardust
So enjoy your summer at the movies and until my first review....the Balcony is closed.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Ignorant Man
I wrote this months ago, but my computer shut down for a while so I didn't post it...but here it is
I decided to address what may be the ugliest and most explosive word in the modern language. In the wake of Michael Richards' outburst and now the use of this word on MTV's the Real World, I think it's time for my opinion on the word. I've never had anyone call me that word, but I have heard it in my everyday life. In fact, we use it regularly in my house...my father, brother and I do. My mom doesn't think we should but we have silently out ruled her.
Honestly, the word and its history are shameful and up until a couple years ago I had never said it. Two Hispanic guys I went to high school with used the word all the time. They grew up in South Central, to them...even though they weren't black, it was a normal thing and although I knew it was offensive I understood why they used it. But one day it became too much for me and I asked that they not use it around me. I told them I didn't care if they used it, but I didn't care to hear it and well, they were respectful and I never heard it used again. But that was Ten years ago.
It's now 2006 and you would think that this word would be gone...that only ignorant or racist people would use it. But along time ago blacks took this damaging, hate-filled word and turned it into something usable and respectful. Really, I don't know how or why but you can hear this word blasting through radios or on telephone conversations and even just in passing. Black people will use this word outside the church to call out their "boy", but God forbid a white person use it. Why?
I know why, but that's not my real question, my real question is why does anyone have to use this word? It should be dead; it shouldn't be used by anyone for any reason. I include myself in this. Every time we as black people use this word we are slapping the memory of our ancestors in the face. We are lashing them with whips; we are making what they had to go through unimportant. We have freedoms are grandparents and great-grandparents could only dream of yet, we are taking them for granted and trying to seem cool or hip.
Ignorant Man...that's what it means. That's what the white slave traders thought of the Africans they stole and sold away. We came from a rich and intelligent land that housed library's and universities, but all they saw was ignorance...but now look at us...all we care about is the next rap artist, how our rims look, how much bling we can get on our person at once. Maybe we are what they said we are?
RESPECT YOURSELF, YOUR HISTORY, YOUR FUTURE AND STOP THIS...STOP OPPRESSING YOURSELVES AND YOUR PEOPLE.
DON'T BE IGNORANT MEN!
I decided to address what may be the ugliest and most explosive word in the modern language. In the wake of Michael Richards' outburst and now the use of this word on MTV's the Real World, I think it's time for my opinion on the word. I've never had anyone call me that word, but I have heard it in my everyday life. In fact, we use it regularly in my house...my father, brother and I do. My mom doesn't think we should but we have silently out ruled her.
Honestly, the word and its history are shameful and up until a couple years ago I had never said it. Two Hispanic guys I went to high school with used the word all the time. They grew up in South Central, to them...even though they weren't black, it was a normal thing and although I knew it was offensive I understood why they used it. But one day it became too much for me and I asked that they not use it around me. I told them I didn't care if they used it, but I didn't care to hear it and well, they were respectful and I never heard it used again. But that was Ten years ago.
It's now 2006 and you would think that this word would be gone...that only ignorant or racist people would use it. But along time ago blacks took this damaging, hate-filled word and turned it into something usable and respectful. Really, I don't know how or why but you can hear this word blasting through radios or on telephone conversations and even just in passing. Black people will use this word outside the church to call out their "boy", but God forbid a white person use it. Why?
I know why, but that's not my real question, my real question is why does anyone have to use this word? It should be dead; it shouldn't be used by anyone for any reason. I include myself in this. Every time we as black people use this word we are slapping the memory of our ancestors in the face. We are lashing them with whips; we are making what they had to go through unimportant. We have freedoms are grandparents and great-grandparents could only dream of yet, we are taking them for granted and trying to seem cool or hip.
Ignorant Man...that's what it means. That's what the white slave traders thought of the Africans they stole and sold away. We came from a rich and intelligent land that housed library's and universities, but all they saw was ignorance...but now look at us...all we care about is the next rap artist, how our rims look, how much bling we can get on our person at once. Maybe we are what they said we are?
RESPECT YOURSELF, YOUR HISTORY, YOUR FUTURE AND STOP THIS...STOP OPPRESSING YOURSELVES AND YOUR PEOPLE.
DON'T BE IGNORANT MEN!
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