Sophisticated Ignorance

Sometimes you just don’t have a logical explanation for things. A lot of people want to attribute some occurrences to to chance. However, if you examine some things, even down to the molecular level, you couldn’t find a “real” explanation for it.

Why is it so hard to believe that a higher power has some influence over our lives? In my mind, I ask how could you not believe? My purpose here is not preach or convert atheists into believers but to provide my thoughts on faith—a testimony, if you will.

Faith is sometimes not definitely knowing something will happen, but believing that it will.  That may be hard for many people to do: giving up having complete control over a situation. But really, outside of your actions, what situation do you have complete control over? You can’t control circumstances. You can’t control people. [Which is why they say you shouldn’t put your faith into other people, as they’re sure to let you down, but I believe that you should believe in people until they give you reason not to. A person can do much better knowing that someone believes in them than not. Have faith in your kids. They will prosper in school. Have faith in your loved ones. That phone call will come.]

What you can control is your thinking. You might not know how you can make it to payday at the end of the week with an empty tank. All you can do is think positively and ask for help some how. There is as much a chance you will somehow receive a blessing and get a little closer to your goal as there is that you’ll run out of gas and be stuck. And even if that were to happen, there still may be something in the works so that you won’t miss work. That’s why there’s the saying that, He might not come when you want him to, but he’s always right on time.

A month after I graduated college, I was in a rough place. I had a degree; no job. When it came time for my rent to be paid, I had most of it due to my former boss doing me a favor [Something completely out of her character and an instance where I see that He worked through someone around me.]. I was exactly $100 short. I had already asked for an extension and the due date was coming up. Each day I woke up racking my brain as to how I was going to be able to stay in my apartment. 

One day I was on my way downtown to hang out and something told me to check my mail. I was 23 and lived alone, nothing came in the mail except for bills and junk ads. For whatever reason I went to check the mail. In it was a card from the neighbors of my grandparents. When I went home, I waved and spoke, but we were never particularly close. The card by itself was an awesome gesture. The $100 bill that fell out of it as I opened it was a blessing.

I had never been a religious person coming up. I barely went to church. I felt like when I prayed for something and it didn’t happen, that was just cause not to do so anymore. As I got older, this behavior continued. Believing that I was in control of my life. I never took the time to think about all of the times I drove around the city in the pouring rain with no windshield wipers and actually made it home. I never took the time to think of the times that my friends and I were too drunk to be driving home from a party but made it. I lived in a rough neighborhood for a while and literally saw shootouts and people’s homes be broken into but was kept safe from that.

When you think of the world we’re living in today where people are so desperate for money or clout that they’ll rob, steal and kill without a second though, every day that you’re breathing is a gift. Anything could happen at any moment. Personally, I’d rather live as if there is a God than not and die and realize I was wrong. 

The song below is indicative of how deep this thought resonates through not only me, but other people who might not be in the best of places in their life—yet. And it’s dope music. What else could you ask for?

“This is not a story about victims. This is a story about heroes.”

With those words, George Lucas simplifies his thoughts on his upcoming action flick, Red Tails. With that, any Hollywood studio would have jumped aboard. Lucas’ storied Star Wars franchise has amassed billions. Then with Indiana Jones, he cemented himself as a force in the movie industry. Somehow, Lucas (along with Steven Spielberg) got Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull greenlit, alien conspiracies & unbelievable nuclear survival tactics included. With that he was not expecting a challenge getting a movie he’s spent 20+ years developing.

A challenge is exactly what he got. No studio would touch his dramatization of the saga of the Tuskegee Airmen. It was deemed too risky. From a bottomline standpoint, one could agree. In an era where no movie is not a sequel or rehash of another idea, a movie starring a nearly all black cast is not only daring, it’s asking to flop. Below, Lucas explains his problems with major studios which led him to spend more than $50 million of his own money on the endeavor:

Where I stand on the issue is simple. I believe that we, as a community, need to support this film. I’m tired of the only look that Black men get in movies these days is as the Step-N-Fetch sidekick or Guard #3 [Except for Denzel Washington & Will Smith]. Supporting this movie will do wonders for the actors who play the men who risked their lives for the betterment of the country. In addition to Cuba Gooding, Jr [in his first non-straight-to-DVD role in a minute] and Terrence Howard, the cast includes Nate Parker (The Great Debaters), Ne-Yo (?!?), Method Man, Tristan Wilds (The Wire) and more. 

Hollywood studios are convinced that the only way to get a Black crowd out is to put out religion-based romantic comedies where there are no strong male roles [Save for Daddy’s Little Girls]. In every Tyler Perry movie, the main character is a black woman who has been done wrong by a man in the past and eventually finds another. 

Lucas himself realizes the risk he’s putting not only himself through, but the entire community of Black filmmakers.

Last week, Lucas told USA Today that he was worried that if Red Tails was a failure, it could have negative repercussions for black filmmakers. “I realize that by accident I’ve now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions],” he said. “I’m saying, if this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you’ll stay where you are for quite a while. It’ll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let’s make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there.”

source

The only way that we can change this perception is to go out and support this effort. Not bootlegging it. Not waiting until it’s at the $1 theater and see it.The only other openings this weekend are another sequel and a spy movie. Make the right choice and you’ll do everyone a favor as I’m sure as all moviegoers of every race are tired of seeing the same idea re-hashed and reused a million times. How many sequels of Alvin & The Chipmunks can you stand to see released?

The above song and video from Linkin Park (off of their 2007 album, Minutes to Midnight) ask the question “What am I leaving when I’m done here?” A great question to ask yourself at times. If your life was to abruptly end, what legacy would you leave behind?

A legacy has special meaning to everyone. As a part of what should be widely accepted across the board should include how you raise your children. How you taught them to act and behave and the morals and/or beliefs you bestowed upon them.

Personally, I believe a legacy to be the impact a person makes and leaves on the world. Forged while they’re still alive, legacy can’t really be determined until the twilight of one’s life…if they survive that long.

[“They say they never really miss you until you’re dead or you’re gone. On that note, I’m leaving after this song.” - Jay-Z.]

What do I want my legacy to be? One in which generations after my demise [be it natural or brought about by man], the people remember me fondly. No disrespect to the elders to whom this statement may apply but, I don’t want anyone to build a park in my name and then forget who I am or for what I stand for. 

What do I stand for? Peace, equality, tolerance, education and love. It is these things that I wish to teach people to strive for more than material wealth or possessions. Those things lead to greed & unhappiness. [Sure, everyone wants a big house and car, but that shouldn’t be an ever consuming thought.] To only dream of and want to obtain flashy objects is like stringing a carrot in front of your face and chasing after it. You’ll run yourself ragged trying to get it and once you do, will it be enough? What is there to push yourself for after that? An even bigger house?

People sometimes get so caught up on on obtaining possessions or maintaining their level of comfort. Days fly by when you’re not being mindful. Before you know it, instead of planting a seed to be sown for years after you’re gone, you’ve been duped into chasing things that have no worth.

This is all fine and dandy until you’re on your deathbed with a head full of regrets.

Drake & Rick Ross’s motto might be “You Only Live Once,” but if you live right, your impact will extend way beyond your life.

In grade school, it is routinely taught that the nation that we inhabit today came about after citizens of the —then British colonies rose up against their oppressors in England. Being taxed ridiculously without representation that reflected their views, the colonists rebelled and the rest was truly history.

What, then, will history have to say about this era’s protests? Will the Occupy Wall Street movement be seen as a flash in the pan moment or as something that changed the political landscape? Before we can discuss OWS’s impact, we first have to define it—a task much easier said than done.

On the OccupyWallSt.org [a site claiming to be the unofficial de facto resource to the movement] about page, it states:

Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #ows is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to fight back against the richest 1% of people that are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.

As descriptive as the definition may be, it doesn’t come close to narrowing down the numerous reasons people have for occupying their cities.

• Influence of corporations over democratically elected politicians.
• Financial policies that favor the rich over the working class.
• A disappearing middle class.
• Jobs disappearing overseas.
• Corrosion of the American Dream…

There are countless more reasons. Here are 14.

The reasons that people have to participate in the movement aren’t too far removed from problems that common Americans experience each day. Protesters, taking the moniker, “The 99%”, after the idea that the Nation’s Top 1% of is enjoying an income disparity that turns our country into the “haves” & “have-nots.”

The unfortunate part is that people would rather stick to political lines drawn in the sand than stand with people. For some reason, people who live in this country view neighbors as lazy hippies rather than people with an actual gripe. [I guess as long as you’re in line for a Black Friday sale, you’re seen as productive.]

“Occupy a Job” would be the anti-protest slogan that dissidents would rally around. [I’m sure that not all 8.6% of the country that falls under the definition of an unemployed individual invest in tye-dye shirts and sandals to wear year-round.] In Chicago, McDonalds applications were dumped on protesters from the Chicago Board of Trade building.

What can the movement do to maximize impact?

As time has passed, the public’s opinion of the Occupy movement has swayed. It may have swayed due to circumstances in their life opening their eyes to inequity in the country. Or due to media on a protest in their city, it may have swayed against the camps.

In Atlanta, protesters occupying Woodruff Troy Davis Park were evicted by Mayor Kasim Reed after planning a concert with no security plan which could have endangered concertgoers and citizens alike. After the media circulated the amount of money that the protest was supposedly causing the city, it was game over…

But the group rebounded. First setting up shop in a homeless shelter, then actually taking to the streets. Occupy Atlanta is credited with saving a vet’s home from being foreclosed. [Which I had not heard about in the media at all. Then again, major media outlets are owned by the same people being identified as the 1%ers. Time has caught flack about highlighting protests all over the world except in the U.S. & though they named the Protester as the Person of the Year, they did everything they could to keep it from being seen as a nod to the OWS movement.]

Stop sitting around with no clear mission. Make your point be known. Counteract people’s bad image of you with acting on behalf of people. Instead of muddying up a tradition, create one of selflessness or unity.

Occupy homes to protest predatory lending. Occupy soup lines so that no one has to go hungry. Occupy Georgia State universities to protest increasing tuition. Stand against policies that see more black men go to jail than college. Become a movement that people of all backgrounds, creeds, colors and religions can flock to and feel like they’re working toward a goal.

For everything the movement is [be it a conversation piece or a nice quote], it can be much more [a proposal or a step forward].

In V for Vendetta, a central story arch reaches a climax when the citizens of London, tired of abuse by the authorities and being lied to by officials they elected come together to march on Parliament to watch the old guard literally be blown away.

One day, people around the country will grow tired of seeing brutality carried [Yes, I want you to watch this one specifically] out by the police [who are protecting and serving who, exactly?] and grow angry. Not at the differences between themselves and the abused, but at the oppressor and stand united.

Who’s to say that history won’t look back at us one day marvel over what we did?