Zone Out

So much on my mind, but words can't express it. Guess I just felt like posting. Maybe tomorrow with tomorrow will come the ability to express these thoughts...


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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Someone

The other day I walked by a woman that I didn't find attractive and one of my boys said something about the fact that she was unattractive. Instead of going in on her, I just thought to myself "Everyone wants to be desired."
I really started thinking about that over the past couple of days. Imagine feeling unwanted, unimportant, and unfulfilled. Realistically speaking, no one can be wanted by everyone but I think everyone wants to be wanted by someone. And if you don't feel that, you probably are not as happy as you can be. Life isn't always about the tangible or the intimate, but more importantly the feelings that come with that. The emotional connection that people have with those who readily show that they really are wanted and needed in every way is surmountable only by a spiritual revelation.
Just reflecting on that lady. Even if I and my boy don't, I am sure that some man will find her to be gorgeous and make her feel like she is the desired person in the world.


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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Triple Entendre

"Oooowwwww... H**es turn their heads like owls. I'm the man of the hour." -- Jay-Z

I really love college. I feel like there is nothing I can't do right now. The fast life is crazy but I've still got my foot on the pedal. Last night was bananas but last night was the beginning of the end. At the end of this academic year, I will be alumni so I had to have one last big beginning. I really walked into the club feeling like Mitch from Paid in Full. If tomorrow doesn't come, I know I had a great relationship w/ my Lord, I was a good brother and son, I invested my heart in the real, and I treated people right. I love my life and I will keep living it until the wheels fall off.

Side note: Many thanks to everyone who supported the Playboi Pi Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated at Epic last night. You all made the night a win.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

How Can We Judge What's Relative

American media/society is always quick to criticize cultures for barbaric practices, but not too long ago we were doing many similar things not too long ago. We condemn cultures for stoning people and, though it is wrong, it wasn't too long ago that white Americans were chopping off the foots of black slaves who did nothing but try to attain their freedom. So before we jump to call other cultures for their wrongs, let us first recognize our own (instead of trying to sweep them under an already full rug). Why is it that we set the standard for what is right and when?

(This post is in response to a story I saw on CNN.com about a woman and man being stoned to death for committing adultery)

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

B.I.L. List

My Blackberry Messenger status read "Thinking...". The young lady who I had adopted as my little sister (and who actually is like a real one now) asked me "What are you thinking about?" I responded "Just all the stuff I have to do this year and what I'm going to do after school." "U can do everything!!" "I know. that's my problem. I want to do everything. But I don't know where to start." "It's ok. Write everything down. Then map it out. Number things by priority." I haven't done all of that yet, but I did write it down. Below is a list of things I want to do by the time I leave this Earth, in no specific order. And, since we never know when that day will come, I might as well start tonight.

Before I live, I want to:
get a tattoo
write a book
graduate from undergrad
work for a Fortune 500 Company
become an executive at a Fortune 500 Company
do missionary work
travel to each continent (Antarctica is negotiable)
get married once and stay with her in a completely committed relationship
bring people to Christ
donate a full year's salary to a charity
have a greenhouse that I care for
hold a public office
be a great dad
earn my Master's
earn my Doctorate
stop cursing
fund a scholarship in the name of my great-grandmother, Ms. Polly Ann Williams
live like Christ
buy my parents and grandmothers homes
read the Bible in it's entirety
not go a day without smiling
be wealthy, but live far below my means
mentor a child from elementary school through college
remain an active brother in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in every sense of the word "active"
serve as a District Director in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
own my own business
remain well-dressed
surround myself with forward thinking people
read a book per month
maintain a great credit score
remain active in whatever church I am a member of
always be myself, but always let my definition of self grow intentionally
strive for excellence, not perfection
tithe

I am sure more things will come up but I think this is a pretty solid list for a soon-to-be college grad. Now I've just got to make moves toward it. Thanks Torey.


Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Just Venting

Listening to Lauryn Hill. I'm really just trying to chill right now. As I often say, I feel like I have the world on my shoulders and the galaxy on my mind. Everyone expects so much from me and sometimes I don't think that I can meet their expectations. I am already tired and the fall has not even started yet.

As much as leadership is an honor, it is a burden. If things go right, it's everyone's victory. If things go wrong, it's my fault. No one ever says that, but that's the reality of things. I really just want to get away. I want to go where no one can reach me. But here I am, my head bloodied, but unbowed. So I'll grind it out, take a vacation to my bedroom from from time to time, and pray. That is all I can do.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Rewarded for Stealing

You ever pray for something that you know you needed but that you didn't deserve? And somehow God blessed you with it still? I feel like that all the time. Even when I'm at my best, I'm always falling short and still He gives me what I need. It's like going into Sam's Club and, whether you steal a 72" flat screen or a piece of candy from beside the register, you still stole it. And you know they saw you steal it. But the next day, you come in, hungry and they give you everything you need to go home and cook a meal. Or sometimes they give you a fixed meal right then and there. And even on the days that you do go in and pay, you still are in debt beceause you've done so much stealing from the store before that, no good you do is going to equal the bad that you've done. Still, they generousity is always shown.

Right now, I'm feeling like I need that meal. And it's not always just financially. I just need that peace in my life to know that I really don't have to worry about anything. So I'm praying for what I don't deserve. He always comes through.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

What to Do?!

I want to do it all... I've got a certain lust for life and as it stands, everything is going as right as it can. They're trying to shoot down my flight before it lands. -- Drake

Some people say they can do anything and don't believe it. I say I can do anything and I know it. If I trained hard enough, I could be a professional athlete. If I studied hard enough, I could get into med school and become a doctor. If I utilized my ability to speak well and took the proper steps, I could be the president of the US. My issue is focusing on one thing. I need to sit down and draw out a few plans, prioritize them, and take steps toward the most important. The only limited resource I have is time. Some say I'm cocky. Some call me confident. Truth is, I might be a bit of both but it is because I'm not at all worried about "making it." Success is written in my ambition. I know that God gave me my ability and I humbly accept that, but I also know that he only made one man better than me - Jesus. Aside from him, we are all equals, just with different talents. So, yeah, I am confident thay I'll be at the top of everything I do. My only question is how I'm going to get there.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Business Attire

In my quest for two new suits for the fall, I stumbled across this on Men's Warehouse's site and found that it might behoove some of you gentlemen (or single mothers) to look at it. It is a first-time suit buyer's guide. It gives the basics on what to look for in a suit. Please take notes.

http://www.menswearhouse.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentAttachmentView_-1_10601_10051_10051_39163_10653_FirstTimeBuyers.html?displayNav=false




Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Ignorance is no Excuse

The words in the Bible haven't changed... so why has our interpretation?

I can understand that the depth of understanding can always increase. What I do not understand is why people choose to take things out of the Word. True, I knowingly ignore some Biblical rules but I know I'm wrong. That's not right but I acknowledge that it is something I need to work on. If you don't acknowledge that it's even wrong, why would you ever work on correcting it? And if enough people ignore it, will it be written out of a version of the Bible? If the Bible says it, it is what it is. In spite of all the controversy about missing cannons and differences between the Protestant and Catholic Bible, I believe that God makes no mistakes and He wouldn't give us a Bible that didn't have everything we need in it. So why disregard something that He believes we need. Take what His Word says, apply it to the world today, and keep it moving.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, I believe you will make it to Heaven. But if you really believe in Him and His greatness, why wouldn't you want to do what He wants you to do? I'm not saying I'm perfect. And I'm not trying to be. But strive for excellence, I will do. And that only comes through discussion, prayer, and reading without picking and choosing what topics you don't like.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

R3AL

I cannot say that anyone's opinion is wrong if he can substantially and logically support it. All I can do is listen to his reasoning and, after considering his stance, say is that I don't agree if that is still the case. For me to say that I am always right or that my opinion is the best one to have would not only be wrong, it would be ignorant as well. True, my values, surroundings and experiences shape what I see as being "right," and I believe that, because I have a more deeply rooted values than many (if not most), I take the opportunity to step outside of what many would deem my stereotypical surroundings on a regular basis, and because I have had numerous experiences that no one coming from my background has had, I do feel comfortable in saying that my definition of what is the "right" opinion is more well rounded than someone of my age who may be less aware of all that America has to offer. But that does not mean that my opinion can not grow or even be completely changed by simply interacting with them.
This was kind of a random topic but stemmed from my neo Cory and I discussing what is real and what is fake.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Empty Victories

You know, people are often tired of black people "complaining" about our oppression over the years but maybe it is because nothing was done to attempt to rectify the situation. Every "victory" we've had has resulted in us being "given" something we should have had to begin with. We were "given" our freedom, "given" the right to vote, "given" equal opportunities. But we were never given any compensation. Some might say that money doesn't change the fact that it happened and they are right. But I don't believe that any person in this country who is African-American should be paying to go to a public college or university. America could take a financial loss and give us that much but they won't because knowledge is power and that is what the system will not give us. So instead they give us drugs, booze, and a media image that leaves us at a loss in terms of self-esteem.
I know nothing will change but I wanted to throw in my three cents.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Impact

I just had a great talk w/ my brother Cory. It is interesting that those who put the most effort into developing a relationship with us end up having the biggest impact on us. In listening to him talk, I see reflections of myself, Jerm, RJ, and Phil (a few of Pi Zeta's brothers who held down the TR3 and/or tail positions). I often catch myself sounding like Phil or Curtis or RJ. Brothers who really care enough to develop you into a better Alpha man (or Kappa, Omega, Sigma, Iota) are few and far between. It's not just about the money you pay and the letters you wear. A fraternity is a family. Time must be put in. Sacrifices must be made in order to ensure the growth of those in the family. I love my brothers and I am proud when people tell me I sound just like Phil or RJ. And I hope that, when I am a few semesters removed, someone will be saying the same about the newly old Playbois.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Can't Go Home

I don't go home because home is a trap. I look back and so many of my friends who were on the come up are taking major losses right now. They are dropping out of school because they have had kids or had to take a charge because of a bad decision one night or something. It's really crazy. I wish it wasn't like that but I just can't do it. To immerse myself in regression would mean to regress myself and I just can't do it. So if you catch me in Durham or Chap, take a photo. Until I graduate, it will be a rare occasion.

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Litera scripta manet. - Unknown