Nothing...Can Be Everything

Perhaps you've heard that old adage, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"? Well, that adage doesn't always apply. In fact, if you live in a multi-tasking culture as I do, you should have already seen huge gain for all the venturing you've done.

Don't see it, huh?

Despite all the hoopla about constantly striving, achieving, pushing forward, etc., I can show you there are specific instances when doing nothing provides enormous benefits. In fact, if you embrace doing nothing at the appropriate times, you can elevate it to a fine art in your life. People will admire and celebrate you. They will want to know how to do what you do. Never again will you feel a twinge of embarrassment in that moment someone asks you what you're doing and your response is..."Nothing."

I will add this one caveat. Despite what I say, some of you will insist on doing something. I understand this is a deeply ingrained, culturally supported habit. It will take more willpower on your part to stop. You will have to make multiple attempts to make this work -- far more than others. However, don't stop trying. There is hope for you, too. You'll need some community support through the transition. So, if I don't forget it, I'll add a link at the end that will take you to the homepage of the DNA -- Doing Nothing Anonymous. Your local DNA can assist you.

The benefits of doing nothing are:

• Stress Relief. The next time your employer accuses you of substandard production and wants to know why projects haven't been completed according to the ridiculously impossible company standard, tell him (or her) that both your cardiologist and your DNA have recommended you do nothing. The stress caused by trying to meet unrealistic deadlines initates a racing pulse and socially unacceptable behavior. Share a suggestion with your supervisor that he/she do nothing also, instead of straining to begin a disciplinary process.

• Creative Development. Scientific research has proven that people who do nothing often daydream. Their creative juices flow freely. They originate far more innovative methods of solving problems than people who are constantly in the "rat race." (This comes in very handy in case your former supervisor chose to ignore your admonition to do nothing. Your DNA will find a way to help you pay for those little necessities -- like eating regularly.)

• Expanded Social Circles. You'll begin to meet new people and travel to places you've never been before -- like the unemployment office, social services and homeless shelters. It's always good to expand your personal perspective on life by getting to know others outside your usual comfort zone. Remember: you're gathering experiences that increase intellectual development, as well.

• Professional Success. Once you've become proficient at doing nothing, you can "take your show on the road." Write a book, create a blog or website, do professional speaking and secure a brief on-camera interview on Oprah. All the people you encountered through the previous stages will not only buy your book, they'll claim they know you personally and will dig through their previous documents that bear your signature as proof. You'll know you've arrived at a high level of success when your signed food stamp application is being auctioned off on Ebay.
  

Global recession?! What recession?

Repeat this mantra several times daily. I guarantee you'll find yourself well on the way to doing nothing successfully. Ready? Doing nothing is...

Memorial Day - Time For A Different Focus

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. In numerous cities all over the nation, there will be parades and speeches. Bands will play. Military color guards will display their absolute precision in impressive uniforms. Flowers will be laid at the graves of fallen soldiers. Expensive floral wreathes will be placed at public memorials. The American flag will be proudly unfurled for passersby to see. The nation will proudly, somberly -- even tearfully -- mourn the loss of countless men and women whose lives were involuntarily snatched away by the killing machine we call war. Old and young war veterans -- having witnessed more human devastation than any person should -- will be honored, as they remember the horrors they survived, but their buddies did not.

Memorial Day, as it is commonly celebrated, is not working. On the altar of national pride, we continue to sacrifice too-large a percentage of our younger generation. The concept of collateral damage is far too heavy a price to pay. For every military person who physically dies as a result of combat, there are others who die a psychological death. They have broken spirits, broken bodies, or both. Their families relive the nightmare of the reality of war daily.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying suddenly eliminate war. It will not disappear overnight. Yet, we should not consider ourselves morally superior to other nations, just because we are us. Every nation glorifies death in combat. We are disgusted by Muslim extremists who encourage wives and children to become human bombs, yet we do the same. In the name of national service, we call upon our young men and women to serve in active combat zones all over the world during a so-called time of peace, for reasons that have more to do with mineral resources than human resources. This is the same message on the flip side of the coin.

The dead are dead. Instead of celebrating the dead, maimed and broken one day out of the year, why not celebrate the hope that future generations will not engage in war to resolve conflicts? War has proven to be ineffective. We have tried to hide our own ulterior motives behind the so-called necessity for war. We witness the genocide of ethnic peoples in foreign nations and stand silent. We disagree with the politics of nations that hold vast resources of oil, gold, etc., and we invade on the pretext of spreading democracy. Stop the hypocracy!

If we are truly concerned with peace, we must focus on peace. We must concentrate on devising methods of administering peace. We must funnel our efforts, funds and people into developing "weapons of peace." We already have the ultimate weapon. It's called love -- not some weak, flimsy romantic concept of infatuation. Real love is tough, hard and unrelenting. It recognizes the value of every human being. It demands respect, even when people disagree. It refuses to accept wrong for right.

Mahatma Gandhi was effective in his non-violent protests because he had a deep, loving respect for humanity. He recognized the connectedness of one human being for another. He understood that instituted governmental abuse of one people over another is wrong. He defended that principle through non-violence. That type of love for humanity withstood the challenges. It broke Great Britain's rule over India. Love conquered all.

Administering love can be grindingly hard work. It requires that we listen to one another. It acknowledges the truth of our existence -- that even if we don't like the other person's dress, accent or culture, that person is made in the image of God and due our respect. We must meet on the plain of understanding. We can't engage in any kind of successful diplomatic process, unless we're willing to learn one another's perspective and history. If the goal is worthy, the processes to achieve the goal must be worthy, as well.

Maya Angelou made a statement about love that is so true. "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."

I don't know how you feel, but I believe my children, your children, our grandchildren and everyone's are worth the effort to substitute love as the weapon of choice instead of war. Love is THE ultimate weapon of mass transformation. In so doing, could it be, we may yet find...peace?

What do you think?

Nigguh Moment!

I have been enjoying watching the Boondocks with their highly irreverent worldview . A recent episode defined the Nigga Moment! I don't have the official definition here, but like many things in our post-modernist African-American pop-culture the term can be fluid in definition. I wuz lookin' at Brotha' Obama on MSNBC befoe I left to come heah. He was addressing a town hall meeting in St. Petersburgh, Florida. Barack of course was on-point he is hard to beat in large gatherings.


His crowd was very enthusiastic, he was leading them, he had them in the palm of his hand. There were three brotha's who stood up with a banner that read "Obama what about the Black Man?" Or something approximating that. They began to heckle Barack. The mostly white crowd shouted them down with chants of YES WE CAN! Mr. Obama addressed the young men directly and asked them "not to be rude" He also asked them to "sit down"and told them "we will address your questions" The young men had really no alternative but to relent.

They also had the banner the were holding up snatched from them. This was an interesting scenario. A mostly white audience, shouting down a group of black hecklers, so they can continue their praise and worship service for an African-American with a Kenyan father and a white American mother who is a serious contender for the Presidency of the United States! Dayum! I wish Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King were here to see this.

Does this qualify as a Nicca Moment?! I don't really think that this would qualify as a Niggah Moment! The young men have the right to free speech protection in the constitution of the United States of America. They are free to express their opinion, they are free to heckle . Bad Manners are not against the law. So what in the world does heckling Barack Hussein Obama (I am using his full name cause it just sounds so damn cool) and Nigga Moments have to do with the price of a pork shoulder sandwich in East Cleveland? Nothing......The Nigger Moments could come if those young men get to the microphone. We all know how it goes. Very public, very embarrassing.I am hoping this will not be the case

The Negro Speaks Of Rivers by Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks Of Rivers by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.


My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Today

I have a new writer/editor well, actually two new writer/editors. One is official. The other is not she is still mulling it over. I do believe she will be on board soon. The new guy is a very experienced journalist from a large mid-western city.



He is also a Michigan State Trojan. The other new writer is an Ohio State Buckeye......This should be real fun around football season. Michigan and Ohio almost went to war in the 19th century, however both side were too drunk to go through with it.



I am, however above all of it, as my pedigree shall not concern itself with such trivial, petty, juvenile(GO BUCKEYES!) pastimes as collegiate athletics. The latest post is from Butch the "Do Me Philosophy". Look forward to more from Butch. Butch I want to thank you!

'Do You...Do Me' Philosophy Takes Ignorant Turn

Lately, in my travels around the city I constantly overhear this refrain in stray conversations...girl I told so and so do you cause I'm sho gonna do me....or dog I'm just gonna do me....condition or circumstance be damned. No matter how jacked up they may be, they still gonna proclaim I'm gonna do me.

I think some of these sistas and brothas need to re-evaluate and really proclaim they are going to "Do Something Else." This reminds me of the forever popular "Keepin It Real" refrain that seems to have shackled the positive mentality and progress of many African Americans for the past 10 or 15 years now. As that great urban observer and humorist Chris Rock once said...Keepin It Real...Real Ignorant.

Well its first cousin expression Do You...Cause I'm Going to Do Me...is keeping the ignorance alive and well. Don't get me wrong, there is something to be said for being your own person and not following the crowd in a positive way - instead of being like Mike, blazing your own trail...that's cool.

But don't do me if that means, everyone else is going to school or pursuing a career, I'll just hang out and chill. Or if everyone has pulled up there pants, or hidden their thong lines and tried to dress in a more mature and neutral way, I'm going to Do Me by continuing to sag with my dingy, skid-mark boxers showing or squeeze my fat ass into some hip-hugger jeans with the top of my leopard-skin thong showing and my gut hanging out. While others adopt a calmer demeanor in public less dropping MF-bombs and N-bombs every third word and constantly splitting verbs and nouns, I'm going to continue to Do Me and never ever conjugate the verb to be and be blissfully ignorant, loud and wrong.

Now before you think I'm coming down too hard on the young people, the older folks who know better are just as guilty, if not more in many instances. Instead of saying do you cause I'm gonna do me, they might as well say I don't care about you, I just care about me. It's a selfish attitude that we don't need today. So please, just don't do it.

On the bright side

Hello family! I am on the library computer! I hope all is well! One of the great things about being unemployed is the amount of time you have.....nothing but TIME! I have been making the effort to make as productive use of the precious commodity (time) as possible. I have been reading! Yes reading! I decided to share my reading list with you. These are the titles of the books I have completed as well as the ones I am in the process of completing.

• boogaloo- the quintessence of american popular music by Arthur Kempton


• Motown-Music,Money,Sex and Power by Gerald Posner


• Sellout-by Randall Kennedy


• SuperCapitalism-by Robert Reich


• Authentically Black-by John McWhorter


• Learned Optimism-by Dr. Martin Seligman


• The End of Work-by Jeremy Rifkin


• Black Rednecks White Liberals-by Thomas Sowell


• Winning The Race-by John McWhorter


• A Love Supreme-by Ashley Kahn

I have expanded my horizons, I have stretched my mind, I am enriched by the experience. I am also troubled that I have read about ten books since the beginning of July. This means I certainly need to get out more often. I am also now enrolled in school. I will be going back in August, I will be looking forward to this. I am on a library computer so somehow I don't feel as relaxed to really write what I want and the way I want. I would however like for any one who may have read any of the titles I have mentioned to send me your comments/opinions regarding any of these books. 'Till next time.