Thoughts.com Blogs - What i see around me...Part 2.

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What i see around me...Part 2.

maybe it time to take the focus off ourselves and creating our little celebrity worlds and constantly looking for entertainment for a second and look outward towards others. Are we that self centered that we don’t think in socially conscious terms anymore. Or do we only care about social issues if they come in a trendy package. I don’t know how many girls I see wear the “desi(red)” shirt to promote AIDS awareness who don’t use protection while having sex, or how many people will talk about global warming and go to the concerts but won’t buy products that benefit the environment, will leave every light in the house on and not research the little thing the everyday person can do to minimize our energy usage. Global warming is not a trendy topic to talk about when you don’t want to look dense and it’s not just a Liberal issue either. If the whole world is cooking…it won’t only cook the democrats or liberal thinking people, so I never understood why it became a party affiliated issue.It is a real problem and if we don’t do anything to change it we will only encounter problems in our retirement years and our children will pay for our selfishness. I believe the problem is in that the issue has been raised but little is actually done to educate and explain what daily behaviors create the problem. True a lot of the things we can do cost a lot of money and not everyone has that so then concentrate on the everyday simple things first because they will make just as big of a difference. We are in the stage of our lives where a lot of us are buying homes. When buying or replacing major appliances buy ones that are EnergyStar rated. They are designed to be the most energy efficient. All that money we spend on everything else in and outside of our house, we might as well make it helpful for the environment. I know everyone thinks why should I have to? Nobody else will. Well because its time we take pride and responsibility in our own actions and stop waiting for everyone to do it with us. If you are doing what you need to be doing to make this world healthier then you can walk with your chin a little higher…and breathe some better air. Everyone waiting for everyone to finally start changing is how we’ve become the generation of destruction. Yes, destruction.We have allowed our government to completely do horrible things, we live in a democracy where we are allowed to speak up and if enough people cared or acted out things would change, but when politicians cant take anyone seriously or we allow them to instill fear in us because of their power we are weakened. We just accept that they are corrupt and have connections beyond citizen level, and they know we accept that and then look what happens. We lose our voice. You already know if the majority of the nation really did speak out and change behavior because of something they were opposed to, change would be inevitable and the issue would have to be acknowledged. But we sit back and allow them to maintain the position and believe we as a whole can’t make a difference and turn the other cheek. Or we let them make a good speech and we forget about it instead of holding them to their promises. We are a nation of trends. If it’s cool care about Katrina we will until something else comes along. If it’s cool to Vote or Die we’ll wear the shirts but there would’ve have been a lot of death on Nov 2 because nobody actually went out to vote. We allowed it to be a close campaign because not enough people voted. Understand that it is proven that the people who desire the most change and are in the need of the most change DO NOT vote. That is a fact.No doubt there is corruption, whenever there is power there is corrupt people, but at the same time if everyone had voted they wouldn’t have been able to deny the real numbers. As corrupt as the nation is, we do have a certain level of check and balances.We think our vote won’t make a difference but wouldn’t it be better to at least have practiced the right that many people died for? Even if in reality it would have been a vote between the lesser of two evils, it’s a start. Not to get into my political opinion but imagine the difference our nation would have had if someone else won the last election…think about it. Many explain that they don’t vote because they don’t like either of the candidates and it’s a scam anyway, well if you don’t like the candidates, then here’s what you do. Instead of striving to be a hustler or an entertainer to gain power, run for government and gain power and affect the world in an authentic way. The government will always have power that’s a fact, the government will probably always have corruption but so does every organization, it needs truth to breed any kind of authenticity and be able to change laws, distribute money to where it really needs to be to fight poverty and start social programs. We need women and minorities who are in touch with relevant issues not just placed for politically correct reason. That’s when they lose their voice, the fear of disapproval by the very people who put them in that position takes over. Our own surgeon general for the past four years admitted he was afraid to speak out and share his medical research and was advised not to. He was told it would ruin political connections and favors from certain organizations (tobacco, alcohol. Etc). The fact that he even spoke out instead of just settling into retirement is very important. It raised awareness and added yet another thing to discredit the government. If more people understand and are aware of those things it can’t continue to get swept under the rug. We need people who will not back down and stay quiet and will use their power and resources to make a genuine change, big or small. We need people who during the campaign do not base their speech on who they are speaking too. We are one nation, speak to the nation, don’t play up certain aspects for certain crowds, if it’s an issue, it’s a national issue and stop insulting the crowd by playing to their emotions and walking off stage like you just played the hell out of everyone listening. The next election is in 08’ as you all should know. It is the most diverse campaign in years and we are on the verge of possible making history so be apart of it. And seriously take some time to research the issues and don’t vote based solely out of race, gender or party affiliation. That’s just ignorant and uninformed. Education, formal and everyday is the key to understanding.Hustler mentality, common sense, ambition, creativity, street smarts, real world experience are all things they cant teach in college…if you mixed those natural things with book smarts, this generation will be unstoppable. Our children need to feel that college is part of the path not an option. Many citizens have started programs that provide a way for children of lower means to be able to go to college. Look up a man and read about a man named Geoffrey Canada, founder of Harlem’s Children Zone. It’s a wonderful, relevant program. He is a man from Harlem who was a simple business man with a vision. He was not rich and his planned worked because he believe it would. He proved you do not need to be rich or a government official to create programs like this. He just had the drive and was able to raise the money needed from private donations and has changed the lives of so many people. This is a citizen funded and owned program. If he can do it, so can you, imagine how wonderful it would be if more people stepped up and each city and had a program like that. Children would see a future and find a way. He’s instilled in them the vision that they would succeed, not as an option as a lifestyle. Nothing in life is more influential than our own perspective and mentality. For children all it takes it to hear praise or be acknowledged and it give them the confidence to go further. You know all those times you wonder how you could possibly make a difference?Since we are no longer children it is our obligation to inspire the youth of today and our children to come. That may be the calling for your life. Maybe you were meant to encourage and hopefully change someone else’s life or maybe it’s being an influential figure in a child’s life. The more you give others, the more enriched your own life becomes. It is time to step up and discover some importance and find a deeper meaning within yourself. Reality check ….look inside yourself for a second.Nobody or nothing is or ever will be perfect. But why not get as close as possible instead of just accepting the superficial that has become the norm in our society? Why not make your time here on earth of worth and value instead of just floating along for the next retail fix, night out, or gossip scandal? Would it hurt to put any effort into genuinely making this world a better place? Are we really that weak that we think that one by one we can’t make a difference, do we only follow paths that are trendy, already made, and media influenced? Are we too jaded to understand that little impacts create genuine results? Ask yourself this: Are you proud of yourself? Are you proud of our current society? Do you take pride in what you’ve contributed to our society? Do you feel content with the society your children will be brought up in? Do you have enough faith in yourself to realize you don’t have to be ordinary? I hope you didn’t just brush over those questions. Or worse, feel that for some reason they don’t apply to you. Many people are indifferent to what’s going on around them because that’s what’s become accepted to think that way. We shouldn’t be desensitized to suicide bombings, homicides, genocide, war and real world issues. We are desensitizes to it because we feel that either there is nothing we can do or that we have the nerve to think it doesn’t apply to you. Remember how you felt about the VaTech. Massacre or 9/11.Times that by 2 every day.No, those countries don’t get use to it. They just survive because they have no choice. Not to downplay the struggle people go through day in and day out here but trust me other countries would be grateful to experience a bad day here. We are “blessed” with ignorance and abundance and have a horrible habit of taking it for granted. If the interest and push was there programs would be set up to truly assist and change. People can only pull themselves out of poverty, in our nation and in other nations when given the right tools and resources. It’s more than a check. One man was able to make a difference in the poverty around the world. His name is Muhumad Yunus. He is a Pulitzer Prize winner. He started with 27$ and the belief that he could break the cycle of poverty. He understood the value of empowering the underprivileged instead of just donating and giving money which is great but only temporary. He created hope where people have absolutely nothing. His book “Banker to the Poor” is very inspiring. He is a prime example of one person make a baby steps to create huge results. Understand if you even make one life or situation a little better or easier then you are an extraordinary person. Don’t let a day go with out being extraordinary. If you suddenly realized after reading those questions that you haven’t contributed enough or at all to the society (positively…) then hopefully you know that now you are needed more than ever. You have inner talents and callings and no matter who you are you have something to offer someone else. Please know that! It’s natural to feel small in a big world and that you can’t do it all on your own. That’s why I’m trying to open everyone eyes to see. I want everyone to believe that one by one and/or together we can change this generation’s direction. We need to stop wasting so much time trying to find blame for why our society has become this way and just make steps in a positive direction. It may be a mixture of issues but no it’s not just one thing. It’s not just because of race because we live in a society of mixed culture, our children will define themselves by their name not their color. The majority of our generation and our children are not one thing, they will embrace their cultures and create identities for themselves that will not fall into stereotypical racial society made genres of who they are and what is possible or expected. It’s a beautiful thing. Hopefully it will further breakdown barriers that confine people to believe what is possible for their life based on race. It’s not just the media because we allow the glorification.We need to start to want better things for ourselves and others and create the demand.There will probably never be a day where a young boy isn’t enticed by easy money hustling or where poverty will be non existent but even if a few lives are made easier by your existence you are a success. Be responsible and aware and if enough people make a change then our generation be known for something positive. Let us be the reason the world becomes a little more genuine and real. Let us be the reason other countries begin to work with us instead of despising our way to where they die in the name of hurting us.We are a media influenced generation who thrive on the next big thing. Why don’t we become the next big thing? Forget being a trend, we’ll become a lifestyle. We know how to create hype and buzz and with all the technological advances and outlets our message could become a household notion by tomorrow night. Don’t do it for the trend or cause it’s a new exciting movement, do it to truly better your life, our generation and for our children. I didn’t write this just to acknowledge what is wrong and then sit back and not give suggestions or resources to make the change.I do have my thoughts on ways we can make a difference and that is still to come. I was just so inspired to write this and it happened so quickly so I wanted to go with the flow and write it, the organization will come later. This was written more as a way to light the fuse and open eyes, maybe enlighten the way your mind already thinks. There is no quick fix, no one thing, no blame to place, if everyone genuinely begins to take responsibility for themselves, stop needing others validation, step outside of themselves and re-evaluate their priorities, and just be who they really are outside of racial and class lines then the world will slowly but surely begin to be authentic and progressive again. Its time to take away all the excuses, smokescreens, scapegoats and distractions and get down to what really needs to happen.