The Clown, And The Snake: Thick and slick personalities to watch for

In the Quentin Tarantino movie "Inglorious Basterds",there is the character of SS Col Hans Landa brilliantly played by Christoph Waltz. All one needs to see of this character's nature is the first scene. He is upon first meeting outwardly charming, accessible, polite, and likeable. He smiles, says all of the right things, and makes  you feel like you want to sit with him, and tell stories. It is then that he becomes most dangerous, because he has made you feel very comfortable with his presence. In that comfort he can work his way into a person's psyche, and then show his true colors, and his main agenda. He is a snake who has let you hold him gently, ready to strike and leave a person helpless, and destroy them because they have let their guard down admiring his seemingly personable nature. He is slick, cunning, and observant of weaknesses that he can exploit, and is quite evil underneath the guise of friendliness.No one saw him coming. Although he is just a movie character, he has parallels in real life.

There are two types of adversaries who are tricksters that one encounters in life. One is "The Snake", and the other is "The Clown". These people are one in the same, and usually have the same agendas which is to serve themselves through the dealings and manipulations of others, but they have two ways of coming at you because they are on different levels of operational ability. Both types have immense egos, and inflated ideas of their self importance, and are narcissists through and through, and both are hellbent at showing the world their (in their eyes) underrated intellect and abilities. They both make friends and then proceed to thoroughly burn those bridges by the sheer desire to dominate a situation, or be the top person of an interaction. They constantly win battles by creating conflict that turns situations into struggles for power, and if they can't win, they will use scorched earth tactics while extracting themselves away, but careful to not make themselves look like the cause of the conflict. There is one fundamental difference between these individuals. Intellectual tactic abilities.

"The Clown" is someone that if you are perceptive, you can see coming a mile away. He or she might as well have on a big red nose, and oversize shoes. These folks really aren't  as smart as they think they are, and constantly can't get out of their own way while trying to get in the way of yours. People are constantly amazed at how "The Clown" constantly is a bull in a china shop, clumsily getting into situations that require detail and finesse, and finding ways to awkwardly stumble out of those situations while blaming others for the failure. He/she always approaches people from an angle, but that angle and their agenda is visible for many to see it. And if they see it, they have an opportunity to avoid that person, and just not engage. They are usually seen from afar as a loud mouth know it all, because of they can't help opening their mouths which usually blows their cover.The Thick personality of "The Clown" is unrelenting as they don't know how to back down because that is a personal affront to their ego. The Clown wants something from you, and that usually is something that can benefit them on some level, but they usually have no focus, and when they lose focus, that is what actually trips them up.
 Many people who engage other people want something from them, and sometimes what that is will be something gained anyway. Knowledge, friendship, comfort, reciprocity of conversation, that would benefit both, validation of opinion or self worth. All of those are things that we as human beings give and take every day from our relationships with others. The Clown wants and needs their ego stroked, and they have no use for you if you don't do it for  them, because they get satisfaction from people telling them how wonderful they are, and they really need to hear it constantly. And they will burn that relationship bridge if you do not give them what they need, and do their best to make it seem like you are in the wrong for the demise of the interaction.They will spray you with their fake flower, and you will be covered in water wondering just how you let "The Clown" inside your inner sanctum. But since they are not very smart, all of this is telegraphed, and those wise enough, and alert enough to see it coming can enjoy the ride for their own amusement, or dismiss altogether. Either way, "The Clown" doesn't always win because of it, but they win enough times to create havoc.They are perceived as harmless because of the clumsiness that they exhibit, but they use that perception to their advantage.

"The Snake" is a different story altogether. These folks are savvy, and they are extremely good at showing different facades tailored to whomever they are after. "The Snake" manages to be articulate, polite, and knows how to put words together to imply that they are intelligent and positive, and full of light and wisdom.They understand when to hunt, and when to hide in the shadows. They have a way of working themselves into situations, and groups of people by making them feel comfortable, and making them think that they are a like minded individual. Coiled and docile for the moment, "The Snake" is aware enough to lay back and observe, before asserting any type of clue of the agenda. And the agenda is self serving destruction.. Like "The clown", "The Snake" needs their ego stroked also, but how they achieve that is more calculating. Now that they have worked their way into a situation, the goal is to take over by making it seem like a good idea. Because they are now well liked, the process of divide and conquer happens, because you will have people who have seen "The Snake" by now for their true colors, and people who have not. And the people who have seen and understand what is happening try to prevent it. "The Snake" wants this, because secretly they have disdain for situations that do not include the focus upon them, therefore they know just how to break it up so either they are the focus, or that the situation just ceases to exist.They will have crept up and bitten someone with venom, and paralyzed all  around before anyone realizes what happened. And because of the slick personality that they are, they are perceived as wonderful for putting up with the antics of chaos which upon scrutiny it's revealed that, "The Snake" created it.

Both of these types of individuals are rampant in society, and if you look closely at your own lives, there are individuals that you have encountered just like them both. The problem with these individuals around is that they create allies, and people who actually believe that they are contributing something in some sort of way. Those allies will be in cahoots with them for their agenda. There is never a true home for them with people because they float to whomever they believe has the lightest coat tail at the moment. Once that coat tail is weighed down, and the person is useless to them, they will have latched onto someone else for something else. Anyone who questions their intellect or aspect of what they do, gets ostracized and perhaps even publicly dragged through the mud. All in an effort to retain the ignorant pride that they possess. They cannot, and will not take advice, and because of control issues, they usually would be extremely successful if they worked with others, and focused on their own personal goals in their minds. But they have to control and/or sabotage things that they shouldn't or can't control in the quest to maintain their image of actually being in control. A wicked spiral for both.

These folks are actually dangerous to your well being, because getting involved with them means being frustrated, and possibly manipulated into relinquishing control to your own goals in favor of something that they want you to do for them. It is all about them, and what they need despite the words that come out of their mouths. The thick and slick personalities of these individuals are easy to spot when you see the agenda. The agenda is them, and their goals. (Enough about me, here's more about me) Be careful of "The Clown" because you feel sorry for them.You want to help them, because you may see them as needing a friend that cares. What they are actually looking for is someone, anyone who has something that they can use. Be careful of "The Snake" because you may admire and feel comfortable around them.That person is looking for the same but is usually intelligent enough to execute these exercises from multiple home bases. Both feelings of  concern and admiration will fade respectively, but it will be too late because they have entered your space, and altered your own personal agenda which should be you in conjunction and harmony with the agenda of others..Not their philosophy which is them way over, and be damned the agenda of others.

Sprayed with a fake flower, or bitten with venom. Both are very uncomfortable, and embarrassing.And both come from the same type of individual..You were warned.

Left To Our Own Devices: The distraction from being

I  can remember sitting under trees, and listening to Cicadas,and wondering how they made that sound. I can remember taking walks in farm fields, and smelling the crop air, or the fresh earth moved by the tractor. I can remember wonderful dinners where there was laughter, and great food. I can remember walking over to a friends house to have a conversation about life. I can remember sitting reading a book, and thinking about what I would like to do in life, and trying to figure out who I was, and what I wanted to be like as an adult. And I can remember looking into the eyes of people I didn't know, yet spoke to, and felt their pain, or joy that only face to face I would be able to absorb. And in these now precious fleeting moments that I won't ever get back, I was able to enjoy them as they happened, and accept them as they were. And they defined my sense of being. Sometimes I had nothing to do but think. That was when the most important light bulb moments in my life came into play.

Wherever I am, I always try to look around me to see what people are doing, and try to read faces to try and figure out what they must be thinking, or what their lives must be like. It's part of my own personal way of connecting with people even though I don't know them. A face can reveal quite a bit of a person's personality, and when you see someone's face, and talk to them, you can't help but humanize them, and perhaps feel empathy when conversing, because it's the empathy that connects us more than the actual visual offering. People can be sad, happy, troubled about something, great senses of humor, or completely unlikeable folks, but seeing them and interacting, does wonders to flesh that out.
Often times I see someone alone outside sitting on a bench, walking their dog, or even within a crowd of people and there is one thing consistent with quite a few of these individuals. They are in fact all connected, but not to each other. To their phone. It's in their hand, on their hip, dinging from texts received, or on because of games being played. I've even seen and heard phones ringing in funerals and wakes. The over saturation of phones is everywhere, in every corner of American society amongst every type of person. And it is now sometimes impossible to look someone in the eye, for they are looking elsewhere, and focused on something else besides the task that is being performed.

These modern devices and the companies that make them always boasts about how they are "connecting America". But in fact they are doing the complete opposite. They are isolating the American mind, and making people live in a world where the instantaneous access to information allows them to not have to interact if they don't want to, and when they do perhaps interact, it is with unemotional texts that can and do get confusing, because there is no vocal inflection accompanying them. Unlike some, I believe that this is part and parcel to an end game of a dangerous trend in human culture.
 A huge part of connecting with others is the ability to accept yourself and what you as an individual has to offer, and a big part of that road to discovery is just "being".The idea of just being as an individual is slowly eroding, as more people rely on these devices to keep them company, or to just randomly do things in a place that years ago would have been impossible to do it. The epiphany part of discovering yourself and what you believe your role to be in the universe comes from introspection during times where you can reflect, experience questions within you, and having moments of loneliness, and uncertainty that you must hurdle over. To define ones self means to just sometimes allow yourself to "be", and let answers come to you. Whether that moment or moments come from sitting under a tree, taking a walk, a conversation with someone, or performing some mundane task while your mind wanders, you must go through the act of some type of birth many times over before you as an individual can become well rounded enough to accept and absorb the complexities of life, and be able to handle them in mature fashions. We are becoming a society that is full of individuals who just cannot be left with their own thoughts, and their own fears and questions by themselves. They have to have these devices where they can randomly send some idiotic message to someone not for the urgent need to converse, but to cure the overwhelming silence of nothing going on. But there is something going on. They are being. Life is happening around them. and there are questions to answer inside them where if they would just be, they could hear these things transpiring.

You have people in crowded events and places not interacting with others, but looking at their devices, and not just enjoying the act of being, or what is happening around them. At concerts, at movies, at parties, or just sitting outside, the attention span of people is dwindling at a frantic pace. No attention span for the act of being, because our lives now need to be filled with information, and non emotional back and forth. The empathy is being drawn out of us because of conversing through text, facebook, and other social aspects that demand our attention away from being. The ironic thing about these connections is that it is actually disconnecting us from one another. We are words to one another, and not people with hearts and souls that have more in common with us than differences. The more we gain knowledge in technology for these devices, the more we lose knowledge about ourselves, because they are cold and heartless, and people can't even seem to do mundane tasks without checking their device for something so that they can feel like they are connected  to people. But in reality, the connection is an illusion. Someone takes a walk in nature, and they post on Facebook that they are "Walking in nature". Why does anyone even need to know that you are walking in nature? keep it a secret, and enjoy it. Just be, and don't take the time to tell the world in your moment of possible reflection. The needless announcements of whereabouts, or situations in people's lives is ironic when people complain about lack of privacy. People living in the same house texting one another while in the household together at the same time, instead of walking up to one another, and conversing, and yet the total breakdown in the family unit is questioned.

People have presented an argument to me that it's wonderful to have a mini computer in ones hand to look up something that they don't know on the spot. Why is it a necessity now and then? Is there anything that is not life threatening that needs to be known instantaneously?  Information overload is ruining the ability to ask questions, because some answer is right there at your fingertips waiting for you to accept it. These devices are not allowing human beings to enjoy the solitude of themselves, and the result may soon be people who can't handle who they may be, because they've never had the time and space with nothing to do, to think about it. "Nothing to do" should not mean boredom. It should mean that life has given you an opportunity to retreat a little from all that you have to think about, in order to confront things that you need  to think about, such as your place in the world, and how it relates to others. Too many people make an announcement that they are bored, and that announcement usually comes from some device, and instead of allowing themselves to be, they have chosen to announce to the world that they don't know what to do to occupy themselves, when in fact the act of "being" is plenty.

We are raising a nation of people who are hypnotized by the glow of light coming out of their devices, and they don't know how to just enjoy anything. They are mesmerized by the idea of any information or whim that they wish to convey being accessible, and therefore communicating with individuals is unnecessary, and to some uncomfortable, so why do it? The less we communicate personally with people, the less empathetic we are to someone's idea, condition, or state of mind, which is crucial to identifying potential problems of mental well being. And the full circle is the fact that the lack of time with ones self is a major contributing factor in an unhealthy mind existing in a world going 150mph constantly, with information receiving and giving. Is it any wonder why we have so many unstable minds walking around? They cannot, and will not part without their devices for an extended period of time because with some, the idea of just "being" is foreign and unthinkable. It is boredom to them, and with all of the amenities that people seem to have around them, it really is ridiculous for someone to announce boredom. The idea of exchanging thoughts personally may soon be a thing of the past, and therefore the lack of empathy in our civilization is at risk, because people will lose the ability to look at themselves. So how can one see him/herself in another human being, and feel a connection? It is now considered almost a necessity for someone to have at least a cell phone with them, and if that person does not, they are looked upon as a possible questionable individual. When did that happen in our minds?

We are being left to our own devices, and becoming slaves to technology in ways that remove us from one another, and distract us from just moments that could transform our ways of thinking about ourselves and the people amongst us, and the universe around us. The more technologically advanced we get, the more we get away from our primordial instincts of community, taking care of one another, and personal need for connection with another being. The world is being tightened by cyber wire, but it is slowly coming apart at the seams spiritually-wise, because we are decidedly hellbent on chronicling every aspect of life as it occurs for the sake of not wanting to be alone with ourselves.
"I am"....What a wonderful sentence laced with the idea of just being. Soon to be an archaic statement.

Dare To Be Self Aware : "Making something" of yourself

There was an individual on a radio program that was talking about his success. He came from a background of poverty, and despair, and he railed against the system that puts others in the situation that he was once in. He described how he slowly made the trek to fame and fortune, and "Made something of himself". And he stated how he believed others could do the same. That's an interesting choice of words that we hear from the time that we are young. "Make something of yourself". His interpretation was the description of fame and fortune. It's disturbing in a sense because it falls right in line with the capitalism play that exists within this country. To "Make something of ones self" is thought by many to be equated to having money and value of material things that give the illusion of not being impoverished, or wanting from anyone. It is a constant goal in this country that people maintain that requires them to work hard within the scheme of the "system" that we have created so that they can have "things". Whether those things be a house with land, a spouse, an expensive car, or creating an excess of liquidity in their own value, people are trained early in life to have the idea that they must bust their asses to "Make something of themselves", so that they are not strains on society, and they become a productive individual. Which people do, and I don't begrudge anyone who wants to make money, and have things. That is their desire to do so, then so be it. But is that all there is? What if making something of ones self is far above the concept of capitalism ideology.What if making something of ones self is beyond the tangible aspects of materialism.

There are many people who chase those aspects of what they believe are "something" all of their lives. They are completely driven, and preoccupied with the advancement of their material gains. The pursuit of such gains seems to exist within quite a few of us to different degrees through osmosis of this American culture. People constantly look over the horizon to things that could make them happy, and show the world that they are a productive person who has made something of themselves. But what this society lacks is the teaching of looking within yourself to make something. People don't create goals to be "Self Aware". They don't teach that early in schools, but being self aware is the most important aspect of existing as a human being that people miss, and never try to aspire to. Maybe people miss this aspect because they don't know what it is, or what to do, or some can't even see the point to strive for something as intangible as that. There lies the problem with that particular corner of  cultural aspirations within a capitalist society. You can't see and touch self awareness. It doesn't pay bills, or buy groceries, or earn a living for you. Nor can it be found in any books or TV show. It doesn't require organized religion, but it does require a certain depth of spiritual acknowledgment. It is a task, and a hard one that everyone should want to take on because it is a selfish endeavor that has selfless benefits.

What is being self aware? Self awareness is not a fantasy at all. It is the most based in reality condition a person can make for themselves. It involves the idea of introspection on a high level to figure out the inner workings of you. Being self aware is understanding your personal place in the universe, and understanding that there is something greater than you.Not necessarily a deity, but the situation of your life as it pertains to you and the universe. It is not all about just you, but the ability to see that you are a part of something bigger that you can have an impact on. Whether it be a cause in life, or an acceptance that you are connected to the fabric of nature and everyone else, or knowing what it was that you were placed here for, someone who is self aware understands themselves, and is constantly asking the questions of why they act a certain way, and challenge not the way anyone else thinks, but why they think the way they do, and how they came to that conclusion. The self aware person understands that it is not solely the monetary or material aspects of accumulation that matter most. It is the idea of what ripples are provided by ones drop in the pond. It is good and well to have money, power, or fame if someone wants that and gets it. But the making something of yourself comes from how you use all of what you have to make something just a little better than you found it. Whether that be easing the suffering of someone, creating something that benefits someone, or improving a condition that is in dire straits, or just plain contributing to the betterment of some aspect greater than an individual. Making something of ones self is not just hoarding money,and more money for a rainy day, or living in a luxurious house because you can.  We as human beings, just like the things in nature have a purpose, and what we do, or not affects the chain of everything. Some will argue with me that they "Worked hard to obtain the things they have, and anyone could do the same." That is the robotic answer given when people feel attacked for having material aspects of wealth, and the standardized societal descriptions of success. They resent the people seemingly trying to make them feel guilty for having. That is really not what it's about. It's about the aspect of individualism instead of collectivism. The "Mine all mine" philosophy behind greed, and the thing that resonates in the American consciousness. I believe that the way we teach people to achieve is backwards. We teach people to search for things outside of ourselves, and then inward. it should be the other way around. There would be many less people with inner turmoil and more collectivism ideologies in the long run if we taught young minds to search for things within first. The result of that backwards philosophy is the individual who is not self aware.

People who are not self aware have a constant struggle, because they have no idea who they are, and just what they stand for. Their ideas are never their own, but borrowed interpretations of others that they admire, and want to be like until someone else comes along to latch onto, and be like. They constantly live for something else, and are constantly searching for something over the horizon that is not in their grasp yet, that will fulfill their happiness, and guide them somewhere, but they don't know where. They are preoccupied with the petty aspects of what other people do or say, because their mind is not focused on their particular task of owning an agenda to make themselves and their own personal journey remarkable. They are unhappy plain and simple, and unable to reach inside themselves to understand what makes them tick, and how to drive their own soul. They suffer inside, and eventually it spills to their behavior outside as they repeat mistakes, and wander aimlessly trying to find themselves. The phrases "Tortured soul", or "Troubled individual" or someone who says they "Have their demons", is all the result of individuals who are not self aware, and bereft on the inside because they are chasing things without, and not within. The "something" that is always looked for may be right in front of them, and inside them, but there is a feeling of loss for these folks because they think that someone needs to show it to them. They want something, but have no idea what it is, and can't articulate it by any stretch. They may turn to all kinds of things negative to feed their need for understanding, and their feelings of isolation from the rest of the world.

Introspection is not easy. It takes a lot of hard looks at ones self, and discovering quite a few things that are very unpleasant to know that you possess. It is a hard journey to be self aware, and there is growing and changing constantly. sometimes even reinventing ones self, and changing ideas about how the world works, and how they view things in order for epiphanies to occur. To find out just who you are is a lifelong work in progress, but once you are in the process, you are at peace. You never feel the need for conflict, you understand just why you have reached certain conclusions that you have reached, you have empathy for others, and their struggles, and most importantly, you are happy. Happy that there is growth inside you to be who you want to be. Happy that even though you may not have all of the things you want right now, you understand what you want completely, and you also understand that the journey is just as rewarding as the reward itself. No person or thing will change that happiness. You also understand that no matter what position you are in life, someone  1)is worse off, 2)Has gone through what you are going through 3)Is going through it now, or 4)Can benefit, or suffer at the hands of your ripples. That you are part of a large spider web connected to everything in some fashion, and that things are bigger than your petty needs is an important aspect of being self aware, Also having empathy for others..Just putting yourself in someone's shoes to examine another point of view is crucial to an open mind that leads to self awareness.And it all starts with the questions, "Who am I, and what do I want in life?" Yes the questions are that easy, but the answers are extremely hard, and may change constantly. But in order for one to understand ones self, those are two major questions to revisit constantly.

A selfish endeavor such as looking inside yourself can lead to a selfless view of the world, and how you perceive your role. Selfish, leads to selfless,which leads to self aware. And that my friends can only lead to happiness. And if you are happy, you will want to infect everyone else, and make the world better. Which is in my opinion truly "Making something of yourself."

Godfathers And Gangstas: The hypocrisy of how we view criminals

Everybody loved "The Sopranos". The Mafia crime drama that captured the imagination of millions. Mind you, it was a well written drama with superb acting, and well rounded characters, and was good entertainment for those that chose to watch it. People couldn't wait to see the escapades of Tony Soprano, and revel in what sort of chaotic scenarios he and his crew were going to get into involving violence, extortion, secrecy, and other aspects that The Mafia lends itself to on a day to day basis. People began to like Tony Soprano as a character, and loved his henchmen within the family, and his tortured soul as he sought psychological help for his turmoil within. Women thought the men were hot, and men thought their activities, and how they carried themselves were cool to emulate. This is a complete carry over from "The Godfather" days of cinema where some of the most violent twisted minds and activities on film mirrored the actual members of the Mob, and their brutal activities were given life to the big screen. A funny thing has happened in both instances. There is some very strange romanticism about characters of organized crime that is almost borderline love and admiration. In real life, In the 1980's, Gambino Mafia Boss John Gotti was loved and revered by millions, and was almost a media star. He was dapper, cocky, wore the best expensive suits, quick witted, and slick..And the public loved him. But here is the problem: He was a murderer, extortionist, a thief of the highest order, and ran an empire of illegal activities that made millions off of the backs of innocent people. Someone who would make your stomach twist... But the public couldn't get enough of him. And in a way, that is sick.

Criminal behavior is nothing new in our society, and often criminals do things and hide in the shadows until they are caught. Most times the ones caught are the ones who either got greedy, or who were not smart. The most heinous acts are perceived as physical hands on brutality where there is bodily harm, or even murder involved. Where these acts occur is primarily in the poor urban neighborhoods and performed by violent folks who are desperate, and desensitized to the extreme conditions around them. Kids in gangs, "Gangsta wannabes" jacking cars, robbing people, and stealing items while conducting low level turf wars, and drug deals. There is no romanticizing these folks in the public eye. They are considered the lowest forms of humans on the earth. The urban jungle is their wasteland, and without them, most in our society say that life in America would be much better. Funny..They are doing exactly what the Mob does, but only on the ground level, and with less desire to look like legitimate businessmen in the process. Car jacking, murder, and physical robbery, are the exact same things as racketeering , whacking someone, and extortion. But without the romantic aspects of honor involved. Widespread drug distribution across state lines ordered by a Don in a suit is perceived to be less heinous than small time drug distribution within neighborhoods perpetuated by thugs in hoods. They are exactly parallel.  Strange? Or are few and far between giving this issue thought?

There is somehow some weird noble aspect of organized crime that people want to be close to, or are fascinated to watch. I myself am a big reader of Mafia history, because I am fascinated with history in general, but there are people who admire this aspect of psychopathic criminal behavior because once again there is an aspect of the perception of class, and ethnicity involved. No one wants to point that out but I will. An Italian member of the Mob, despite all of the investments into illegal activities, physical threats to people, engaging in and conducting themselves within a system that is designed to make illegal money, is considered a possibly honorable individual. Why? Because of the illusion of honor. Someone has to get "made", someone has to take an oath to the "Family", and there is a bond of loyalty subscribed to..it's an illusion because it's crime in $700.00 suits, and not crime in $150.00 sneakers. The only difference between "Organized" crime, and "street" crime whereas acts are concerned, is that the orders given from the top down, to the actual deeds in organized crime, are a much longer chain of command. In Street crimes, one or two are making a decision to commit a crime. a Black kid in the ghetto has no "La Cosa Nostra" that kisses him on the cheek for making the cut. No "Family" name that he becomes affiliated with that has a history. No house that he runs his operation out of as his wife takes care of kids, and no mistress that he sees and pays for, while supplementing her lifestyle. He steals, he may murder, has no empathy for others, and doesn't care about anything but himself. But the strange thing is that exact mentality and those actions take place in the organized arena. The Big shot fantasy is reserved for crime on a higher perception scale, and many people don't even realize that they are perpetuating that fantasy. Yes, there are the funny jokes about someone Italian being in the Mafia, or friends coming to break kneecaps, but that is in jest. I am talking about the bigger picture of crime as it is in our culture, and how it is viewed by the people who view it, and what the attitudes are toward the people that are perceived to commit it.

This twisted way of looking at crime, and criminals has a negative result. It once again puts in the minds of people that organized people in suits are wonderful, and their crimes hurt no one, and are actually productive members of society in some sense, who happen to be complex people with values. And yet some poverty stricken people in rough neighborhoods are the problems and bane of America. It divides crime in our society, and someone who is a "Business man" can't be touched, while jails are stuffed to the gills with small time flunkeys.Truth is that there are complex people living in the streets also with tortured minds and who can't get out of their own way. Because they are poor, and the crime is dirty and street level, they are deemed dangerous. Which they may be, but just as dangerous as the wonderful Italian man that loves his mother, and engages in racketeering, and extortion.
 The most heinous damaging thievery acts of the 21st century so far, was committed by members on Wall Street wallowing in their own greed. Millions of people were affected by their irresponsible actions, and our romanticism with power, and our twisted perception of who commits crimes that are dangerous, has allowed them to go untouched. That is the total problem with the view of "Godfathers, and Gangstas". It is not a level playing field of perception, and the Mafia is in our lexicon of culture, where Capone is cool, The Godfather is an American dramatic achievement, and the Sopranos are a portrait of an American family that people like to see, and can identify with.Greed is perceived as good, and to have money, and power is the American way. There is no identification with "Gangstas". The general public reviles them, and incarcerates them in their perceptions, and eventually physically. My point in this is that the same thing needs to be done with criminals in suits whether it be on some drama, or in real life. These are criminals also who given the chance will murder, steal, and engorge themselves in expensive things illegally gotten at the expense of others. That is a fact, and just because they are 'Organized" doesn't make what they do less heinous.

This is once again a testament to how race and class are at the forefront of how people feel about other people. The criminals that have things are perceived as not really criminals, and they "earned". The criminals that have not, are that way because they don't want to work. A white individual driving an expensive car, and in a suit is perceived as a businessman, and has probably earned his assets. A Black kid from a poor neighborhood wearing sneakers and a sweat suit, and driving the same thing, is perceived as having stole something somewhere along the line.This is the romanticism result, where class conflicts with perceptions of crime.This is how a great deal of America thinks, and it is dangerous in a land where the truly biggest thieves are actually the best dressed, and considered the least dangerous. There is nothing wrong with enjoying good drama, or even having these aspects within the lexicon of our culture. the problem is when one doesn't understand just what they are romanticizing, nor the reasons for doing so. A criminal is a criminal. Whether it be at the corporate level, within the hierarchy of the mob, or if  it is on the streets of some urban jungle. That is the bottom line, and should be acknowledged as such. Understand just what you are romanticizing about, and who you are demonizing, and don't try to justify one over the other. To fantasize about a lifestyle of crime, enjoy seeing it portrayed, or look forward to a show that depicts it, is just that. A fantasy, and acceptance of crime, as it pertains to power, and status. Then to turn around and say that some street kid in a gang on TV or in real life is setting a bad example, is not only hypocritical but laughable.
The two items are the exact same thing. Both bad examples. One is just held to a higher standard than the other. And that is not only hypocrisy, but a crime in itself.

Context Winners: The Telephone game on steroids

The game is "Telephone". Often played by little kids who sit around a room, or table, and one person whispers something into another person's ear. What was said travels around the room as a whisper to each person, until it makes its way back to the originator. With any luck, by the time it gets back to the first child, it will resemble the original statement. Knowing children though, it sometimes can be slightly different, or completely different, and is indicative of how children not only hear and process information, but how they relay it as well. Usually the hearing on their part has omitted, or changed an important aspect of what was was originally stated not out of malice, but just by the fact that children hear certain words, and phrases better than others because of familiarity rather than the nefarious behavior of leaving something out on purpose. But it's definitely an interesting game exercise nonetheless, because it gives a window to how not only children, but adults can receive and send bad information or twist things even when presented with the source right in front of them. Usually in that game, it is hard to figure out just who messed up the initial statement because everyone has whispered, so that's actually what makes it funny. Somewhere the connection to what was first said was lost, and everyone laughs because they are kids, and kids are harmless. When it is NOT funny is when adults do the same thing.

There are plenty of adults out there who could not play "Telephone" if their life depended on it simply because they have decided to see what they want to see, and hear what they want to hear, and not what has been presented to them.Their way of processing information, and relaying it is suspect, or in their interpretation of an event that took place, they have chosen to omit certain important aspects that really need to be known for the whole picture to be taken in. Adults are interesting, because even though some like to make the claim that no one thinks for them, and their mind is their own, they look for herd mentality, and they seek out others who they can partner with in thought. The only problem with that is that the herd works very much like kids playing "Telephone". The only difference is that adults have an agenda for themselves, and usually that agenda is to look for a way to forward their idea on how the world works. There is nothing wrong with someone having an opinion. Different opinions however detestable are important to growth. The problem lies with how people came to that conclusion, and if you look at the source of those that choose to try to articulate how they arrived at something, the answer is usually a deviation from what is actually the truth in the source matter. It just got converted in the transfer of information within the telephone line..

How many times have you seen people get up in arms, and beside themselves over a news headline, and they can't wait to rant and rave, and raise hell over what they have seen? Only to read the entire article to realize and acknowledge all of the things not stated in the headline, and that everything now makes perfect sense in context, and is a non issue. I believe that sometimes when people read, they either half read an article, or cherry pick words or phrases that get them riled up and pissed, because that's what they want to be anyway. People see the world, and things as they are, I get that. That does not make it OK to see things by carefully picking out the things that contradict how you want to see them. We are all hypocrites to a certain degree, and our opinions often conflict our behavior, and other opinions that we have inside of us, but there are people who make this philosophy their way of life because they play "Telephone" to specifically change things around to benefit what they think.

I am sure that many of us have gotten a phone call from someone asking why we said such and such a thing, because John, or Joe, or Jane said that you said whatever. Usually the information is spotty, with incredible gaps in the story that a 100 car train could go through. The response is usually something like, "Well did Jane tell you about the part where X,Y, and Z happened to lead up to why I said that?" Usually the answer is a "No" or silence. And this is because down the telephone line there was a decision of omission. In order for the tale to work for whatever reason, there needed to be a headline, and perhaps someone was banking that the full story wouldn't be read. And the full story not being read benefits the agenda. In the age of information this seems to be unthinkable, but it is even more rampant. It's not like the days of folk hero John Henry vs the Steam Train, where people have to speculate about whether it is true or not. the information is often accessible and available for review. people choose not to review it for their own ideals sake. No one wants to be wrong, but it happens, and will happen to you hundreds of times if you are lucky. Being wrong is good because it forces you to rethink yourself, and what you believe, and that can only mean growth. Bad information, or omission of information does no one any good, because it creates chaos. And those who love chaos, are unfortunately usually the ones towing the telephone line.

In this day and age of no attention span, even with  mountainous amounts of information around them, and at their fingertips, people don't listen carefully, nor interpret wisely. This country is divided not by race, or religion, or by any big issue that red or blue present. It is divided into people who listen, and people who don't..By people who understand things 3 dimensionally and by people who can't or choose not to. By people who look at the headlines, and by people who read the whole article. It's the "Telephone game" on steroids played by adults whose mission is to hear things and see things the way a child would. As I get older, I desire more and more to hang out with individuals who can play the telephone game, and get the information back to the beginning unhindered as it should be. I desire to deal only on a superficial level with individuals that can't. As wrong as their behavior is, and as limited as their insight may be, it is fascinating from a human observation level. It certainly isn't fun to watch, because kids are harmless..Adults when they do this are dangerous. And all of the so called individual thinkers engage in herd mentality. And herd mentality leads seamlessly to mob rules mentality.

Ignorant, oblivious, nefarious, self indulgent, desperate or dangerous. Whatever words you come up with to describe some individuals who are adults who get on the line, and change or omit the story, makes it obvious that I would rather play the "Telephone Game" with kids. They have much better and more interesting things to say.

Race Unchained: Django, The word Nigger, and America's rip in the fabric

The most unstable topic that America has ever presented itself because of its own doing, is race. It is America's toughest, most hotbed, and confusing subject that has created intense problems for this country since its inception. It is America's yoke around the neck weighing down how it wants to be seen, versus how it really is, and was. And because of that yoke, the continued weight has actually increased, as this society tries desperately to catch up to the ideals and standards that it set for itself, but could never live up to, just because of what is now firmly woven into the fabric of this country's cloth. And just what was woven into this cloth was generations and generations of systemic injustices, brutality, covert behaviors, and efforts to correct mindsets that have been in place even long before this country was set in motion.This  generation is the result of hundreds of years of wheels in motion that have run over people and created a country that was constantly trying to live up to the moral code of of its sunny promise, but was constantly getting weighed down by its own mud of deception, injustices, and nefarious behavior. Race unfortunately is the biggest stain on what is otherwise a stellar accomplishment of a relatively young country. But that stain made its way into the fabric, and created a rip. And that rip has continued to eat this country alive. What has transpired over the recent years has led us to a particular point in the saga of race, and has polarized people into factions. Those creation of 4 factions within this country, have grown immensely, with neither of them knowing what to do.

1)Those who believe that things have gotten better, and don't believe there is a problem anymore, and wish people would stop harping on it.
2)Those who believe that things have NOT gotten much better, because the laws of the minds have not changed, and wish that people would continue to harp on it.
3)Those who don't care, and really wish this so called "problem" would go away.
4)Those who straddle the line on any given issue, and just aren't sure about anything, so they look the other way.

All of those factions have people in them with one particular thing in common:  
There are millions who don't even understand how this problem happened anyway, because they are completely ignorant to the history of America, as it pertains to race.

History has been glossed over so much in the past to hide America's role in the perpetuation of human indignities, that the information necessary to make educated judgments about just how bad things were, and how things evolved is severely skewed to the point where people cannot understand, and some think that it was a thousand years ago in an America that they can't possibly believe could have created this situation.

When I was young there was nothing in the history books that detailed slavery except for a few choice lines that described them coming over, working in fields, and then being freed by The Emancipation Proclamation. Nothing about the conditions of slavery, or how people lived, and survived, what they thought, and certainly nothing on just how inhuman it really was.Nothing about the psychological warfare that took place to keep slavery alive. Seeing Roots on TV in 1977 had an obvious impact on me as a child, because it helped me to understand a little of what my ancestors went through..Just a little. When I got older, and began to go to the library to read books on slave conditions, written accounts by ex slaves, and historical facts overlooked in history books, I began to see just how brutal the system of slavery was. Slaves were maimed, killed, worked to death, or beaten within an inch of their lives, while men were castrated alive, and pregnant women cut open, and their babies killed. People forced to watch and endure physical and psychological torture that we would today call "psychopathic behavior" on the part of the perpetrators all in the name of white superiority, and intimidation to keep people in line to control them. Absolutely sick and twisted behavior performed towards people who were labeled 3/5 people by the men who are considered the founding fathers of this country.  There were no films of this behavior or else there would have been a different perspective of some concerning this part of history.This was considered a white man's country, and anyone who stood in the way of that philosophy was made to pay dearly. This mentality has been the core root of America since the beginning, where Europeans were the chosen ones to wield a new sword that created a new frontier. The Nigger, The "Indian", and whomever else would dispute that, was going to be cut down. In order for that mentality to thrive, a race of people has to feel superior, and decide they have the absolute right to feel that way, and conduct whatever behavior that supports this philosophy. Which means anyone not like them has to be put in their place. This is psychological warfare on a masterfully high level to initiate, and it was brutally enforced. We are talking about generations and generations of systemic superiority/inferiority complexes. Blacks in particular were powerless, and because their identities were ripped from them, their sense of self shattered, and their physical well being threatened even if they looked angry, they were lost as a people in a country that they helped to build. Blacks of course, are not the only race to have ever been persecuted, but The Black man in America is a special situation unique to this country. The dynamics have been manipulated so dramatically, where fighting for ones country still meant you had no rights, being more successful that a white man meant you might get killed, and your education system was gutted to keep you in the dark intellectually, are all symptomatic of this deep psychological castration that was perpetuated along with physical torture for some, that created this great race divide within the fabric that we have today.

Even after The Civil War officially ended slavery, and the Federals left the South dangling during reconstruction, a new systemic slavery ensued in the form of Jim Crow, and the brutality continued not only in the South, but everywhere else in the country. Free was not free for the Black man, and it would be another hundred years before the right to vote was even allowed in The South much to their unwilling endeavors. As it pertains to Blacks in this country, race has been overt and covert at the same time. From being called a Nigger to being followed in a store while browsing, to being rejected from buying a home. These overt, and subtle indignities have persisted within the black psyche for so long that it seems to be an innate sensitivity and perception to them. I have been called all kinds of names for no reason, been chased down a street, and have been followed in stores, or my motives were questioned when minding my own business. It is a psychological indignity, and it still persists whether people want to admit it or not. The Civil Rights movements of the South, and the Black Power movements showed Blacks just how powerful they are and how much they can take control of how they are seen, and heard, but the damage is still reeling its head in the form of broken families, neighborhoods and communities that were purposefully neglected, and children who grow up without an ability to trace back their heritage to claim an identity of self worth, and recognition.
 The word 'Nigger" was an example of just how they tried to take back power. blacks started trying to own that word themselves as an experiment to take the power away from the white man. The word Nigger, and the treatment of the black race in general, and the black male in particular has one core goal... Male domination. That is precisely why black males were called "Boy", or any other word other than "Man". For if you want to control a people, you must dominate the male population, so by using that word, and brutalizing black men mercifully, the system was able to prosper, because the system was built upon male domination. Which is why one of the first things that black men started to do to take away psychological power, was to start calling themselves men, and then turn that word around. The philosophy was that "If we own it, and use it, it won't hurt anymore, and we will destroy it" Well many years later, it was obvious that the experiment didn't work, and the word still hurts. The problem is that that word is now not only in the white man's American lexicon, it is in the Black culture lexicon as well. The problem also is that it still has power.

The word Nigger is one of the most hurtful despised words in the  English language born in America, because of not only the history associated with it, but because it is what I would call a "Throwback" term which reduces blacks back to a time when they were a compromise on a piece of paper calling them 3/5 of a person. So not only is it a name, but an acknowledgment by those who use it that an individual isn't even a person. That is precisely why blacks tried to take it away. It is a word that has been freely used in American society as an effort of once again controlling the psyche of a people.
That is why the word is so controversial even today. People wonder how come someone like Quentin Tarantino can use the word in his movie "Django Unchained" so freely and be to an extent a celebrated artist, and someone like some silly cooking show host can be derided for it. Both irrelevant in the scope of society importance, but the somewhat simple fact is that in this case, one is a period piece of film entertainment that would be a complete lie if the word wasn't used excessively, and the other is an individual that is using the word to describe her feelings of actual people.I personally would not have fired the woman..Let her show die a slow death..Who cares..If she was a public official, then it would have been a different story. Is anyone an angel when it comes to the use of that word? Absolutely not. Many people have used, and continue to use that word. That is why society has to be very careful who they publicly lambaste for that word. People are allowed to say what they want. They just have to realize that there are consequences to everything they say, but no one can police everyone.
 And Black people really need to do some soul searching inside themselves when that word is used in rap songs, and slang, and then proceed to unleash fury upon those who use the word also. People may disagree with me vehemently about this, but there must be accountability in the Black community, before fingers are pointed where this issue is concerned. That said, I do not believe in banning any words, changing books or hiding anything. I don't even really believe in using the term "The N word" Say the word "nigger", and make people think. That is an important aspect of correcting any ill in society. Not censoring anything. The minute you censor something, you give it such a provocative power and attention that it can't help but to be used in secret like some giggling schoolgirl showing a note from a boy. People need education. Education comes from a knowledge of history, and how something got from a point A to a point B..The more you cover things up, the more ignorant people you create, and the more a society becomes a burden upon itself.

Where we are now in this country is at a race quandary. What is happening right now is "White Backlash" where whites are tired of feeling guilty for being white.They are angry when race is mentioned. This "Anger" stems from many things. America is becoming a more increasingly Brown nation, where European descendants will soon be the minority. This has stoked a complete panic and fear with some, because the "Face of America" has through hook and crook the last 200 plus years, been a white one. That perception is changing radically. Yes a black president was elected by an overwhelming amount of Blacks in the hope to see progress, (not reverse racism) and by a significant amount of whites also, that truly believe in equality, the hope of progress, but another specter arose quickly after that election:
The factions of people who didn't want it to happen got bolder and louder, infecting the language of race again. It was no longer chic to be a racist, so the code words of the past were once again used reminding many blacks of language used against their elders.."He's not like us" "Not an American" "Take back our country"..These things were said many years ago, and although a person may not be a racist who uses those terms, they are ignorant of the hurt that those terms allude to.There are many people that believe that racism is over because we now have a Black president, and "Blacks should be happy".. If someone sees nothing wrong with those terms or sees no racial overtones within how this black president is depicted by some, then they are either ignorant, or blind. It is there, and not because anyone is looking hard for it. It is in lock step with the historical dialogue and portrayal that an idea of "fear unites" can portray. The rip in the fabric has created distrust, fear, suspicion, anger, and hatred on all sides of the fence. This is not a white problem, although initiated by Europeans coming here. It has efficiently morphed into the great plague of America that permeates all races, and their the problems of trying to define themselves after a society has done it for them for so long without asking. Perceptions are skewed everywhere you look. Not every white person is a racist, nor is every black person looking for racism. Enter Hispanics, Asians, People of the Caribbean, and people of Middle Eastern descent into the mix of society .America is changing, and for some, it is a frightening turn of events. People are people, and that has been lost within the ripped fabric, because for so long the superiority/inferiority machinery was, and to an extent still is allowed to run at a high capacity. White folks believe that the race problem has been milked to death while Black folks believe that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The truth bounces between both sides on any given issue, but the problem is far from being solved, or over.

Racial problems have gotten better to a degree, but begrudgingly so where some are concerned. The white backlash that is ensuing is a result of many people thinking that we are bending over backwards to be  sensitive. And to a degree I understand that. Race relations will never get better if we can't say honestly how we feel, so it can be discussed. If people are silent because they don't want to be labeled a racist, then how the hell will we ever learn about one another in a deep way? How will we ever acknowledge how we all see the world? So race today in 2013 is a polarizing powder keg, because we have still not learned to recognize the hurt, laugh at the differences, and acknowledge the history. Instead of people saying what they feel, code words are now used, or looking around before speaking, and lying to someone's face.What good is sensitivity training on paper? Understanding has to come from interaction. I appreciate honest people, and if someone doesn't understand a race of people,  then say it. If someone doesn't like a race of people then say that also..Maybe they can get educated, or worst case scenario, those at the butt of the hatred know to stay away from them. There will always be a rip in America's fabric because the history of this country's initiation of equality for all, was hypocrisy. A hypocrisy that was left to fester, thrive and contaminate all around it. Also a hypocrisy that was never fully recognized. Everyone keeps saying that it is a discussion that needs to be had, but no one wants to touch it with honesty. Perhaps because no one can truly and fully accept how deep and how damaging it has truly been. And that it was allowed to be here.And that is what everyone is truly afraid of.
 Afraid of facing the things that this country has allowed to happen all in the name of freedom, liberty, equality, and justice. How can we truly have a deep discussion about race in America when we can't even handle the truths about race in America if presented. You can neither run nor hide from history. You also can't wash it, or change it, gloss it over, or avoid it. It is history. And the problem of race in America is that we continue to try to do all of those things, and the result is always going to be failure. So do you think that this country talks too much about race? The real reason that we are in this predicament is because no one has talked about it enough. And that is the hard truth. When we can finally do that, then race will be unchained, and we can start to sew the fabric again.

Attitude By Attrition: The FML syndrome

There is a pretty funny comedian named Louis C.K. who has a bit in his act about how we here in America all have amazing things going on around us, but we find silly stuff to complain about, just so we can complain. The technology that we enjoy, the lifestyles that we lead compared to what others in the most poverty stricken countries have is monumentally different, and our petty bitch and moan sessions about our everyday amazing crap not making us happy just doesn't wash, and renders us looking shallow and self centered which we here in America are. Even some of the poorest individuals here in this country would be considered gifted by some other country standards. He makes a joke about someone in another country stating their  real problem of the day as being, "Oh shit, they're cutting off all of our heads today.." Now I don't mean to once again chastise Americans, because I think that for the most part we are a caring people with drive and determination, who are fortunate to live in a great country. But Americans are often not based in reality as far as just what real problems exist within the world, and how their perceived angst compared to real human struggle makes them seem childish and petty. Hence my condemnation of the FML syndrome..

For those who don't know, FML  is an abbreviation for "F#&ck my life"..Often said, abbreviated in texts, or written somewhere by someone that feels that life is somehow unforgiving, and harsh to the point where they are cursed for bad things to happen to them. Often people give in to this when bad things in a row are presented, and they basically have decided that some higher power has decided that they will not be happy, and a black cloud shall be presented over their being for extended periods of time. Dramatic huh? So the white flag exclamation tends to be "FML". People tend to be very liberal with this exclamation using it for mundane low valleys of life such as a car breaking down, or personal problems often times manufactured by themselves. Some people can't get out of their own way, and therefore "FML" for this bad thing that happened because of their own doing. Even if it isn't of their own doing, they are proclaiming that their life sucks, and announcing it to everyone seems to validate their feelings to everyone that their life sucks. It is the high priest exclamation of "Please make my bad luck stop", or "I am overwhelmed by everything thrown at me"

Now I am a realistic person and not harsh beyond reason. I don't expect everyone to be in some cheery positive mood all of the time, because that is not how life works. Nor am I immune to bad breaks in life, and crappy fortune, where I have felt like things were slowly being stacked against me. I get that, and I haven't forgotten how it feels. It feels like crap. I have been depressed far beyond my wildest imagination during certain life altering times in my existence, and it is a hard hole to get out of. Staying positive was a monumental effort, and the ever increasing notion in my vision that my life was in a wreck, and I couldn't take any more, was always acting as a roadblock to my progress. That feeling was very dangerous.. It was an ugly lonely crappy feeling of depression, and I was in bad shape, but never once did I use that phrase because at least no one was coming to cut my head off. I had clean water to drink, a place to sleep, and I was not infested with parasites. Light years ahead of some folks in other countries. There were wonderful things happening all around me,But I couldn't see them through my own fog of pain.  But when I finally woke up, I started to see them, and it was an epiphany. I felt a burst of new energy that I used to my advantage. And I developed a positive attitude through attrition. Everything else didn't matter, and what I was left with was re discovering what I had, and not what I wanted. And what I had, would pull me out, and make me appreciate life even more.

Perspective is a funny thing. When your perspective is negative it is two fold. How it really is, and how you want people to see it as. Most people want attention in some form, so by making things actually appear worse than they are, they can be validated by others, and then feel like they can be justified in complaining. If things weren't that awful, there would be jokers like me telling them to man up, and face it. So the negativity creates more negativity just by desire to be recognized. I am not telling people not to complain every now and then, but some people thrive on it, make it drawn out, and squeeze every bit of sympathy they can for the sake of attention. They complain without perspective to anyone who will listen because they can't fathom anybody having more or worse problems than them at the moment. We all need the outlet of acknowledgement by others of our suffering, and the support system that can sometimes generate to help. I am with that 100%. What I am railing about is the prolonged "woe is me, I am doomed" cry that the "FML"attitude seems to pull from people. There are amazing things that are going on, and most people spout that term from some facebook page, or in a text, which indicates that they at least have a computer, or phone that is a computer, so life ain't THAT horrible if one has those. And life is certainly miles better than people who have to worry about parasites, clean drinking water, or someone coming to cut off their head.

So when someone uses the term, "FML" I really have to shake my head and wonder if they truly see how amazing everything is around them in this country, or are they caught up within the vines of "I hate my own shadow, and nobody else has it worse than me.." Because believe it or not, somebody in an impoverished country does. And although those people have every right to say "FML", they usually don't. They celebrate what they have, because they know the value of themselves and every breath they get to take. And not the price of some I Phone that gives them a hard time to read this post. They truly have developed an "attitude by attrition". "FML" won' come into their vocabulary. because nothing else truly matters....Except life.

Badass: Just another term for TCB

Whenever people seem to see someone who is extremely talented, or somebody who's an intimidating figure, or an individual with command of a situation, or group, usually the term "Badass" is applied to that person. Even something that people see, they will cite as being "Badass" such as a movie, or even describing a song. "Badass" is not technically a word but a combo of two, that has been added to our American lexicon as another acknowledgement of reverence for someone or something. People shake their head in awe and say, "Wow that was Badass!" , or "He/She is such a Badass." It has become a term of endearment or respect unfortunately to some who deserve neither. Why do I say that? Because I believe that term can be widened to encompass a broader spectrum because that term should be another way of saying
"TCB", and only those taking care of business should get to be called "Badasses", no matter what that business is..

There are two types of people in this world. 1)Those who talk about what they will do, can do, or are doing, and in reality aren't doing "it" at all, and 2)Those that say nothing and do it. There are distinct differences that are worthy to point out.
 Those that talk have to alert the world about something they consider noteworthy whether it be a craft, a simple task, or how they manage and conduct themselves in life. They are much too busy to do the things that they talk about, because they are constantly running their mouth trying to tell everyone how much of a Badass they are, and how they deserve respect. All the while, the things they do are incomplete attempts, half ass approaches, or unfocused forays into things where they worry about watching and controlling what other people are doing, rather than how to develop themselves and their skills or tasks into the best they can be. What they do may in fact be pretty good, but because they talk about it so much, and can't get  out of their own way, it never makes its full potential. Muhammad Ali was one of the only people to be able to get away with that, because it was done  tongue in cheek to garner media attention. Behind the scenes and smack talk, the man trained ferociously in order to back up his claims. Otherwise most who constantly run their mouths are lacking in humility, and the true concept of what needs to be achieved, and how much focus it takes to achieve it. Respect has to be earned in whatever endeavor one takes, and it drives the talker nuts that they don't have mass amounts of respect being showered their way. They are far more concerned with achieving respect from others, than putting their head down and performing the task or skill necessary, or tackling the core problem that faces them. To them, their reward is the adulation of others, and the instant gratification of pats on the back for short term accomplishments. they will never be satisfied, and will continue to talk, and try to please everyone in order to be liked, or feared, or respected, and give everyone the illusion that they are a "Badass."

Then there is the person that does it. Without fanfare, without trash talk, and without even stating what their goal is. They don't have to. Actions speak volumes, and the notion of talking a big game is foreign to them. Not only foreign, but time consuming. They have way more important business to take care of than trying to explain why they should be considered a Badass. the reward for such an individual is the journey of the mission. What transpires during the process is just as important as the end result, and the focus is on the increments, and big picture. The doers state that they will do something, and then you won't hear from them because they are doing what they said. They believe that the proof is in the pudding, and are not worried about what people perceive of them, because they have something more important in their grasp. Because of their actions, and how they take care of business, they earn respect, admiration, and yes, the title of "Badass."

Mind you, it is not an easy task to do anything of value. Anything worth working for is just that...Work. Whether you be an artist, musician, athlete, doctor, businessman, activist, or parent... Whether you take on a job, challenge, or cause, being a Badass is possible because if you take care of business, and focus, and do the things you say you are going to do, you will garner respect for your sheer will, effort, and results. To me, Badass isn't a negative term. It applies to all who approach what they do with tenacity, and perseverance. Those who have weathered storms of disappointment, tribulations, and people telling them that they can't. A Badass comes out on top, fights, and doesn't follow anyone's lead. They don't worry about popularity, or petty things like someone's approval. They do what they do, and worry about how to do it to the best of their abilities.
 A man or woman who goes to work everyday to make an honest living, and supports their family is a Badass..A teacher who takes the time to stay after school to give help to her students is a Badass. A social worker that tries their best to help people out of their problems and poverty is a Badass. An athlete who gives 100% every day, and doesn't mouth off whenever there is a mic in front of him is a Badass. The musician who works hard at their craft every day, and does their talking on the stage is a Badass. A person in the armed services protecting this country is immediately a Badass. There is a Badass in all of us, and if you just shut up, and do what you say you will do, stop whining, and take charge of your destiny, you will earn the respect of others without trying. Most importantly, by this applying this approach, you are respecting yourself and others around you by accepting the responsibility of what you can control outright. Being a Badass takes years of mistakes, growth, setbacks, and learning. Carrying the scars of whatever battles they fight, they press on with confidence in their abilities, and what they stand for. And most of all, they just shut up and do it. Because that's what is inside them. Taking care of business is what makes them tick.

So the next time you think about applying the term "Badass" to someone, think to yourself, "Is that person TCB?" "Did that person do it to the fullest of their ability no matter what?" "Is that person in charge of themselves and their corner of the universe?" If the answers are yes, then that title can be applied. If there is idiocy, "clownage" (new word also) hesitation about getting things done, or straddling the fence on how they conduct themselves, then you might want to lay back and wait to see if they can earn that title in the future.

Oh and by the way..My Grandparents were the best and toughest Badasses that I have ever met, or will probably ever meet. I hope one day I can raise my game up to the standards that they upheld for years. Their motto was Take care of business, and do it right, whatever you do..'Nuff said. That statement is just Badass!

High Seas Pisces: My Birthday thoughts 2013

When one officially gets categorized as an adult, I liken it to the christening of a ship. There is the actual building process that took place beforehand, the inspection of whether or not it is ready to be ocean bound, and then the actual ceremony that takes place to officially send it off to its journey. During that ceremony words are said to bless the vessel, everyone stands around to admire what a fine sight it is, and imagine just what kind of adventures it will get into. Once the celebratory bottle is broken over the bow, the ship then enters the waters ready to discover just what it can do, and hopefully live up to, or beyond the expectations set for it. For the first part of the journey it can still see the shore, and if something goes wrong, of course it could make a turnaround for tweaking. There comes a point when the ship is not just on the open sea, but far from any shore in any direction, and that's when it really has the freedom and ability to shine. Life is exactly like that, and there comes a point when you look around and discover that you are on the high seas of life. You are still a powerful vessel, with experiences in battles, and storms. No longer a newly christened ship, with a young crew of thoughts, but far from being decommissioned as a floating museum, or relic.

That's about where I am at this stage in my life. I am on the high seas of life still trying to chart out my own undiscovered waters.Oh don't get me wrong. My life is not some fascinating fast paced adventure like 007 or something like that, but right now I feel like I have grown greatly since the last birthday, and growth means heading for uncharted waters, because growth means learning. And when you are learning, it means you are discovering. There is no shortcut to anything of quality, and growth isn't an exception. It takes mistakes, failures, happy events, painful events, finding out what one is good at, along with accepting flaws, and mostly truth. Accepting the truth about ones self is crucial to being able to learn. Over the years, I have accepted many truths about myself. Some I am happy with, and some are ugly, but they are there and because I accept them, I don't have some painful internal strife happening.

With all of the growth and introspection going on inside, those who know me personally and for a long time would probably say that not much has changed in many years as far as my core behavior. I still like a good inappropriate joke, along with great adult deep conversation. I still do my best to treat people the way I would want to be treated, and I sleep very well at night knowing that whatever I attempted, whether I succeeded, or failed, I gave the best effort that I could give. I still believe in the power of dialogue, and wish that more held the same philosophy, because when you really break it down to its essence, the only thing that separates us is words. I still believe in the power of music to heal and bring people together, and try to do my part in that department. Many will say that I am some sort of Music "Nazi' but I know what I like, and don't like and have extremely sometimes harsh views of the music business, and what I see. That has been the case since I was a teen, and remains consistent in my adulthood. money does not drive my ambition at all. It is fulfillment and happiness which you cannot put a price on no matter how hard you try.

Here on the high seas, I can look back and appreciate the things that got me to this point. I have been married twice, and enjoyed that status when I was in it, but I thoroughly enjoy being by myself now to pursue what I want to do whether that involve music, or sitting and reading. I have been through some awful things in life, and yet I made it through, and can hopefully help others that went through such things. From my upbringing to now, I have remained pretty consistent because of the solid rocks that raised me, meaning my Grandmother and Grandfather. One of the saddest days in my life happened this past year, as my Grandmother passed away. The strongest, wisest, and most powerful matriarch that I have ever had the pleasure to know left me. But what she left me with is what I carry with me now. Sense of self, knowledge of people, toughness, tenacity, pride in whatever I do, how I conduct myself, and respect for others. This is what I try to carry with me over the ocean of my life and occasionally, I falter, but I continue to try my damndest to leave some place better than when I found it, and make things better around me. It's what my Grandmother and Grandfather taught me, and I hope to take that philosophy to my grave. So with my Grandmother gone, and one more storm I had to go through, becomes one more test in life to see just what I am made of. I am glad that I am not made of straw, or sticks, but of brick that can withstand the winds of the high seas. Thank you Honey and Grandaddy.

As another birthday arrives, I am once again thankful for everything. The people I know, the people I have loved, the gift that I have been given, the life that I live, and the things that have transpired to make me the continued work in progress that I am currently. there is so much more to do in life, and so much I want to learn, that I will never live long enough to do it all. We never do. But the idea is to do the best you can do, be the best you can be, and let the chips fall where they may. And that's where I am now at this moment on the high seas..Tomorrow never knows on the ocean of being.

The Potential Of People: Maddening Disappointment

If you have the opportunity to have a friend that challenges the way you think, then I believe that you should always take that opportunity to the fullest. Someone who takes you to task, and helps you to see the aspects of yourself unfiltered, and naked is one of the most important things you can have in life. Some people never find it, others are very much afraid of it. The reason most people when told they should go to counseling, balk like they are being told to walk a ledge, is because in a sense that is what they are being told to do. They are being told to see the truth about themselves in a way that demands exploration further, and they could be called out for not accepting a facet of themselves that is undesirable or hard to swallow...And they could fall. If one embraces this notion, the opportunity for growth is tremendous, because you are finding out more about yourself, than you could ever do on your own introspective time. So when having a friend, counselor, sage, whatever you like to call it, in your corner you can learn real layers of yourself, and why you may behave the way you do. This can lead you to correcting something, fixing something, or adjusting the behavior as a whole. And that is exactly what happened to me after an intense conversation with a friend.

I had a very important epiphany when engaged in an in depth conversation about the world and myself. Something I didn't really know about myself but when I did discover it, a light popped on, and now other things fall into place. I was talking about the world and I was getting fired up and intense like I do when talking about idiocy, levels of acceptance, and the empty headed behavior that I see all over the place, and finally one question was posed to me: "What irritates you?" After some hack roundabout answer  I gave was unacceptable, I was asked to really think about the question, and finally the answer was something that is completely contradictory to my persona. What really irritates me most of all, and makes me in fact damn pissed off is ....People.

This revelation was very strange to me considering I actually thought that I loved people. People are interesting, and beautiful in their own way, but further conversation made me realize I do not necessarily love people,but I love the potential of them as a whole. But that's not what drives the disdain for people. What drives the disdain, and anger toward people that I didn't realize I had, is the emotion of "Disappointment". Not disappointment in petty things like "someone didn't call", or "someone said something behind someone's back". Nothing that small. I'm talking about the disappointment of the behavior of people in this new age of technology interaction that was supposed to bring us closer. I guess my expectations of what things could be was so high, and the potential is so obvious, that I can't help but be completely angry when others don't see it. Potential for what?? For that certain connection between human beings to see others as themselves, to talk about issues to solve them, to act like adults, and spread important information and knowledge. Instead we have become a world of "I'm right, and they're wrong", and cliques, and groups even more than when there was no internet, or even telephones, which are now even more intertwined, making people stupider, and more dependent upon things to occupy their boredom(when there should be none). The inability of people to come together except at tragedies or crisis drives me insane, because after those events are over, some go right back to acting like they never happened., and that instance could have been the start of important dialogue to make infectious to others.

It was pointed out to me that these are things I can't control, and I know this. I can only control my thoughts and actions,and I should worry about just those. And of course someone would ask just who the hell am I to get pissed off at whatever people do? I get that concept completely. I certainly have had many flawed moments in life, and will have many more when I am through, but the potential is killing me. It doesn't cost anything to talk to people about a topic, or discuss like an adult, yet people don't want to spend that. They would rather throw a tantrum, act like idiots, and preoccupy their time in a crowded room of people texting someone who's across the room. They would rather say "OMG" and not learn vocabulary, and call someone some name, rather than expressing themselves in an intelligent manner to get their point across.They would rather spread idiotic misinformation on Facebook rather than take 10 minutes to see if it's true or not. 20% of people are 80% of the problem, but it's a 20% that constantly infects everyone like a pandemic. The potential for just how good this could be is right in front of us, but we have become a society that refuses to dive in because we are lazy all around. Not just physically, but mentally. And I get angry when it is displayed constantly like some tag on a new article of clothing that wasn't pulled off. There are plenty of good folks in this mix whose voices get smothered by the din of babies that surround them, so I am not trying to say that all are like this, but a very thick segment of people get corrupted in the stew.

America has become full of people who can't wrap their head around the idea that we are no longer the center of the universe, because of a combination of us slowing down and others catching up. It should be no surprise because we the melting pot have become so intolerant to other ways of life and we believe that everyone should act as us. Well the world has changed drastically and our ability to communicate on the level emotionally and intellectually with others from the world is crucial to us getting back in the game. But when you have people complaining and prioritizing about their I Phone, when people are starving, and fighting one another about whether someone is coming to take guns away, when school children are slaughtered, how are we supposed to be taken seriously as a people? I certainly wouldn't take us seriously if I was viewing this from somewhere else, and if this stuff occurred elsewhere we wouldn't take those people seriously. We should see ourselves as others see us for a change, but we're much too conceited to accept that concept.There is where my biggest disappointment lies. Not only are we fighting other people in the world, we fight each other for our own self indulgence.

Listen,I am no better than anyone, but I have a specific level of acceptance that I intend to adhere to, and what I like to see in people, and those that challenge themselves and others are the people that I like most, even if I don't agree with them.I have zero tolerance for stupidity in people, and I would love to see people of all races, creeds political origins etc..to come to the table and talk with one another. Yes I am some kind of hippie in my thinking, but I don't see anything wrong with that, yet maybe someone else does. All of the tools are in front of you.We all have the capability to be intelligent adults. Some choose to ignore that fact within themselves. Come together as people, and we will see so many problems go away. It's so easy, and so attainable, that it's maddening to see what actually transpires instead of that.
So my revelation or epiphany is that I am probably not really a lover of people, but a lover of the "potential of people". When someone lives up to that potential that I created in my mind, I am extremely happy for one more that could make things better..When someone doesn't, then it makes me pissed because they are holding the thing up for everyone else. Wrong? Maybe, but that's what I have discovered about myself after being challenged to peel back another layer, and look. It's my flaw for wanting something better than what is. Now that I've found it..Haven't figured out what to do with it...
Process, and peel.

Sheep Book: Bumper Sticker because it's quicker

When I first decided to get on Facebook, I thought that the idea was genius, and it would be the greatest thing since the internet was implemented.. I imagined that people from different geographic locations would be able to connect, and learn from one another. I believed that ideas would flow freely between people and the world just might come together because someone in Africa, or Russia, or The Middle East would be able to find common ground with a man in Alabama, or a woman in Maine, or other families throughout the U.S., and finally the world would start to come together because we would see each other as people, and not ideologies, or Governments, or threats. I was excited that people would now become smarter because they would present ideas out there, share some laughter, or discuss and embrace differences with one another. I thought that people would present challenging discussions to one another that would push intellect, and people would take the time to share ideas and learn from one another, writing with clarity, and precision, and that soon the the world might just be better because we would be able to express ourselves and see others do the same, and know that we all are very similar, and be able to identify, and treat each other with respect. I thought all of this would occur, and now I realize one very important thing: I was living in a fantasy world of the highest order when I thought that. Shame on me.

Don't get me wrong, some of that does exist, as seen with creating awareness of benefits for disasters, connecting people in sorrow, making people aware of certain news events, and keeping people who don't normally see one another in contact as friends and families. All of that is a great thing that should be noted and appreciated, because there is some sort of connection there with each other. but the problem seems to be at least from my point of view  that instead of drawing us together, in some ways this media is ripping people apart, and created an environment of laziness, isolation, and divisive dissent in ways that I have never seen before in my life. Yes this place could be fun, intellectually stimulating, and a great place to unwind from work, and a place where sharing information and laughter could flow, but there is definitely an aura of stupidity that permeates it now. Stupidity that compartmentalizes people into groups, and dismisses ideas that are different by making people react defensively, to one another, and passively to their own thought processes, and angrily towards ideas that are not like theirs. These conditions turn normally level headed adults into blabbering children stomping their feet in tantrums to get the point across that it's their way or they are taking their ball and going home.

Facebook has become infiltrated with idiocy, share and paste mentality, and bumper sticker slogans that do absolutely nothing except make people have a sheep mentality.Instead of stimulating conversation, they provoke confrontation because most of these stupid bumper stickers are designed for some visceral reaction of anger, laughter, or sympathy, and any dope can grab one and post some prefabricated idea that they had nothing to do with writing or thinking up. Very few people take the time to post something from their own thought process, and ask what anyone thinks. Instead there is the "Honk if you love Jesus" procedure of saying, "Follow me people..Just don't think, follow". I get increasingly annoyed at just how lazy this makes us as people because there is no true thought process for doing this. This doesn't mean that these people are dumb. But it does mean that the action is. The result is the mindless agreement of people who roll with the slogan, or bumper sticker, and of course the inevitable confrontations of people who don't. Setting the stage for butting heads with just clicking a mouse on "share". I am not condemning everyone, because in between the cracks there are some wonderful people who provoke thought and present very interesting things within their posts, such as News articles on things not really known, or particular poetic quotes, or books to read, or wonderful pictures of their families, trips and nature. But those folks are getting to be fewer and fewer, as the bumper sticker mentality takes over. Perhaps it's OK to do some of those once in awhile for fun, but there are segments of people who do nothing BUT that. And those seem to be from the people who have the most to say, but take the least amount of effort to say it. Whether it's a time issue, or laziness issue is not the point. I want people to know my thoughts if I put them out there. NOT thoughts of somebody else with me saying "Yeah that's what I think too!" over their shoulder.

I respect different opinions, and I love to discuss (mostly in person) differences with people because that is the only way to grow and learn. Anyone who knows me personally knows this. And even if we agree to disagree, at least there was the mutual exchange of personal thoughts. Not some idiotic mindless slogan.designed by some twisted Hallmark factory. Whether it be politics, relationships, thoughts on human behavior, or society, why not post YOUR thoughts clearly, intelligently, or humorously, but make them YOURS. I stay away purposefully from hotbed topics on Facebook because people do not discuss anything. They shout, call names, and post these stupid slogans to fire up whomever is with them. We people should be more intelligent than that, and I certainly would partake in discussions more on Facebook  if people initiated them with some substance. That is what would create that fantasy land that I was envisioning. people learning, and growing, and connecting with ideas that could make us all better. Instead this turned out to be a cyber world of sheep, copycats, and share whores who don't want to write and discuss their own thoughts just because it's easier than thinking and fleshing out thoughts before writing them.
Am I being brutal? Probably not as much as I want, because I toned this down somewhat. I'm getting tired, and more tired of seeing people behave dumber in a society that is not helping except in the loss of "common sense of interaction" department. If people want to be pissed at me for that then so be it. If stating the truth is going to piss people off, then 2013 is going to be my year to lose quite a few "friends". So "Honk if you have nothing to say" all you want. I may not be on your page to hear it.