Next Big Economic Risk In America

Next Big Economic Risk In America

When It's Time to Fight!!!

Struggles are real! Its not important as to what it is......its more so the relevance to an individual's perspective. Life without having perspective or knowing your worth can lead to utter confusion. Confusion does not do us any favors in this life!

One thing that you have to know and understand is that every battle that is encountered has to be taken into account. There is no one blanket approach to engaging in fighting through your struggles. You to become strategic in your approach to battle. Use a system of deductive reasoning to develop a plan for victory ( and one that will close to not falling into the same trap again.

The Art of Discourse and Dichotomy

Martin Luther King, Jr., "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?"

Breaking Generational Issues Now!

I had to put a lot of thought into this particular passage of writting. At some points it was too much thought for one entry. Ridding one's self of generational issues, whether they appear in the form of "curses" or what have you, the decision is not a difficult one! It is one that requires commitment to a new normal and a willingness to focus on a different direction in life.

Alot people feel as if they are dropped off into bad circumstances....ones that seem as lost hope is the norm. A good visual for this occured in the movie Menace 2 Society. The main character in this movie was named Cain (or Kane). The movie opens up in a form of a narrative given by him. The scene takes place at what appears to be his parents home. They are having a party ( or what we call get togethers where I come from). Now Cain's dad is a big time drug dealer and his mother is a drug addict. Now this may seem like its all bad but there is a light in the midst of this scenario...He comes in the form a guy named Parnell. Parnell is a friend of Cain's parents. He is like an uncle to Cain and he has Cain's respect. Even though Parnell is a part of the drug game himself, he sees something in the younger Cain. Next we go to a scene where Cain's father is playing a card game and gets into an argument with a guy and kills him at the table.

Now picture this: you grow up in an environment thats less than desirable. A some point you become engulfed in a dysfunctional lifestyle as a result of the surroundings (ex. drug dealing and using or crime). Fast forward to a time in your life where its time to make life changing decisions. What do you do? Well as time went on in the movie Menace 2 Society our main character Cain hit that place 2 or 3 times. The one thing that hit home for him was visiting Parnell in prison. Never to see the light of day again ,Parnell convinces Cain to proceed on a better path by vehemently pleading his situation. Ultimately, Cain made way to move to a better situation but by that time it was too late! He was murdered!

Now with your story or situation this does not have to be you! You have the power to make the necessary changes you need to make to change the course of your generational "curses"! It takes a solid commitment to something bigger than yourself. Take the thought from a micro to macro perspective. Think about the impact of people around you (especially the next generation behind you). What does that change look like? How do you map a route to that change? Do you need to leave your environment to make a change? I don't have all of the answers but I know one thing for sure and that is it that it takes a solid commitment!

You will have to dig deeper introspectively and really look into yourself. See what is impeding you from gettting to freedom. The road to breaking generational issues, once and for all, needs to have absolute clarity! No magic formula.....just good old fashioned commitment and will! It is possible!

No Excuse!

I made a promise to myself that I would not go on anymore rants on social media. In essence, this blog is the idea that  of expressing thoughts that could benefit more than just myself. It is one designed to uplift and promote people to think for themselves. One subejct that has always been an issue with me is the  escalation in violence that occurs in most impoverished areas of this country. I mean there is no excuse for the idea of a poverty stricken area to have unreal statistics in violent crime!

Its sad that on the weekend of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we have another incident of violence in the Birmingham metro. On Saturday night at a family oriented carnival in Center Point, Alabama 4 people were shot, including a 1 year old child. Now I do not know what led up to this and I really don't care! My concern is knowing that some people have no regard for life at all!

There are lots of solutions on the table but nothing takes the place of parents raising their children first! Myself and like minded people can only do so much with mentoring a few hours a week. Its going to take parents making that extra step to make sure that their children are not becoming a menace to society. There are no excuses at all for sensless violence at all!

While we continue to rebuild the devastation that has been done to our communities by sensless violence, we have to reach these parents in the same context we want to reach the youth!

Why I Am Unapologetically Christian!

As a society we waste a lot of time on frivolous nonsense. We banter and go back and forth about trying to state our cases to superiority. This is the exact antithesis of why this country was founded! It was founded on the grounds of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness! Those very words are guaranteed to every citizen of this country!

I write this in a time where the Church has been ostracized and insulted continously. This not only happen by those whom have left the Church or simply don't believe, but by the very members of the body of Christ. We tend to want Christ to bend for us and make us feel comfortable in our mess. In fact, that's not why he was crucified. It was done in turn for you to give our lives unto Him and make us new creatures. 

I don't want to sidetrack on salvation....this entry is to explain why I won't apologize for being a Christian. The United States of America allows us to freely practice our beliefs without fear of persecution. So when I speak where the Bible speaks and am silent where the Bible is silent, I hold firmly to it! The Word Of God is my source for strength and life! I will continue to walk out life this way!

"Does the Christian walk step on toes?" Yes it does and it has dug at me a countless number of times! That's how I learn to move and make better decisions. The Word of God is the road map to get you from point A to point B.

Before I let anyone tell me what to believe, I look to the source for myself! I know that it works and I have tested The Most High God time and time again and His promises never return void!

Leadership Trail: Thoughts on Aspects of Leadership

If leaders had clear vision of all that they need to be focused on ( for the purpose's intent),  there would be less meticulous and fickle situations for them to deal with. Without the aforementioned being place vision gets lost.

Leaders should lead in areas in which they are strong. These are usually areas that they have overcome some obstacles. To lead in this capacity individuals do not have to return to the thing in which they have overcome. Instead, they can look back and relate so they can become viable and relatable to the people. In turn leaders can lead people out of their circumstances or lead them to a new normal!

Leaders have a point of reference, a perspective. The point at which leaders lead is clearly defined. Different points and aspects are clearly communicated by an effective leader.

A leader, at some point in time, becomes the change they want to see. This change can happen with or without a mentor. Some of the most effective leaders are pushed to development by their circumstances.

Popularity does not equal leadership! Leaders are effective and they do what they are supposed to do, even when no notification or gratification is given. Integrity is essential, but that's another topic!!!   

Election Day Part 4

So at the end of an eventful night Donald Trump gets the states he needs plus a few to secure the election. Taking Florida and Pennsylvania apparently and a few other swing states helped his campaign.

Election Day Part 3

Updates: Texas is predicted to go to Donald Trump. Trump has also taken the lead in Florida. He would need states like North Carolina and Ohio to produce the most electoral college numbers. He can still come up short at a predicted number of 253. 270 is the magic number.

Election Day Part 2

As of 7:15 pm Donald Trump is sitting at 67 of the Electoral votes and Hillary Clinton is sitting at 68 electoral votes. Florida has been relatively close so far and still too early to call. Hillary appears to be doing well in the northeast and Trump is doing well in the Midwest and deep south. Stay tuned....

Election Day Part 1

As of 6:45 pm today Trump is in the lead so far with only 2% of the precincts reporting. He currently has 52% of the vote and Hillary Clinton has 44%. Key states to watch are Florida and North Carolina.

The Black A.G Gaston

https://youtu.be/zzpRVkBTybE

Beating The Odds Always Wins!

http://www.excelined.org/2015/03/12/takes-student-succeed/

Have We Missed the Reason for The Civil Rights Movement?

It's almost rhetorical to ask this question but it seems necessary to address this. The Civil Rights Movement was a Momentus event that grew from a resistance to Jim Crow laws of the South. Almost everywhere below the Mason Dixon line subsided with these inhumane restrictions on a class of people.

The most known misnomer about The Civil Rights Movement is that it was some sort of "Black Power" event. In fact, it was the complete opposite of that. The Movement was about eradicating laws that had regulated Blacks to a class not far removed from animals. More than just a struggle about race, it was a battle of class and the African American quality of life!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a significant leader in The Civil Rights Movement. His urgency to resist the evils that plagued us with non violence was probably the most important reason the Movement was effective! Dr. King's tactics and strategy were carefully thought out. They weren't an emotional outburst. Even though a lot emotion was tied up into all that was going on, it was the level heads at the front of the Movement that prevailed when things got hot!

Today we seem to have some pseudo movement of sorts that's not rooted and strategic. We are having outbursts and mistaking that for progress! It's imperative that we recognize this imposter and call it out! A movement of sorts needs to be from the grassroots. If you have to have a name to lead the way, well then you have missed the boat!

What's Next?

It's been a while since I have delivered an entry. This journey has been fruitful over the past few months. I am intentionally refocusing the purpose of this blog to reflect intelligent dialogue and position it as a place of influence and thought. There have been platforms that I have used before to deliver the message of intelligent dialogue but I am concentrating all of my efforts on here. I am looking to post more frequently here. The series entitled "The Leadership Trail" will continue as well as the survey of people whom have personally influenced me. My thoughts and focus have shifted towards investing in other people to help tthem to achieve. Also I have begun writing with hopes publishing a book focused on growing and becoming the change you want to see.

I have had the honor of mentoring the citizens of our next generation. There are some bright minds that are ready to be nourished! So as you can see the journey continues and the slate is full! So let's begin the process and grow!!!

Plead To My Brothers

Pleading to my brothers,we are tired of the self annihilation that we seem to be setting out for! We are tired of these senseless murders in our communities! I will continuously say this, "black on black crime is an epidemic." I need no stats to prove that this has gotten out of hand. There have been far too many of us dying out here over nothing! We have become our own worst enemy!

Think about this: if we continue to denigrate ourselves from the inside, it won't take much outside force to eradicate us forever!!!

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Good evening family! This entry is about another brother who influences a lot of areas of my life. That brother is Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Many know him as Theodore Huxtable from The Cosby Show. Malcolm-Jamal Warner's body of work extends way beyond that role. He has starred in his own sitcom with Eddie Griffith entitled Malcolm and Eddie. Along side acting Malcolm is also a spoken word artist and bass player. He leads a jazz funk band called Miles Long. Check out more on my brother at www.malcolmjamalwarner.com

African American Perspective on STEM and Medicine

Growing up I always knew that I wanted to be some kind of scientist. As a child I always experimented with all kinds of stuff. That initial spark never wavered. I was also influenced by the character Bill Cosby created in Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable of the "Cosby Show". This character showed that an African American could be anything we put our mind to. Dr. Ben Carson's book entitled "Gifted Hands" was pivotal in my decision to go into the medical field.

I digress because this entry is not about my road to my career choice, but more so a perspective on the African American role in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The role is so diverse and career tracks are vast!

The face of the African American in these fields signifies the diversity in it. A lot of organizations are geared towards promoting these careers to our younger generations. I was personally introduced to STEM in middle school through a program called SECME( Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering).  The pipeline from that program led a lot of my fellow peers to careers in Engineering.

There is a need for more doctors, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers of the African American persuasion. I write this not to talk down on any other demographic. However, I want to present a different dynamic to our community because I am an African American male. There is more to career choices than being just an athlete or entertainer.

I always have loved science and always will love it! From a self professed nerd research your options in STEM and Medicine....you won't regret it!!!