Dark Times

The weak mind discerns the sign
The ill-omen truth that’ll render us blind
Dark and grim will be the tales
Our future generations will hear our wails
And if we wish this reality not to prevail
Our souls to this beast we must not sale.

Lights shatter and strong bonds shall wither
Heart darkens as emotions grows bitter
Unable to see past our mistakes
We fuddle through life, trapped in its wake
Weighed down, immobilized by these earthly things
Granting first class access to the gifts death brings.

 

~The Elimist~

Status Quo is Not an Option

They say the age of dreamers is long gone and what remains are just remnant of a time long forgotten. A time where we as a nation dared to push the boundaries because we truly believed “this” was not enough. New way of doing things, new ways of thinking, and all of these gave birth to what we have today. The question then becomes, when did we lose our vision and became complacent? We sit atop the accomplishments of our parents and their parents expecting the world to bow down and serve us. We all have been getting plump from the spoils of the past, our senses have dulled, and we have lost connection with what made this nation great. When did status quo become an option?

In classroom, subject areas are being pruned to such an extreme that some don’t even offer Fine Arts anymore. The areas which spark creativity in the mind of adolescents are slowly being removed…why? We tell our children to reach for the star, dream big, all while programming them into mindless drone all for one purpose, to pass a bloody state exam. Where does that leave us against the students of other nations such as China, Germany, and France?

Questions leading to more questions with no solution in sight have become the norm. We as American have stopped asking “why” and are now asking “what” because we choose not to know, to remain ignorant. We choose to live within this false bubble where we tell ourselves that we are “protected” from the quarrels of the world “outside”.  So we detached ourselves, only to poke our heads out when something threatens the integrity of our bubble.  A good example is the current Ebola epidemic that started in Guinea December 2013; so far a little over 4,900 people have been claimed by this virus. The first case in the USA was reported on September 30, 2014 and it was at that moment “we” decided to make this epidemic news worthy. Since then, hospitals have been taking extra measure to prepare for a virus that has already claimed the lives of thousand. This bubble of ours is not impenetrable.

Aside from this current event, there are other topics that just seem to fade when brought up in conversation. Our once great space program (NASA) is almost none existent. Today’s media is saturated with half-truths and to make matter worse, we are willing to be spoon fed it. Our “elected” official all seem to have their own agenda, and no matter how much air time it get, “Race” always seems to be an issue.

We have become a nation of the misguided leading the blind. With our chest puffed up, we wear our arrogance as a coat of armor smiling at the world as we try to mask our shortcomings but there are few of us who are not fooled. We have seen the coming darkness and if things continue as they are now, I’m afraid this hole we are digging for ourselves will be too deep to climb out of.

So what must we do to change course? First thing we need stop ignoring our past as if it is some kind of disease. We relish the glories of the past but we have forgotten about all of the failures that lead to those great triumphs.  Watergate, Vietnam, Black Tuesday, the Great Recession, the list goes on and on. What have we learned from these that could point us in the direction to solving today’s issues such as gun control, the poverty gap, government corruption, and so forth.  Next we must equip ourselves with the tools necessary to make these changes. Whether it be increasing funding for science or re-instating courses that’ll allow kids to tap into their creative sides, if we hope to make any progress tomorrow we cannot wait another minute to take action.

True, you are one but we are many. Change starts first with the individual and then becomes a movement; let us be the change we want to see. Spend more time reading/researching, encourage others to do the same. Share news and finding to spark up conversations. On social media ask a question about life or a topic to get others to share their ideas/thoughts. If there is something you have wanted to learn, go for it. Why wait! Do the same for your child. After school activities, music, sports, clubs, the options are limitless. We can’t wait for others to show us the way, it is time for the Dreamers of the 21st Century to wake up and get moving. As a nation we have been blind for too long, our hands have been idle, let us get up and do. Status quo is not an option!

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.  – Joel A. Barker

 

~The Elimist~

Live to Lead, Lead by Example

We live in a world that offers to its inhabitants everything. We are told the sky is the limit and we should always strive to be more than what we are. There exists multiple ways of doing so and with it comes the judgment of others. Sadly, we do not always receive the proper guidance of how to do things and as a result we sometimes live by trial and error.

Growing up, I remember being asked, which male figure inspires me the most. Honestly, I had to find out if they meant both dead and alive because I had no one alive who really inspired me. In the little bubble that I resided in (called the ghetto), the male figures were alcoholics, drug dealers, womanizers, and liars. Most of them were not going anywhere in life and would live and die in the same bubble. I’m not sure how I resisted their trap of being “cool” but thank God I did.

You know how misery loves company, the kids my age were all being sucked into gangs and groups because that was the way to go if you wanted any social standing, the girls, the quick money and boy was money hard to come by so kids did what they had to do. Who wouldn’t want extra cash in their pocket! The jobs were easy, school was in the same direction, just put this bag in your back pack and take it to this house 3 blocks from the school house; a quick $20. Back in the days, that went a long way…especially for a 7 year old.

You may look at this situation and say “where were the parents”, oh they were here. Some were too messed up to realize what was going on. But most of the time, the parents were working two, three jobs in order to pay bills and put food on the table. Fathers were a rare sight. So you tell me, what male figure you wanted me to say I looked up to?  Those on TV was even worse and seemed unrealistic, I was not taught to lie.

It wasn’t until I stopped searching and started being the person I couldn’t find, that is when i realized how devastating freedom without direction can be. We are given the world with countless ways of obtaining it. With no direction of how to do so, most fall short and even worst dead because of mainly one reason, they did not have someone to show them how, they did not have someone to look up to, to say this is not the right path. Mom tried and to some extent succeeded but with two jobs and multiple mouths to feed, it is only so much Super Mom could do. So I said to myself, just because I do not have a mentor, a life coach, a father…does not mean I can’t be one for someone else.

By surrounding myself with smart, motivated friends I kept myself out of trouble. In doing so, I was able to be myself without the fear of being rejected. Eventually, people started to notice and like a magnet, it attracted people to me. Slowly those people felt like they had a stake in my friends’ life, my life because they realize we had the potential of defying the norm and actually make something out of ourselves. The most important person out of this bunch is the man I consider to be my first mentor…Spencer.

Spencer is a leader in my church back at home and he is the man in charge of the youth in the church. No easy task because there were a lot of us, each with our own issues and yet he made time for us all. It took me a while to trust him but his words brought me out of a lot of issues. He made the effort to take me to and from church and encouraged me to chase my dreams if it is my heart’s desire. What he really didn’t know is that at that moment, I really wanted to be like him. Have a career, a beautiful family, and a giving heart. Before I left for college, I remember him telling me “Rob, there will be three important choices that you will make that will shape your future…the school (education) you choose to graduate from, the career you choose, and the person you will marry. It amazes me how the one thing I did not have, the one thing I stopped searching for, I finally found.

Still this does not mean I should stop being who I am; I still have a mission to complete. See, there aren’t a lot of people in the world like Spencer; A person that will make time for someone not even of their blood. Sitting in the car with him in front of my apartment were one of my favorite moments because I knew he was listening and cared. Funny thing is that Spencer didn’t even have to speak to me; he would still be considered the person I looked up to. I am big into observation and ever since I stepped foot into that church, he was always on my radar. Did you know that Spencer? Now that I think more about it, it is amazing just how valuable actions are. Even now when I go back to visit, I can feel the little kids looking up at me, trying to see if I am the same person I was before I left for school (because you know…school can change you). Even the adults did the same but not for inspiration, but to be the judge.

Everyone deserves to have a ‘Spencer’ in their life, someone who they could just look to for reassurance, a person who is approachable, and a person who isn’t afraid to tell you to correct yourself. With there being countless ways of obtaining what the world has to offer, it would not hurt to have a reference point or a game plan. I know it has benefited me a lot and I value it because I know what is like to not have one. I pray that by living on this earth if it is anything I do, I want to be a point of reference for someone, anyone. I want to live a life that shows there is a way of doing things that does not involves drugs, stealing, cheating, lying…there is a life out there worth living.

If there were a way to record my life and redistribute it to the kids living in the one parent home, all of the adopted kids, all of the children growing up in poverty…I want them to see that there is a way out. Sadly, my life is live and I would need a film crew by my side each second which is not possible at this moment, so instead I will stick to my pen and paper (in this case, my laptop) and record my story. I am nobody but a boy who has been blessed enough to find friends that cared, a mom who was dedicated, and a mentor/friend who was there for me when I needed it most. I hope there are more like me out there and if you feel you are one, live your life like an open book so that all the children of the world can read and take notes.  Live to lead…lead by example…

 

~The Elimist~

THE DEATH OF THE GENTLEMEN

What is a Gentleman? In today’s society, it is a word tossed around with little added meaning. Perhaps a few decades ago it was worth more but now days, it is seldom seen and as a result, barely spoken of. Yet the word is used, not to describe a man, but the lack of a type of man. A rare breed as most would say, a person who practices chivalry and possesses with them the honor and respect for the things around them. Old stories of legendary Gentlemen would be tossed around, stories that feels to have occurred centuries ago but actually dates back a few decades. So what happened? How could things have changed so suddenly that a breed of men that once existed not too long ago is now a rare sight?

I am sure we all have heard of the term “survival of the fittest”. What if men in order to survive had to change… in order to stay current we had to cast aside old custom and become something else? The cocky guy, the macho-man, the dark mysterious guy, the tool, the “bad boy”…all of these became the hype and the opposite sex was drawn towards it. Suits were out, leather jackets and jeans were in and all of sudden, men found themselves forced to make a decision, we all know what followed.

It became normal to call a woman something other than her name. Personality mattered not, one no longer needed the ability to hold a conversation, and most importantly it was no longer about the other sex…it was about us…men. It grew like wild fire, this trend picked up in schools and around our neighborhood. Soon enough it was on the big screen. The world no longer needed gentlemen because it was now captivated by the new man. So as the years went by, the Order of Gentlemen dwindled. There was no point of being one because it was not profitable, had little to no return, and worst of all, you were forced to go against the norm.

Those daring few who refuse to conform and kept to the old ways faced many obstacles and still do. They are the nice guys, they hold the door open for you, get up to let you sit down, talk to you for hours until you are feeling better. These are the men who would go out of their way to make sure you were okay (even if it means they had to suffer). Gentlemen, a dying breed indeed.

We would look at our elders today and see them so in love as if it was their spring had just begun. We would ask them how they met, the stories they would tell us. Of a type of a love that in today’s world is barely seen, stories where gentlemen played a leading role, not a supporting cast. These stories would bring sorrow to the hearts of woman because they now believe in today’s world that kind of love no longer exist, gentlemen no longer exist and if they do…are hard to find.

Hard to find? I believe we are looking in the wrong places. Almost every woman has a gentleman close by whether they know it or not. Ladies please do not take offense when i say this, you are not to blame, we all share this guilt. A Gentleman indeed is a rare sight. In fact, they are so rare that when spotted most woman want to keep them as a souvenir. This is how the friend zone was created. The Friend Zone is nothing more than a vault to store valuables which so happens to be the gentlemen, the nice guys. To avoid being captured, gentlemen are forced to wear skin not of their own. Eventually some ends up wearing this for the rest of their lives in fear. Some just keep to themselves, hoping they will be discovered and liberated from the shadows. Sadly most are captured and remains currently in that friend zone.

While trapped, they would hear the woes, feel the sorrows of the woman as she searches and comes up short. The love of a gentleman is so strong, it hinders him from speaking out and shouting “i am here, the man you are looking for….search no further”. Instead, he cries in the shadows and loves silently. Some die alone, others try to escape and are either cast back in or abandoned (no Gentlemen want to be abandoned). Then they’re those who do manage to escape and the process itself is heart wrenching. Not only must he leave, he must leave a piece of him behind knowing that he can never get it back.

The life of a Gentleman is not an easy one to live and those who are still true to the Order have the odds stack against them. Never before has there been a bigger threat, never before has the Order of Gentlemen faced extinction. But if there is one thing to note about a Gentleman, it is his strength to endure. I do not claim to know the future. What i do know is that Gentlemen still exist. Maybe not in the same number as in the past but regardless, their existence cannot and will not be denied. There is a reason for everything in life. Perhaps it is the destiny of these few brave soul to lead mankind back into the light…the Gentlemen’s rebirth is inevitable.

 

~The Elimist~

My Life as a Flower

From the rising of the sun

to the howls of a full moon,

everything in nature stays true.

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Governed by the cycle of life and death,

destruction breeds creation,

out of the old arises the new.

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So count our days like the flowers in the field

that blooms like youth during spring,

taking advantage of what life has in store.

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Every day is a new beginning,

never contempt with where we are,

opportunities…constantly seeking more.

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For one day we shall wither away,

the springs of youth will leave our veins

and in our place will be

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The fruits of our labor,

a sign that our existence was meaningful,

for the rest of the world to see.

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Yes the cycle of life death,

how strange you are,

without you, how could we ever be.

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Blessed with the knowledge of the past,

the seeds of the future,

all of which lives in me.

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Cherish them i must,

learning, living, growing,

nurturing my field the best i can.

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So when i too shall wither away,

in my place will stand,

a better world, a better man.

~The Elimist~