We Are Our Brothers Keeper

On November 4, 2008, this country was thrust into a new age that was hailed as "Change You Can Believe In." This moment was believed to be a rebirth from the old way of governance in Washington to a bold rediscovery of 'the American dream.' However, nearly a year since the historic election of President Obama, our country is now falling in a frenzied spiral with no end in sight. Surprisingly, the blame does not rest upon the shoulders of this administration; it falls upon the inactivity of its citizens.

Elie Weisel, the famous holocaust survivor and best-selling author once said,"to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all." Writing this letter as a 23-year-old Christian African-American college graduate, I cannot help but be mortified by the collective silence of every grouping that was forementioned. In my opinion, one of the most paramount issues to ever confront this country is at our doorstep and we continue to meet this challenge with unparalleled silence while men and women misled by lies storm through town hall meetings polluting and distorting the true urgency of the contentions we face.

Mahatma Gandhi, as we all know, once admonished us all to, "be the change that we wish to see in the world," and through his campaign, President Obama echoed the similar sentiment that," we are the ones that we've been waiting for." Nonetheless, many of this targeted audience is so consumed with the latest celebrity gossip, sports rumors, or our own meaningless personal obsessions that we are missing the proverbial ship. While we continue to bask in the mistaken comforts of ignorance, nearly 47 million Americans are marginalized as a result of not being able to be insured(Us Census:2006). This unrepresented class of Americans are left up to fate as a result of no opportunity to obtain, let alone afford a premium health care coverage. The mostly conservative, vocal pro-life advocates tend to be very forgetful of the fact that 30,000 infants die every year as a result of the poor health care received by the mother. While people struggle to protect that fertilized pulse during conception, we must also ensure that this pulse will be able to cultivate into a vibrant individual, fully capable of receiving a slice of the American promise.

While change can be enacted through legislation, it usually never starts there. True revolutionary change can only be born out of the awakening of the men and women who are tired of the exploitation of those who have little opportunity to speak for themselves. As Cain asked after murdering his own brother," am I my brothers keeper?" We must reply emphatically, "Yes we are". As a Christian man living in a nation whose dollar bill boldly asserts that we are,"one nation under God," I am disappointed by those "Christians" who have forgotten their calling by Jesus to not only be the 'salt and the light' of the Earth, but to also follow Him by adhering to the two greatest commandments,"to love God, and to love others as ourselves." But oh, who are those others? Those "others" can easily be recognized as those within our social hierarchy who are forgotten by our everyday culture. These outcasts are the people who are the unspoken few who do not speak at the town halls, who are not interviewed by 'Hannity & Colmes,' and are not getting an adequate opportunity for health care benefits. Could you imagine President Obama or Senator Bayh traveling to the inner city of Indianapolis for a town hall? These men and women are the same people who would've been left to die on the side of the road if it weren't for the mercy of the arch rival Samaritan traveler. Where have the sentiments of caring for our brother gone? Why have we let our own selfish desires cloud our judgement of the necessity for the poor, the college graduate looking for work, the currently unemployed, or even the employed without health benefits to have access to health care? Why do we not ask ourselves, "who would Jesus cover?" We find our answer in Matthew 25:25-40;

"When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Only after we ask when did we see Jesus in such compromised circumstances will he answer:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers on mine, you did for me."

This is not so much a letter to the editor, but it is a challenge to the readers to not sit around any longer and let this moment of utmost significance pass us by. It is a call to ignite the God given fire within each one of us to inspire change. We cannot sit anymore as lanterns gathering the dust of fruitless futility. We cannot anymore let the deception and fictitious hyperbole of the media deter us from helping each other. We cannot anymore let ourselves become the Priest or the Levite who pass along the other side of the road while our brethren lay beaten and downtrodden. God calls us to," stand firm in the faith; be of courage; be strong," and most importantly, to "do everything with love." (1 Cor 16:13-14)

How much more will it take for us to wake up while Rome is burning in front of our eyes? There is no better time than the present to organize into a phalanx of truth and justice and affirm our God given responsiblity to “fight the good fight”(1 Tim 6:12.)We must serve God with a zealous passion, and love our neighbors equally relentlessly. For everything that we fight for, everything we love and desire, "all the Law and the prophets," rests upon these two greatest commandments.(Matthew 22:40) As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King prophetically realized,"the greatest sin of our time is not the few who have destroyed, but the vast majority who sat idly by." America, its time to get up.

It Only Hurts Worse to Fight It- By Denita Braziel

Yo, my sister is THE TRUTH!! She can't cook, but boy is she an inspiration. Instead of writing my own blog, I challenge you all to read her blog here: The Diary of a Not-So-Angry Black Woman. I have seen her grow so much and this blog is a microcosm of the growth she is making. I'm so proud! So read up!

Quote of the day..May 18, 2009

I was watching the Eastern Conference semi's yesterday (GO CAVS!) and this quote was mentioned by one of the broadcasters and it was a really great quote!

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to express the results of his thought in clear form."-Albert Einstein, March 19, 1940

This quote goes directly with what I have mentioned before about daring to be great. I'm really starting to believe when people like Albert Einstein echoe similar thoughts. We must truly have an untapped resource of strength that is capable of achieving the impossible! Anyway, have a BLESSED MONDAY!

Dare to be GREAT?

Today, at approximately 9:16 or so, I officially completed my last test in my undergraduate college career. Amidst the bittersweet feelings that I am experiencing, in many ways I am excited that I can now have the freedom to pursue and accomplish my dreams.  While in many ways, college has given me the tools that are essential to becoming a successful and competent global citizen, in other ways, it was a barrier that kept me from having the opportunities to use those instruments.  Regardless, today I read an article by Bill Simmons, a writer from ESPN, in which he was talking of how LeBron James, the MVP of the 2008-09 NBA basketball season was motivated to become "great" from the example that was provided by his fiercest competitor Kobe Bryant.  As LeBron saw Kobe wake up every morning at 6:00 am, and workout for three plus hours a day, LeBron realized that he needed to rachet up his work ethic if he truly wanted to be the best.  To sum it up, Simmons says this, "You can become great without the help of someone else, but you can't stay great without someone pushing you."  

This simple, yet profound observation is true in various ways.  When thinking of the great people, and/or movements of the past, there was always a galvanizing force that was pushing these people to achieve greatly.   The great German poet Hebbel once said, that "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." In the same way, I believe that we all have within each of us, a dream, an idea, a movement that is waiting for the perfect opportunity to awaken our spirit.  In my opinion, the only thing that is holding us back is us.  My dad used to always tell me that I was my own worst enemy, and he couldn't be more truthful in his statement.  Nelson Mandela, one of the men responsible for ending Apartheid, or the legal segregation of Black and White in South Africa.  This man was imprisoned for TWENTY SEVEN YEARS for leading this movement against Apartheid.  Want to talk about great? Here is your man.  He said, 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that  other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's notjust in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inauguration Speech

In this game of life, what is it that motiavtes us? What is the event that produces the water that subsequently causes that seed to grow? What makes us passionate? We have the God-given ability to achieve anything that we put our minds to.  To briefly quote scripture from the Bible, after Jesus causes a fig tree to wither and die, He says that;

 

"if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, buy also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."- Matthew 21:21

Now when when the son of God tells us that we have these inate abilities, who are we to doubt such words?  As Mandela said, "Who am I to be, brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world." We must ask ourselves, who will we choose to be? How will we spend our dash? Will we spend our existence scared? Lacking the faith in ourselves and in God? Or will we decide to take chances, walk in faith, and give ourselves the chance to accomplish our wildest dreams? I don't know, but I've got some mountains to move :)

Song of the Day/Moment...

Well, I'm currently sitting in a coffee shop waiting on a "friend" that was supposed to arrive 51 minutes ago. Oddly, while I was sitting here waiting a beautiful, beautiful song came on the radio. I was so touched by the song I bought two muffins and didn't even care I didn't get my change back ha. Anyway, coincidentally, in my need of a friend, this song came on.



This is definitely my favorite part of the song..

Feels like your always commin on home
Pockets full of nothin and you got no cash
No matter where you turn you aint got no place to stand
Reach out for something and they slap your hand
Now i remember all to well
Just how it feels to be all alone
You feel like youd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own
Thats when you need someone, someone that you can call

I'll probably blog something more later...I have a lot on my mind. Enjoy the song.

Can I Haaaaaaaaave It?! Can I??

So my brother thinks that my blog is too boring and that there needs to be funny posts. Well, my brother is clearly a lot funnier than I am, and until he writes a blog on here, this video is one of the funniest videos I have ever watched. I hope you enjoy it!!

Here's the script to the video clip.  Can I haaaaaaaaaave it?! haha. Oh yea, Darrell is a woman!! 

DAMN!
OH DAMN!
Ok, ok, ok.
Ahem.
‘Scume ca’I talk to yo fo a minute?
ESCUME ca’I TALK TO YOU FO A MINUTE?

Uhh, yeah, whats up?

Uhh, yeah, uhh, my name Darrell, its spelled like Darrell but it’s said pronounced Darrell.
Uhh, yeah, I just wanna let you know the back of your head IS RIDICULOUS!

Uhh, thanks.

Yeah, you are WELCOME.

Where’s your boyfriend?

Oh my, wha—uh, who?

Your boyfriend! Where your boyfriend at? Is she getting’ you refreshments? Is he tall? Is he gettin’ you Mike n Ikes? Oh, you like Mike n Ikes? Is he hefty? Is he comin’ back? Where your boyfriend? Where you boyfriend at? Where your boyfriend?

Oh—uh I don’t, I don’t have a boyfriend.

Oh you DON’T? Oh you DON’T have a boyfriend?
Oh ok, ok, ok, dats coo, yeah.
So LISTEN, umm, I was wonderin’, can I have yo numba? Can I have yo numba?

No, I-I-I don’t give out my number…in theaters, where I’m about to watch a movie.

Ohhh, oh ok, ok, dats coo, dats coo, I get it, you know.
You-You all into ponderin’ like cinemas n make believes n celluloids.
Yeah, yeah ok, ok, me too, me too, ok, yeah, yeah, I respect that. Yeah, keep doin’ your thing Miss Shallot. Miss Gene Shallot. Yeah, yeah that’s cute.

WHAT’S YOUR NAME DELICATE?

OHH! OHH! Umm..Yvonne.

OH YVONNE?
AW DAMN! HOLD UP!
THAT’S A FRENCH *** NAME YVONNE!
Yeah my lil croissant. Lil cheese, on my croissant. YEAH, mmmm!
So LISTEN, Ca’I have yo numba? Could I have yo numba?

Look, this is my day off and I just want to watch this movie…alone. I’m sorry.

Oh ok, ok, no I get it, I get it. I respect that.
...
So I can’t have it??

Uhh, no I just don’t give it out.

OOOOOOHHHH, ok, ok, I get it, I get it.
Ok, you uhh, you bein’ all selective ‘cause you got a PONYTAIL. RIGHT? RIGHT?
You think a lotta men cant handle the REGALNESS of a UP DO, right? Right?
You all like Grace Kelly. Grace Kelly. Grace Kelly.

No, no I’m not being anything because I have a ponytail.

Oh, Yvonne, Yvonne, Yvonne, Yvonne, Girl. Yvonne, Yvonne. Don’t be insecure girl.
OWN that ponytail! WORK that up do!

OK, I will.

Aw damn, you kinda sexy when you take my advice, girl, I like that.
Yeah, I like that, yeah.
So, uh, so listen, CA’I HAVE YO NUMBA? Could I have it? Could I have it? Could I please receive the secret code that if entered telephonically it will pass me through to you which means it will be your beautiful *** numba?

No, no.

Could I have it? No come on could I have it? Can I have it? Could I have it? Can I? Can I? Can I have it? Ca’I have it? [Sniff, sniff] Can I have it? 

No, no, the previews are about to start and I-I just want to ponder them…alone, so, but thanks anyway.

Oh, ok, ok alright, dats coo, dats coo, no, no, I get it, you know. You wanna like, you know, go through the all the intricacies of cinema. Ok. Ok. Yeah, so you, you know, keep-you keep doin’ your thing. You know, keep doin your thing. Yvonne Shallot, Yvonne Shallot. My little brie, yeah, ok bye. Alright, alright. I will miss you, though, will miss you. Alright you enjoy your day girl, alright? Take care. Alright. I luh you…

Ode to Denise Braziel

I wanted to be big. I wanted a big house, I wanted nice cars and I wanted to be famous. The life of the celebrity on TV is the life that I think most people in the world would not mind having. However, as a young man, I felt that that life was all that I had ever wanted, and that I could hurt and manipulate whoever I wanted to obtain these dreams..

Obviously, as I was growing up, I was an idiot. For most of my youth years, my thing was sports, sports, sports. I figured my way to success would be made through the athletic field. You would think that since I had come to this conclusion I would work my tail off so that I would be in the best shape as possible in order to be the best athlete possible. That would be false. Actually, I felt that I was above the strains and stress of life, and lived accordingly. I wouldn’t lift my hardest, I wouldn’t ever study my hardest, I was rude, I lied to get what I wanted, and if there was a corner that looked like it could be cut, I was holding the scissors. Naïve is probably an understatement when it came to my view about life, I just wasn’t aware of the hard work and dedication that it took that was being displayed in front of my eyes on a daily basis. To make matters worse, I was a hellion of a child, and at many times, I was completely disrespectful and degrading to the woman who brought me into this world. In many ways, I was living a complete and utter lie.

In all seriousness, in my eyes my mother is the most selfless woman I know, I would put her up there with the great people of history, Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Denise Braziel, you can get the picture. When we lived in Virginia, she had a pretty modest job, it was very complementary to my father who had a very nice job. She nor my family ever had to struggle for anything, in fact, we were pretty well off in most opinions. As a high school graduate who only had one year of formal college education she had a very respectable job, while my dad, a Wittenberg graduate, had a very well paying job. However, once the we moved is when everything I thought turned to be completely different. I was overwhelmingly transformed by what the “real world” actually is. The relationship of my parents deteriorated and life got pretty difficult for my family. While most people would have quit, wallowed in self-pity and been deflated, my mother instead showed the true grit and determination that she has shown through out her entire life, and she was able to overcome the many obstacles that she had to face to become the woman that she is today.

Not only do I happen to be blessed to know the most amazing woman in the entire world, but I am doubly blessed in the way that I am able to call her my 'mom.' It is said that a “Mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” By looking at the actions of my own mother, it is easy to see why she is such a motivating force in my life. This woman has been for me through thick, thin, up, down, left, right, numerous threats, *cough, cough* rides to the police station and seemingly everything in between and I could write every word under the sun to complement this woman and it would not even scratch the surface. This woman is a fighter, a survivor, a friend, a sister, a leader, a mentor, etc., etc., and I could not be more proud of the woman that she is.

Through the lessons that were given to me by a great strong and caring mom, I have been instilled with a great sense of values and wisdom that has without a doubt made me the man that I am today. As Nancy Friday once said, “When I stopped seeing my mother with the eyes of a child, I saw the woman who helped me give birth to myself.” So, here's to the all of the Mothers out there, today is your day, and you deserve all the happiness in the world! To my mom, I love you with all my heart!!