Thursday, September 27, 2018

Not Cliff, but Bill.

"Cliff Huxtable" is not in prison. Bill Cosby is. We knew and loved Cliff. We did not know Bill. Cliff still speaks to us. Bill has lost his voice due to his own life choices. Long before the physical blindness Bill suffered from another blindness that left him unable to truly "see." As a result he made the damnable choices that has him locked away. Horrid choices for which there is no excuse.

I feel no sorrow for Bill. But I didn't know him. I knew Cliff. I knew Fat Albert. We knew Cliff. We knew Fat Albert. Fat Albert and Cliff are still loved, admired, and revered. Fat Albert taught us that being in a crew or gang didn't have to be about being in fights, protecting territory, selling drugs. Fat Albert taught us it was ok to include people in your crew that were different from you. Fat Albert taught us to be kind to people and to stay in school. Cliff encouraged kids to go to school and particularly to support HBCU's. Cliff was the funny man with a strong hand and loving heart that would be welcome in any home and at any family reunion. Yes Cliff was a character played by a fully flawed actor in a role that spoke to millions across racial and economic lines. But as many as who called him "America's Dad" there were those mad that a black man was bequeathed that moniker.

Perhaps what we should be sad about. Characters, athletes, get so much of our love and adoration not because of their popularity or truths spoken but because we can't believe in those close to us. As a result we trust those that play those roles. We like to admire what we know is fake surpressing that fact because the real we know leaves us disappointed and crushed every time.
Beware when your idols are make believe. #themoreyouknow

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

The Day Truth Died

No one knows the exact time of death for there was no one attending to its care. Sure, the signs and symptoms of its demise were painfully evident yet they where still ignored by those who claimed to be its guardians. Perhaps it has had a long life and we should let it rest in peace buried with other noble ideals of the past such as humility, sacrifice, compassion, and love. After all it's attack and death was predicted eons ago and it has finally been fulfilled. From the first challenge in the garden till this moment truth has been under attack.  Angels assaulted it. Pilate questioned it. Man buried it. Philosophers pondered it. Scientists searched for it. Mathematicians sought formulas for it. Not always to follow it mind you but to undermine it, challenge it, subvert it,ignore it, color it, change it, make it not exist and finally see its final resting place in the grave of time.

There was a time when the church held to truth above all. Differences in dogma aside, the universal truth shone brightly through. Different denominations served different takes on the same meal. But money and sin have long changed the taught truths of every religion into a lie, and replaced the traditions of men over the eternal truths. Holy texts are now regularly updated with new and improved revisions which conveniently remove the truths we don't want to hear. Modern cultural centered revelation supersedes time proven historical interpretation. Those who hold to ancient texts are labeled fanatical fuddie duddies out of touch with modern society and shunned to have no right to speak or lead unless they change the truths of their God and religion into a lie easily accepted by the masses.

The courts were once bastions of the truth. Where the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth was to be uttered and accepted. The scales of Lady Liberty always balanced and fair we were told. Alas money and power have assaulted the truth there as well, No longer truth remains Supreme through the hallowed halls of Justice but only what one can prove. If one has enough money they can prove the damnedest lie to be a truth. If one has enough money any conviction or punishment reduced or dropped altogether. If one has no money any lie can stand against them. If one has power and position to offer, truth can be lost for years in an evidence locker, or in the trunk of a retired officials basement. The number of innocents convicted are at an all time high yet some still say it takes a few broken eggs to make an omelette.

The family was the safe place for the truth. Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle Cousin, Niece, Nephew, Cousin, sons and daughter could learn right from wrong. After all they are the first teachers to show the way to know the truth of this world. Until they step out of the house and are immediately told to forget what they have been told or they will not pass a test. Forget what you have been told for we know better than your family. Forget what you have told...take this drink, smoke these drugs, do these things...it's ok...we know better than they!

Make no mistake that truth has died. It no longer matters what our eyes see, because you didn't see it right. No matter what you heard it had to be taken out of context. No matter what you feel if the polls don't support it, well you are just wrong and delusional my friend. Opinions - often paid for by extreme political dollars have now replaced truth as the order of the day. No absolute is allowed to exist under its withering assault of which there are fifty shades of right are only allowed. We agree to disagree which being loosely translated still says there is no truth by my truth.

Social media has allowed us to share the irrelevant in order to become relevant. Likes and shares are more sought after than truth. Popularity increases the opinionated "it must be true" factor. Now it is what they can sell to us that masquerades as truth. This is why they take sayings and attach them to pictures of the rich and famous as if they said them. Don't believe the words on its own merit but believe the person because you like then and then by association you must believe the words.

Then they blame us. For being gullible. For buying the garbage they sell us as truth. No responsibility for their own actions, they just gave us "what we wanted." For a price and biy what a price that was.

Truth has died. Coded. Flatlined.  I don't know the exact day. I don't know the exact time. But it died. It died of neglect. Lack of care. An unwillingness as its caretakers to stand in support of it. We all are guilty of its death.

The good news is that we all can take part in its resurrection! Any seed that is buried has the opportunity to grow. These may be truths written of old yet they still ring true as the truth! The prophet Zechariah wrote "These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"  The Apostle Paul declared Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Speak truth. Listen with heart, mind and soul. Listen to learn and appreciate another's experience not defend yours. Learn to love differences. If we can bring back truth, we can bring back those other crucial items buried in the grave of time - compassion, love, humility, sacrifice. 

Shhh!

A seed grows with no sound but a tree falls with huge noise. Destruction has noise, creation is quiet. This is the power of silence. Yet we have become uncomfortable with silence. There always has to be some noise, some other sign of movement or activity for many of us in order to even function. How many times have you heard “it’s too quiet in here” or “turn on the radio or tv for some noise?”
As I sit writing this now I am completely removed from any other noise in my house other than my own heartbeat, my breathing, and the sounds of my fingers as they strike the keys of my laptop. Headphones mute the other random outside noises to an absolute minimum. I am alone with my thoughts. In such silence I am able to create and construct, define and discern, legitimize and lay aside, set goals and grow.
In silence you are able to clearly hear what is being spoken by the unseen architect of the universe. Be it through the beauty of nature, the seeming random movements of animals, the observed interactions of others
Noise distracts. It keeps you from hearing clearly, from conceiving boldly, and from positioning yourself properly for growth. It matters not if the noise is audial, spiritual, mental, or emotional. It’s sole purpose is to keep you from hearing, conviceving, positioning and growing.
If you want to hear clearly, conceive great things, properly position yourself with purposeful intent and grow into fullness, learn how to be quiet and sit in silence.

Rawwwr

It is official. I am a dinosaur. The realization hit me when I was driving to pick my daughter up from her late-night shift. It was not the ...