Only One Nelson Mandela Will Pass This Way

As the world recognizes the passing of Nelson Mandela, the tributes narrate how this former South African president’s life changed the world.  Superlatives such as courageous, brave, passionate, compassionate, intelligent, and inspirational have all been used to describe Nelson Mandela’s life, but there was one statement that caught my attention.  One tribute suggested that “there will never be another Nelson Mandela”.  And that is true; there never will be because that is how the Creator planned it.

When Nelson Mandela was born into his earthly existence, the plan of what his life would become was already in place.  Though challenged with obstacles that would crumble most, Mandela was given a strength that allowed him to endure.  The impact he had on the world for his 95 years is exactly what the Creator planned.  The same can be said for others whose presence on this earth has inspired us.  There will only be one Ali; one Martin Luther King; one Rosa Parks, one Desmond Tutu, one Gandhi.  We can learn from their writings.  We can admire their courage.  We can emulate their behaviors, but the reality is that these people only pass this way once.  They are placed here to serve their purpose.

And so, the passing of President Mandela should prompt each if us to seek the purpose that the Creator has planned for us.  Your purpose may not have world-wide ramifications, but it might make your family better.  It might make your neighborhood or community better.  What you do may inspire others, young or old, to be all that they can be.  Connect with the Creator to find your purpose; then rely on the strength given to you by the Creator to fulfill your purpose, because there will never be another you.

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CHRISTMAS SPIRIT VS. CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALISM

The argument about Christmas Spirit vs. Christmas Commercialism is not new.  Retailers have forever been seducing shoppers at Christmas time with all kinds of deals and specials.  Most often it was a sideshow that only temporarily distracted humans from the real Spirit of Christmas.  But today, it seems as though Christmas Commercialism, for many, is what Christmas is all about.

There is no doubt that the power of Christmas Spirit has long impacted the family of man.  Humans, generally, treat one another friendlier during this time of year.  Wars stop because of Christmas.  People give to the less fortunate in a spirit of kindness.  Christmas has an enduring universal power that makes most humans, regardless of religious beliefs or practices, understand that caring for one another is simply the right thing to do.

Christmas Commercialism attempts to create its own power.  For many retailers and their media cohorts, it’s all about getting the consumer to spend.  They promise deals on items that they know won’t be in the store.  They create “scheduled” specials designed to manipulate your time.  This is nothing new; it has gone on for years.

The problem, as I see it, is that the consumer is starting to drink the cool-aid more and more.  People leave their Thanksgiving dinner tables to go shop instead of sharing family history and stories.  People camp out overnight to be one of the first in line to get that big-screen TV that will only last until next Christmas.  People are mean and rude to one another fighting over shopping carts, parking spaces, and that last item on the shelf.  They cuss at one another, they become physical with one another, they disrespect one another, not because of the Christmas Spirit, but because of Christmas Commercialism.

The retailers are not going to change.  Their souls were lost a long time ago.  However, as humans, we have the power to determine how we respond.  We need to remember that Christmas is about peace on earth and goodwill to all, not charging credit cards to the max then taking the next year to pay them off.

Somehow I don’t think that when (or if) you get to the Pearlie Gates, St. Peter is going ask you about that deal you got on that TV.

 

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WHO ARE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

“The American people don’t want Obamacare”.  Just about every republican member of congress utters this statement when they talk about repealing the Affordable Care Act.  When I hear this statement the first question I ask is, “What American people are you talking about?”  I can’t recall any African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, or European-American groups making notable protests against the Affordable Care Act, so what Americans are these politicians referring to?

It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy for republican members of Congress to attempt to de-fund the Affordable Care Act, while they make six-figure incomes, and enjoy the best healthcare benefits in the world.  Salaries and healthcare paid for by the American people.  All of the American people.

I think it would a good idea for any American who is represented by one of these republican members of congress to rethink who you want to represent you in the future.  They say you don’t want Affordable Healthcare, but it really doesn’t matter what you want.  The republicans have made it clear that their singular goal is to diminish the accomplishments of the President in any way that they can.  It’s not about you, the American people; it’s all about their agenda.

Many of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act are already benefiting the American people today, and soon millions more Americans will benefit from the Act.  The republicans in Congress don’t have a clue about what the American people want, let alone, what the American people need.

THE MOTHER-CHILD BOND OF LIFE

A while back, I attended a college graduation ceremony and observed something that verified something I already knew, but hadn’t actually thought about.  Seated in front of me was a young mother and next to her was her newborn baby.  The infant couldn’t have been more than two weeks old as it sat in the plastic car carrier oblivious to the world.  What I observed was this mother’s constant and deliberate attention to this new person.  Every few seconds she would look inside the carrier to see if everything was alright.  The baby was sleep, yet the new mother kept watch much like a mother robin does with her newly hatched babies; or like a mother lion does with her baby cubs.  And it occurred to me that there is a special bond between child and mother that is pure and natural.  It cannot be duplicated.  It can not be replicated.  Grandma doesn’t have it.  Auntie doesn’t have.  And definitely Dad doesn’t have it.  That bond between mother and child is like no other bond ever created.  You can’t describe it.  You can’t study it.  You simply have to know that it is.

And while the bond gets tested many times as a child grows, the bond remains intact.  Mom will defend you to the Supreme Court if need be, yet be your harshest critic when you act a fool.  I instinctly knew that this bond existed, but when you get to be grown, sometimes you have to be reminded of what you know.  That’s what the woman at the graduation ceremony did.  She reminded me that the Spirit created the bond between mother and child to be like no other human connection on earth, and because of that, we are blessed more than we can ever comprehend.

 

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Young Black Love

Is different from any other.
For the young lady, the young man,
It’s a different sense.
A feeling only some really experience.

Young Black Love is natural,
It’s not planned or pre-arranged.
It happens at moment’s notice,
And at times, ends just as fast.

But still the experience to love
A Black young man for a Black young lady
Is something her heart will never forget
And if her love is real, he won’t forget either.

Whether it be going to the “Friday night parties”
Or spending Sunday evening in the living room.
Talking every night on the phone about nothing
Or listening to Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.

Black, young love is unique.
Together, hip, bad, and a good thang.
If you got it, keep it!
If you don’t, get it!

SAM

Black Women, Drama, and Network Television

What do Tamara Jones, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington and Meagan Good all have in common?  All are actors of African-American descent who currently star or co-star in network (ABC, CBS, NBC) television series.  And we’re talking about drama series, not sitcoms.  I don’t believe that’s ever happened in the history of television.

We know Hollywood has difficulty creating original, positive roles for minorities, and it is rare for there to be so many opportunities at the same time.  I’m not sure why it’s happening now, but these women are part of successful shows; and the one thing that Hollywood does best is copy anything that’s successful.

The roles that these women portray are serious, intelligent roles.  They have substance.  They have depth.  As a writer I try to create similar roles for my female characters.  They are smart, accomplished, and confident women.  Yes, they might be a little devious at times, but overall they are positive portrayals.

Tamara Jones, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington and Meagan Good have all starred in movies produced primarily for African-American audiences for years.  And now to see them all having success in network television is a success worth recognizing. 

I think this is a moment in time that we need to pay attention to.  Not because network television is that significant in the overall scheme of life, but because these women represent positive media influences.  It is a refreshing diversion from the characters so prominent in fake “reality TV”.

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THE POWER WITHIN

The other day I was watching some video of a toddler learning to walk outside in the grass.  The toddler would take two or three steps then fall down; but as fast as he fell, he jumped back up and tried to make steps again.  The toddler had no concept of failure or that he couldn’t do it.  All the toddler knew is that whenever he fell down, all he had to do was to get back up and try again.

As adults, we tend to lose that understanding.  Inevitably something along life’s journey will knock us down, but we often don’t have enough faith in our own abilities to get back up.  Instead, we lay there wallowing in our sorrow.  We blame others for allowing us to fall down, and expect others to help us get back up.  We forever play the victim.

The toddler had no ideas about the power of faith, but only reasoned that being down on the ground was not going to get him where he was trying to go.  All he knew is that he had to get back up.  He did not wallow in the grass.  He didn’t cry for his parents to help him.  The toddler held no doubt that he could get back up and did so over and over again. 

There is a lesson here.  Grown folk should understand that our ability to over come life’s obstacles is embedded in the faith in ourselves generated by our faith in the Power.  Even as we believe in ourselves to overcome life’s discomforts, we should also be wise enough to understand that our strength to overcome comes directly through the Power.  The toddler wasn’t able to understand it that way, yet he still kept getting up.

The Power is always with us, even as we fall.  It is there to lift us back up if we so believe.

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Crisis and Diversity

The United States embodies the definition of diversity.  From race, to ethnicity, to gender, to religion, to age, the U.S. provides a context where diverse groups can function within a common society.

And yet with all of the diversity, there are some basic needs that Maslow says binds us together. We all require clean air to breathe.  We need food for nutrition and water for hydration.  We all want to be safe, and we all need love and affection.  These are what we call the Human Factors.

So when a crisis hits it is these Human Factors that take precedence over any differences we may possess.  When disaster hits, you don’t see one group of citizens refusing to help another group of citizens.  You see people from all demographics coming together to help each other.  Partisanship no longer matters.  Extremism has no place.  When humans need help, humans come to help.

Maybe it is through disaster and crisis that Providence is trying to guide us to be better.  The Master commands, “Love ye one another, as I have loved you.”  When crisis hits, we do not hesitate to follow that commandment, but as soon as some sense of normalcy is restored, we go back to our prejudices and biases.

Something tells me that we’re missing it.  We were put here to love and live and care for one another.  The Master asks nothing else of us.  It shouldn’t take disaster or crisis for us to get that.

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