Who's Right, Who's Wrong and Why do WE DO WHAT WE DO?

Sorry for being in witness protection but sitting here in Miami for work and just wanted to re-emerge with some thoughts.

I understand that recently, "Uncle Luke" spoke out on a radio station against stars coming down to "his city" Miami and not paying the proper respect.  Luke said that back in the day, people didn't come into a town from somewhere else and not pay the proper respect i.e. setting up huge parties, bringing in women or just using up the women there (sleeping with, drinking with, smoking weed, etc.) and not putting anything back into the community.  These stars (Diddy and Lil' Wayne were named in the statement) don't set up programs for the community, donate money to causes or anything worthwhile...basically taking from and not giving back.  Not that I disagree with his point but it begs the following questions:

1. Because this isn't "Back in the Day" and times have changed, does anyone "owe" anyone else some type of "gratitude or props" when they enter another town?

2. Why do we seemingly have an expectation that people should do what we "think they should do or is the right thing to do" with their money?

3. And if he had this problem, did he go to the radio as a final tactic to get some results? Did he reach out to them privately before he blasted them on radio?

4. Why do we (as black people) have to publicly state our problems with other black people publicly? When was the last time you heard Latinos or Asians publicly deal with their issues?

Who's Right, Who's Wrong but does it really matter...?

Selfishness...Why R we so?

Selfish Acts Reproduce More Selfish Acts.

Selfishness is infectious. If one person is selfish and prideful, it is likely that they will incite others to be prideful and selfish. If we love God, we have the power to not be enticed by selfish acts of others and not get in a place of selfishness where we entice others to go against God.

From Scripture Commentary: Ezekiel 16:15 advices us how selfish acts incite more selfish acts.

people - why r we so selfish? did we not get help from somebody? has somebody not aided us in our past? why do we feel like we shouldn't reach back and help somebody or partner with someone or a group to make a positive step forward? r we threatened by competition? is it too much pride? or is it what i call "the slave mentality" (using the James Evans' voice) "i'm just now about to get mine and i damn sure ain't gonna help somebody else until i'm good?"...like there's not enuff out there for everyone!!! i'm my dj life, i've had many other dj's who helped me along the way.  there's t-luv who, while we were in school at nca&t gave me my first pair of headshells. he was the most prominent dj on campus and didnt have to do it. in atlanta, there have been multiple dj's such as ron pullman, drewshouse and most recently dj kemit who have all given me, YES, GIVEN ME---FREE PEOPLE muzik that they didnt have to. they could have said "i paid for it so u need to pay for it" but they didnt. why? i can only assume that they 1) felt like they were doing the right thing, 2) maybe they didn't feel like they were really losing anything, and 3) maybe giving me the muzik was a gesture of community. i'm not the top dj in atlanta, no where near, but if someone asked me to help them learn the art (and i had the time) i most surely wood because somebody helped me. they may get better than me and may take a gig or 2 from me but what does that really matter when i used a gift god has given me to help somebody else. kaos has a song called "crabbuckit" which is an old school term for the mentality.

if you got any questions, i'll b here all week...

holla.

a call out to black people...stop the hypocrisy

james brown once uttered "people, people we got to get over before we go under".  these words have never been more true than the attitudes we display in this modern day. black ppl are the first to criticize every other culture and race about what others do.  for example, we criticize latinos and asians for their "community living" i.e. the quantity of persons either living, working or even riding in a car together. we criticize caucasians for their ability to "have it easy" based on their skin color, parents, great-grandparents or something that we didn't have. but do u think that if u had the ability to have a step up, a foot in the door, a family business to grow up and work in, u wouldn't take advantage of it. if so, then why are we so critical? why do we take ourselves so seriously that we seemingly feel like we are owed something? why can't black ppl take criticism as much as we like to talk about others? we act as if we have overcome? society is looking for positive influences who can bring something to the table...a new idea or concept, an application for a smart device, a new process to make systems work better. 

we have to find ways to make ourselves marketable to others; and then we can start overcoming. if u don't have anything that anybody wants, why should they want u? it's not "the man's fault" that u aren't using your skills, ideas, and/or knowledge. and if any of these are lacking, either increase them or ask a friend or somebody u trust how u can.

u don't know what u don't know, but u know somebody that knows more than u...or are u the smartest one in your bunch?

now that may b the problem...

Communication...Stay in the loop

the world dictionary describes communication below, which is one of many descriptions: "the study of ways in which human beings communicate, including speech, gesture, telecommunication systems, publishing and broadcasting media, etc."

how is it that in the year 2011, where most of us have a smart device hooked to us or laying near us (sum of us have them in our pockets and keep dialing ppl) and basically cant live without them, we have a harder time communicating than ever before? now, we can place an order for chinese food or pizza, we can curse out customer no-service when our multiple media devices don't work, when we don't understand sumthing we didn't read the manual on, when we place our order and the dumbazz customer service rep gets it wrong.  but sumhow, we cant figure out a way to use all the ability we have for everything else to communicate with anybody outside of our own homes.  we appreciate and thank others for calling us, for texting us, for face-booking us, for tweeting us and staying in contact but why don't we take the first step more? what makes us so good that we can make the first move and others should? 

how can our families, friends, partners, mates, co-workers, and society-in-general keep us in the loop or keep us "plugged in" to whats going on outside of our own world when we never take time to reach out? the real question is why should others have to? don't we want to be in the loop? hell, one thing is clear - none of us want to get left at the station when the train leaves? Is it the conductor's fault you didn't check the time the train departs? we have become a society that is selfish; we want things to cater to us for sum unknown reason.  how do u expect to get ahead when you keep placing yourself behind? and then u want the rest of us to keep U in the loop? or just slow down enough to let u start a light jog so you can catch up to get in with us...u know what...don't get in, you'll probably just slow it down for the rest of us who r trying to keep moving forward any damn way.

pick a damn line lady...

im sure most of you are gonna say "why is that a problem" but it is so just bear with me.  im tired of people who cant make a decision on which line they want to stand in.  Case-in-point...I walk into chick-fil-a to grab a quick meal during my lunch time.  Unlike walmart, this establishment has multiple cashiers ready to help you with a smiling face. the lady in front of me (not like its her first time on planet earth) is standing "between" lines; you know wut i mean. the ones who dont want to "select a line" and take the first one available, so as not to miss out on the line moving the quickest.  "THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT WORKS IN AMERICA", or maybe it does work that way in Alpharetta or Sandy Springs but not where people got jobs to get back to. Damn lady, its just a chicken sandwich and judging by the 3 kids u got running around the place, you obviously dont have anywhere to go in a hurry.  How about some consideration for the rest of us who have 30-60 minutes for a damn lunch break (that includes driving to and fro, waiting in line behind somebody who's being sponsored by somebody who is working, order, wait for the kid out of school to not listen and mess up my order and then ask me again what i wanted, get my change, get my order and haul azz back to work).  I know u gotta go back to the crib and home school your kids once you and your girlfriends finish talking about tennis practice.  How about controlling your damn kids, pick the nuggets up off the floor little jimmy and katie sue dropped and get outta our way..You know us...the working people. but for starters, Pick a damn line lady...

time won't give me time...

outside of being the lyrics in an old culture club song, it seems to be the story of my life. why does it seem like the time u need u can never have? or better yet, the time you need to take care of what u deem to be priorities, others seemingly dont like your choices. why would somebody be disappointed with me because i want to do what i choose on my birthday and not what they want to do for me? its interesting that the generic quote always thrown out is that "people do what they want to do"? while that may b tru, why is that never uttered when the person who made that "cavalier" statement gets what they want? as long as u are "what someone wants to do", its ok. soundz selfish to me...but then again, we are human.

Work...what does it mean other than a paycheck?

how many ppl do u kno who are obsessed with their work, who are type "a" or have stress related diseases and who can't slow down? can't slow down because they use their routine to distract themselves; to reduce life to only its practical considerations. how many ppl do u know that use their work as an excuse to "be who they are"?  to justify why they have succeeded to this point in life?  if you get to work early, work thru lunch, stay late and then take it home or do work from home, what does one have left for one's self? does it matter what u have left or does it matter that the job got done...

the basis of relationships

relationships, at their core, are basically a simple cost-benefit analysis. You're not going to break the bank each and every time, that must be understood.  If u are getting a positive return on your investment, u stay. If u are getting a negative return on your investment, u leave. Its simple as that.  But ask yourself this - Are u one of the greedy ones...U know, one of the ones that's getting more positive than negative but aren't getting what u think u deserve?


Tracye Leake_02.14.11

Critical Mass

Restlessness has taken over our lives and has left us feeling dissatisfied.  We are all looking for more fulfillment and we won't put up with anything that seems to bring us down.  This restless searching is what's behind the "me-first" attitude that's affecting everyone.  And when it comes to relationships, we're so demanding that we're making them near impossible.  When both partners in a relationship are overly demanding, when each expects the other to live in his or her world, to always be there to join in his or her chosen activities, an ego battle inevitably develops.


Relax...

3 things to improve your life

1. listen to you body
2. stay in the present
3. give up being right


Deepak Chopra

a random thought

Surrender…Stop resisting. Stop trying to change what you cannot change.  Be in the moment, be fully open to the blessings you have already received and those which are yet to come to you and stand in that space of gratitude and honor, and claim that for yourself and look at where you are and how far you have come, what you’ve gotten and what you’ve accomplished.  And when you can see that and claim that, the literal vibration of your life will change.

my blog introduction

welcome to 1man’s kave. for wut its worth, this is my 1st attempt (and damn sure not the last) to let off some steam and speak about what’s on my mind (my therapist suggested it). it may b politics, bad-ass drivers, unemployment, muzik and who know’s wut else. i hope you njoy and feel free to chime in. everyone has thoughts and guess wut…we dont have to like each others. be yourself and speak your mind…you should. and for the “smart-politically correct-it should always be done the right way people”, the bad grammar, abbreviations and lower case letters are on purpose.