Jan 29, 2012

Eco-Mania Wrapped in the Pathology of Obsession

I have been called a navel-gazing, self-absorbed, arrogant intellectual elitist. I have also been referred to as a self-involved egomaniac and a self-preoccupied, pathological cult leader determined to always prove I'm right. Some have said I am a socialist with a self-centered capitalist agenda and others like to say I am a narcissist trapped in a fat body suit. To all of these sweeping indictments I can only respond with the proclamation of; "Yes, I Am!!!"

I have lived an exciting and event-filled life which has shown me a great many things. I've experienced lessons which have been immediately imperative and others that have taken 10/20 years to reveal their ultimate greatness. I've had teachers, gurus, leaders, preachers and peers that have played influential roles in shaping the man you see today. I've also conceived and manifested a million original thoughts (some sparked by what I have seen or heard and others which appear to be purely self motivated from situations which are unique to only me).

I have never taken an IQ test, however I know that my ability to create poetic concepts and my advanced problem solving skills make me more than a simple Philistine.


I am a man that loves people and I stay dedicated to helping those who cannot help themselves. I have a huge bleeding heart for today's young people. I constantly find myself contemplating how the youth of today are journeying in a first-class seat aboard a societal ship of dysfunction being capsized by a super storm of hedonism known as the Internet and televisions with over 400 channels.
I think of what we have seen when we were children. We had constant inter-action with neighborhood peers, parents teachers and coaches. There was constant team activities and recreation where we learned how to "get-a-long" and get the job done as a group.

I became an adult and continued to grow in the attributes of community. I see many peers from my childhood or just the same age as myself who have seemed to abandon these same characteristic properties. We as a society have become so self-preoccupied with constant meta-physical orgasmic fulfillment that our children only know this to be the first and foremost goal of life.


Ponder this hypothetical for a moment...

If your on body there was a small button which produced a quick & immediate, 10 second, organically euphoric intoxication, a total mental state of ecstasy, elation, exhilaration, rapture and rhapsody, how often would you push it? Seriously, imagine a small button located on your forward-outer thigh. It could be perfectly placed at arms length and so you could secretly manipulate it while simply having your hands in tyour pockets. No one would know, there would be no revealing or identifying expressions in your body language or face. You could have a 10 second Orgasm and No One would be the wiser. How often would you push it?

Now imagine your children who completely lack discipline and how many times in a day do you think they would be on top of this button. How many times a hour do you think they would push this button to the point of needing a new button or hard wire replacement? If you don't think it would be a dramatic incline from how an adult might choose to abuse this button, then think about this for a moment. Drug use in intermediate schools are higher today than 20 years ago [1]. Single parent homes and pregnancy outside of marriage rates rise everyday [2] & [3]. America's education levels are drastically falling every year [4]. We are a country and society that are Morally, Artistically and Mentally Bankrupt. Now if it could be made easier for our children to disconnect momentarily from reality, how often do you think they would take advantage of it?

The aforementioned can only be explained as; Hedonism: *the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life... also described as a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good.


Today our youth have role-models that are gaining immense capital from teaching all the wrong values (i.e., The Kardashians, Lil Wayne, Tosh 2.0, etc...). The worst part is that even if it is our very own children in our homes are not partaking in these forms on mind controlled entertainment, their friends, peers and schoolmates are. We must stay vigilant in finding ways to combat the ills and balance the scales that mass media inflicts hourly. I am not saying that we have to ban the Internet or satellite television but find ways of rewarding today's youth for picking up a book other than Twilight or Us Magazine.


Jan 26, 2012

~+~ The Poor/Rich Man Experience ~+~

Today I was surfing Facebook and came across a friend's status which pulled at my heart strings. It was a very ironic situation because at the same time I was thinking how I need to write a blog on Philanthropy which could be contributed to by the voice of another but was not sure how to go about this. Of Course like lighting in a bottle I was struck and now here I am.

This was my Friend, Former Roommate, Previous Musical Artist Collaborator & Godly Brother Mike Butta's Experience:

"Got out the gym and was walking into fresh and easy to buy some fruit .....a young lady stopped me and seemed like she was going to ask for money so I was about to walk a lil faster and pay her no attention until I saw her kids and she asked me can I help feed her kids.......so I got them some pizza....but with saying that people think they have it rough and shit .....naw its not rough until your begging someone to feed your kids player."

I would like to personally thank Mike Butta for sharing such a heart warming story with us. So many times I open Facebook & Twitter to only see hundreds of post about sports, reality shows and the "who shot john" rumors that have zero significance in the growth of are future and the futures of our children.

Mike Butta...
that was a great thing you have done today, especially in this economy where most of us can use a little help.

Jan 22, 2012

"Conversation with Mystery Lady, Etta James"

In the summer of 1999, I was listening to a gorgeous, sultry & husky rhythm & blues voice while cleaning my pool hall in Upland, CA. I started this day out alone but after an hour or so, I was joined by a few employees and pool hall regulars, all under the age of 21. One in particular, a 18 year old employee, approached me and asked, "Who was this we were listening to?"Now this is were everything takes a twist from the norm because before I could otter an answer an 5 foot 9 inch, 16 year old blonde responded, "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday" by Etta James. Needless to say my mouth dropped, I was totally stunned that a woman so young could so quickly show her familiarity with such a great (but 8 year old) album.

I realized that this conversation must go further and I have to explore the depths of this young lady's blues history. I would ask a questions and she would respond with the same answer, "I Love Etta James Voice." It didn't matter what I asked or who I was talking about, she some how related her answer and spun it back into the direction of Etta James.

After an hour of conversation which started with me looking at a young, hard rock, hip-hop, skateboarding, Daddy's Lil Southern Cali Girl, left me staring into the eyes of what not just I will described as a cool young woman but I also realized how much one artist can change the impression you have in every person. I do not remember the young lady's name but I can not think of Etta James without thinking of my friend and blues peer for life.

Etta James, At Last, You Will Be Greatly Missed...

"I want to be loved for who I am, not what I can provide"

“I want a woman who wants me, not one who needs me. I want her to love me for me. I can tell [when] a woman is just interested in the externals, which in my book are the equivalent of being in love for money, appearances, or out of desperation. I’ve dated women who were more into those three [things] than into [who I am as a person]. I don’t want to be looked at like I’m a bank, a daddy on demand, or a means to an end of any kind.” The takeaway lesson here is that men are looking for an authentic connection and really notice its absence.

“I’d rather have a real woman who is into me than some idealized version… who wants me to be Ken to her Barbie.”