Numbers Talk..

This is not going to be long here. I guess because the line of logic is short and sweet. My good people I have an announcement to make....numbers talk. I swear they do. I have heard this several times in my life and I never really gave it too much thought until now.

We all have heard that money talks, but that's something different. This time I am only referring to numbers. You may ask, "What do you mean?". I'm glad you asked!

In our lives and times we meet, greet, and develop relationships with various characters from all different walks of life. I mean traditional families, single parent homes, drug heads, students, girls, guys, bis, preachers, teachers, the list goes on and on. We meet them and get to know them the same way they meet us and get to know us. We carry on conversations with other people about other people we know and if you're not careful one person will think they know someone just because how much we talk about them...(whew). This is where I get to my point.

Out of all the people we know and have known, the sum of similar descriptions says a lot. Let me make it plain. You may not like it but if a substantial number of the people you know or that know you describe you in a similar fashion then it says a lot. For example, if a guy is described by 10 people that he knows and that know him as a hustler, then chances are that is what he is. Likewise if the same guy is described by the same amount of people as a woman beater, then, as a lady, you need to get your fight skills up! If a woman is described by a great deal of people that she knows as a happy, loving woman then a good guy has a chance of making a relationship. But on the other hand if she is described as a low down bi#^% then, as a guy looking for love, you need to keep it pushing.

I will take it one step further..When is the last time that 10 people called someone Willie the Wino and he wasn't a drunk? When is the last time 10 people called some woman a gold digger and she just wanted a guy with a little bit of money? When is the last time 10 people said that a dude was a homo and he wasn't? When is the last time 10 people said someone was a crackhead and they didn't smoke crack? There may be some exceptions because there always are a few...but you know exactly what I'm saying.

So the question is, what would 10 people that you know say about you? The truth about it is, the numbers talk better than we do.

The Things We Hate....

There are things in life that we HATE. I mean we all have something or some things that we just can't stand. It could be somebody, a particular action, a restaurant, or any number of things. There is no way for me to list out all of the things because for every person counted in the world population, there is something that they HATE.

Me? I have a problem with feet...smh. I have always had a problem with feet. Little feet, big feet, black feet, white feet....watching someone else touch somebody's feet, and OMG somebody sucking on toes. (threw up a little when i typed that!) That's my thing. Honestly, there are other things that I loathe, but that one has plagued me for all of my life. It's just something about them that doesn't strike me as clean, snuggly, friendly, or anything nice. I don't know what it is, at this point it really doesn't matter, just know that I don't do feet. I have in the past few years seen a few that didn't give me a partial stroke so that, I guess, is progress, but all in all I hate feet.

I actually had no intention of going into the foot discussion, but it is relevant to my topic. My message today is about the things we hate. Not about how much we hate them, but in so many cases how much we need them.

While I have made it very clear how I feel about feet, there is one thing that I did not mention...I never said how much I appreciate them. I did not say how much of a blessing it is to have them. I never spoke about my thanks to God for allowing me to have them. I failed to mention all of the benefits that are associated with them. I also never said how my heart goes out to every individual who does not possess them.

It is like that with most things that we hate..in certain ways, we benefit from them. If nothing else can be said, pardon the pun, but the things we hate really keep us on our toes! If we as individuals recognize we only hate the things that we care about in some way, things would be easier. I only hate the things I allow to be in my life. You see, I may not hate the things that you do, but that's probably because I don't let them in. The truth about it is, we could all use a moment to recognize the benefits of the things we hate.

That Is All You Have...

For the most part, we live and mature in the pursuit of something greater. It can be money, love, materials, or anything that we as individuals believe to be important. Once our minds are set, stumbling blocks, obstacles, and even mountains are seen as merely setbacks in the way of progress. For a musician such as myself, the loss or disrepair of equipment is not a reason to go a different route, its a problem that is solved by repair or buying new stuff. For pure capitalists, a down market is not a reason to cash out, but an opportunity to hedge and bet against the fools who sell too fast. A young athlete is not stifled by injury, but will sit out of their chosen sport for a year just to heal and get back in the game. Even an invested drug dealer can be robbed or arrested and while down he/she will continue to make plans on doing it better. It is the same basic story with everyone. Point of Clarification: Nothing wrong with that.
My issue today is not really about the pursuit of happiness. We are all entitled to that. My focal point for this blog is the down time in the presence of the problem, or, God forbid, the total loss of all investment for any individual. For the musician with broken equipment, the capitalist in a down market, the young injured athlete, and yes even the drug dealer; there is one constant possession that reigns king among all.....your word.
At the point of loss, the way in which that all important possession is handled can help you through to the other side, or it can be like a cement block that drags you down into the icy waters of failure. See..., no one minds offering assistance to someone who is good for "it". Your word serves as a life line of credit that has an unlimited balance, as long as it is managed correctly. Who wouldn't help a working and successful musician purchase the equipment needed if they knew for a fact the money would be repaid? Who wouldn't help to bail out a pure money maker when the return on the investment would be more than actually given? Who wouldn't invest time and money into a paid athlete understanding that the money would be returned upon reentry into the game? I hate to say it, but who wouldn't loan a well connected hustler the money when you know that double would come back...(I'm sure some wouldn't but hey...we all like to have morals in thought). Fact of the matter is, that if we feel like we can trust a person's word then there is not a lot that we won't do for them.
The problems arise when a person's word isn't good, or a person is classified as an out and out liar. Who would help them? No one. Not one with good sense.
I said all of that to get to this one place....how good is your word? Most of us could use a booster when it comes to the vaccine of half truths and deceit. It's human nature to lie. That is why we must be trained to be responsible. That is why the whole lie and truth talk is present in every caring parent/child relationship. That is why we thrash politicians caught in lies and cheer for the demise of the lying pastor. Hell that's the reason the whole world was waiting for the execution of Casey Anthony!
Protect your prize possession because at the end of the day, the truth about it is, all we will ever always have is our word.