don't get left behind...

I read somewhere that the way people date is changing because of the economy, shifting gender roles and social norms among other things. More people are going dutch, engaging in premarital sex and cohabiting without the legal and religious union we call marriage. Along with these changes come the need for people to update their way of thinking, expectations, and their analzation of the current social climate.

The various social movements of the 20th century created the possibility for an aesthetically equal playing field. Even though society is not truly as equal as it seems, certain expectations have changed.
This relates to all groups of people. It is important to look at where the world is trying to go rather than where it has been because the future comes fast and within the cycle today will come again.

The only way to succeed in our ever accelerating society is to live as if today is today...even better, treat today like tomorrow. If you live in yesterday you will get left behind.

Learning to master your emotions

This is an excerpt from a conversation I had recently that I felt I should share with everyone b/c she spoke on this topic I frequently speak to others about so well. What she says is a quote from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom pg.103-104


Calliope:  I'm learning detachment

me:  detachment?

Calliope:  "To be able to realize the emotion so fully that you can detach from it and realize its true existence , it is not a part of you

Learn to detach...Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent... But detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate fully. That's how you are able to leave it... Take any emotion--love for a woman, or grief for a loved one, or what I'm going through, fear and pain from a deadly illness. If you hold back on the emotions--if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them--you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that love entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then can you say, 'All right. I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment."

Ultimately I think it all goes back to putting things off out of fear.  The longer you fear it and avoid it the more time you actually spend dwelling in it. It's as simple as that.

HallaH

Mean it like you say it

I'm sittin thinkin on how to live life.
my family don't approve of what I'm doin with my mind...
doin with my time...
they don't see the vision I see written in the sky
think I should be resting when the sun sets, settlin for 9 to 5 grinds
I found wings hidden in my rhymes
so I put my back into learnin how to fly
instead of breakin it tryin to survive.
sellin your brains for short change an wonder why
them people don't respect you, the one's you're givin neck to
they know that you're a jewel represented by a fool
so they say they will connect you
to pipelines. sippin from they wealth like a life line draggin you to hell
so I write lines. wealth I'm investing in myself
I'll play stealth til I emerge from the shelf
puttin all my energy to cards that I'm dealt
sleepin on us might just be bad for your health


NDANGR

Now -N- Lata Vicstape coming January 2011
for your free copy join our mailing list HERE
www.reverbnation.com/ndangrspecies

For the Artists

Do not base your success on how well you breach the ignorance of the masses.  That is not success and even if you accomplish this goal to satisfaction, it will not fill you. 

You will never find success unless you know what success is.

~hallah

Pridesgiving, Thankstaking

A few weeks ago I was just sitting around in the AM and a thought about Thanksgiving popped into my head. The "story of Thanksgiving" is the perfect example of the difference between the evils of the new world and the virtues of the old world, the social disease that infected the European colonizers and the naivety of the native peoples.

The story of Thanksgiving roughly breaks down like this: [The settlers came to the Americas but did not know how to subsist on the land. They began to starve and things got worse as fall deepened and winter approached. The natives, seeing this, had much compassion for the alien visitors and taught them how to plant and harvest on the land. A feast was had in celebration of human victory over hardship and the food was shared by all.]

So on this particular morning that idea crossed my mind in a different way that went like this: [The settlers had little and the natives had enough. The natives being thankful for this but lacking a prideful society shared because without pride being thankful for what you have prompts you to share because you would want everyone to have enough. The settlers were thankful for this but being from a prideful and greedy society took more than what was necessary until the natives no longer had. For their generosity, the natives were destroyed.]

I next thought to myself how this happened nearly everywhere in the world. Where the colonizers were welcomed and shown generosity they took and destroyed. But this translates into our society today, born out of this settlers disease. Every day we are all proud of what we have, especially when faced with those who do not have, and what do we do? We continue to take more, hoard more, "stack" more, focus more on ourselves and our own because we are all infected with this now ingrained ideology no matter what background we come from. 

What to do...? It is truly complex to do surgery on yourself and detach something that seems to be connected to every organ inside of you. However, that is what we must do first as individuals and then as a society.

~hallah

limited sight, extensive reality

You have 2 eyes and see 3 dimensions. If you had 3 eyes you might see a 4th dimension.

Lights in the deep and the dark.

The sun shines
creating its own light.
The moon reflects
the light of the sun
in the darkest of times
so the sun may remember that he is bright.

But on the day
when the sun cannot shine
the light of the moon will lay claim to the source.
When the sun
believes in the light of the moon,
the days will grow darker
and the nights much colder.

~the greatest form of ignorance is ignorance of the self.~

Incorruptible Synchronization

The deceit begins as most things do, with a thought. However it becomes more complicated from here. It begins with the rejection of a known truth or the acceptance of it and the subsequent urge to make that undying truth untrue. This cannot be done. The truth cannot be destroyed or unmade. This is where deceit is born. This denial is then projected into the outer world in hopes of creating an unalike facsimile to the fact known internally. At this juncture it becomes a group effort. People who come into contact with deceit are equally at fault for its perpetual growth and habitation. If you tell me something untrue...it IS evident that it is untrue. I must, however, agree to the deceit and to ignore the facts. This is how "you lie to me".  One merely presents another with an argument that "this thing" is more favorable to believe than "that thing (truth)".  Both agree and continue on unless the truth is presented in an undeniable way. If so, the 2nd party claims to have been "lied to". I am not saying that you cannot lie to a person or fool someone...I'm just breaking it down to the basics. It is an agreement in which an informed party convinces an uninformed party of an unwise action.

The mind releases information to the body at such a rapid rate that it is many times hard to catch all of it before you begin to react to it. This means that what is on a person's mind will show in their actions, demeanor, and all sorts of other countless and almost uncontrollable ways. If one were observant enough, one could read these unspoken and unnoticed tell tales like a journal, for they expose all thought and emotion. This brings me to the point...you can only deceive yourself. It is up to everyone else to play your game or not. If you are telling fanciful tales and people are reading something else...they won't believe you- Even If You Believe Yourself. *Remember the lie began with you so you are always the first to believe it.

So that is the problem...

What we seek to achieve is incorruptible synchronization with the mind and the flesh. When your body gives away nothing that your mouth has not spoken or was not intended you have mastered yourself. Until then, never forget that your physical self is your secrets first enemy. If you deny the truths that your face confesses, you are playing with attempts to deceive. It is better to save face and admit.

This came to me today and is very relevant to my life right now and to yours.  It is always relevant and it means something that YOU have read this TODAY.  

~Take it with you on your path to a better self~

On Rhythm

"Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates" -- The Kybalion.

"There is always an action and reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and sinking; manifested in all of the airs and phenomena of the Universe. Suns, worlds, men, animals, plants, minerals, forces, energy, mind and matter, yes, even Spirit, manifests this Principle. The Principle manifests in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations in the life history of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man."

Whatever...

WHATEVER:  In its slang form, it can be defined as an expression of tacit agreement, indifference, begrudging compliance or even a dismissal.
Isn't that what's wrong with society as a whole?  Tacit(implied) agreement?  Indifference?  Begrudging compliance?  Even hasty dismissal?

How often do you hear people say that to you?  If you hear it  as often as I do then you feel what I feel.  Maybe you don't though.  90% of the time someone says that to me its after I say something to them that is important enough for them to listen.  I detect a wall of pride go up and then I hear this worn out word spoken.  Usually afterward there is a change in the utterers demeanor and language.  So the signs are there.  We can establish that this is the usual case, in my experience.  What about yours?  I am sure that many people see what I see, as it isn't too difficult to deduce.

I see this phrase as being a reflection of the ills in our society at present.  I am sure that people from past generations would have said that it was a problem during their time as well.    I find it disturbing that so many carry that trait from childhood far into adulthood.  The man who can not listen cannot learn from hearing.  The man who can't read will not learn from written words.  The man who can not open himself to learning, can't learn at all.

At this point you will probably think of the most annoying group of people that you don't belong to and agree with me.  Look no further than yourself.  You have been raised in this same society and you, as well as I, suffer from the same ailment in some capacity.

~Hallah

Sum Shit of Life

There are points in it.

These that apply pressure

to numb the heart and stimulate the mind

constantly redefining your freedom

but there are never answers here

no answers...

no solutions on this soluble surface

of solitude and floating minds

tethered down together where emotions combine.

Would it be cowardice or courage to want out?

I find myself looking for an escape from my mindstate, my physical

then awake to a situation that seems much more critical.

-HallaH

Look around you

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.  You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder.  He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it.  You do not need to send him to the back door.  He will go without being told.  In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit.  His education makes it necessary." -Carter R. Woodson

What does this mean for the freedom of choice you think you have? Look around... If everyone is supposedly different but most are doing the same things, doesn't that tend to suggest some sort of standardization of action and thought?

Find You and then Be You.  Do something different. Do You.

...with all of the wealth our society has attained we will be undone by our ignorances. trading in the pain for the mundane is a shame- the war is coming...the war is here

Heron marked jewels.

At the end of 360 degrees, Winter is a metaphor:  a term not only used to describe the season of ice, but the period of our lives through which we are travelling.  In our hearts we feel that spring is just around the corner:  a spring of brotherhood and united spirits among people of color.  Everyone is moving, searching.  There is a restlessness within our souls that keeps us questioning, discovering and struggling against a system that will not allow us time and space for fresh expression.  Western iceman have attempted to distort time.  Extra months on the calendar and daylight saved what was eastern standard.  We approach winter the most depressing period in the history of this industrial empire, with threats of oil shortages and energy crises.  But we, as Black People, have been a source of endless energy, endless beauty and endless determination.  I have many things to tell you about tommorrow's love and light.  We will see you in the spring. In the interest of national security, please help us carry out our constitutional duty to overthrow the king.

~Gil Scott-Heron

Innertainment

"To the untrained ear,some music may sound like the babble of noise.To an uneducated eye,a masterpiece of art may look like whimsical strokes of the painter's brush." -Paramahansa Yogananda

 Only a complex mind can enjoy, understand and appreciate ideas in whatever form they manifest. The simpleton is impressed with the simple things because they are simple. The higher level thinker may expose the complexities of something that others see as simple. Do not be fooled into thinking that anything means nothing. In reality everything has meaning, everything has both cause and effect. We must take responsibility and acknowledge this "simple" truth. At the same time, the complex thinker may feel bombarded with simple minds and their thinking. You must not let this disrupt your harmony. Even a complex mind may lack wisdom. The wise can appreciate what they see while understanding that others may not see the same. "The lips of wisdom are open only to the ears of understanding." Therefore, you can not force wisdom on another. Wisdom is every beings personal journey.

-The things that you enjoy reflect who you are in every way but maybe not in the way you think they do.-

Non Jive Progression

When surrounded by distress, take steps an look around 'til you're surrounded by success.
Stay on the move but don't expect to move mountains, it's more possible for you to move around them.

~Maddix

"X" Marks the spot.

Some people in my life including old friends and family may wonder what I am thinking or why I choose to live my life in the way that I do...making the decisions I do and valuing the things that I do.

There is a clear and concise reason for me.

I am a very conscious observer of my own life and the way the universe affects it.  Over the years I have seen proof that the Universe wants me to stand on a perverbial "X" on the ground.  I do not know what I am waiting for or why I must stand here.  What I do know is that throughout my life both certain achievements and certain misfortunes have been blocked from reaching me by powers beyond my control.  In my life I have felt guided as if by some unseen hand to do certain things and to walk in a certain direction.  I recognize, and have so for many years, that this place I find myself in has been a constant since childhood.  I am here and I wait confidently for whatever is meant to come.  I will not move from this place I am in and I will not allow social, religious, political, cultural, or any other form of pressure move me from where I am.  I will continue to work hard on the tasks the universe sets before me as well as ignoring the ones that are not placed before me.  I feel very confident in this...even if it is delusion, I have chosen mine.

Tektite Illah

Unconscous Conspiracy

I used to believe in one conspiracy or another.  Illuminati, Government, "The Man", Religion, etc.  Now I believe in something I call the "Unconscious Conspiracy".  This is something that I think is far greater and much more realistic than any one conspiracy. I think that everyone is involved in the destruction of humanity.  I believe that humans are inevitably destructive because destruction is an intregal part of life, without which there is no creation. I now think that everyone either thinks they know the answer and is somehow wrong, they don't know and don't care, or they seek destruction.  I think that that pretty much covers everyone who has ever existed.  I think some of us form secret societies and some of us rally in public for causes we deem worthy.  Some of us eat meat and some veggies but we are all engrossed in destructive acts that also breed a certain progressiveness. Maybe what we are progressing towards is something that we would wish we were not but progress takes no sides.

-HallaH

Some things to look at in the mirror.

Think back on the true friends you have.  How many of them "offered" friendship and how many just evolved into it?  I find that people generally do not expect their own future.  By this I mean that those who offer friendship are usually seeking something else while the people who simply evolve into your friend did not see it coming.


I am very mindful when I meet a new person but even I do not often expect the buds that will one day become a great friendship.  Some of the best friends I have began in an unlikely place.  These friendships usually began with people who cared as little about making a new friend as I did.  When I look back on the birth with a now old friend, we often remark on how random our friendship is...or the odd circumstances that initiated it.


The dirty dirty...


I believe that relationships are reactive...COMPLETELY REACTIVE.
-This means that a relationship whether friendship or otherwise is not something that can elude you.  People are in no short supply...and being that we live in a world of general free will (when it comes to relationships) if you find it hard to make friends or find it hard to meet a good man/woman, that is mostly your own fault.  People are as varied as the stars in the sky and just as similar.  They are there and, like everything in the universe, they are attracted to what compels them.  "Water seeks it's own level"

In short:
-don't trust people who try to sell you friendship.
-your friends are and will remain a reflection of you.

Sideline Mentality

Some women out there find themselves in a reoccuring predicament...They wonder to themselves and others why they meet so many guys that are "taken"  or why the only guys that hit on them are guys who are already involved.  Well, I was thinking about it and I wanted to spit my opinion about it. 
 *Disclaimer: I may offend someone and you may disagree but that's life.*

I honestly think that some women out there have a sideline mentality.  Maybe it comes from a skewed sense of self in which they feel validated by something that actually only diminishes their sense of self.  Kind of like a person who mistakes sex for love.  They mistake the subtle lust of a taken man for the true want.  They usually discover that 1 of 2 things happens: either they get ran through and that's the end of story or they somehow overthrow his primary interest and carry on an unfulfilled and, most of the time, short lived love affair.  I am not suggesting that there are not exceptions to this...but yea, you know the deal.  I am aware that many young women may disagree on my point that the love affair is unfulfillable but I would ask what the opinions are like when these women are 40 and on CBS complaining b/c they still aren't married and have no prospects.  Well maybe, like many young men, the time and energy was spent in the wrong places...
I say this because I've recognized that there are 2 types of women and they conduct themselves in 2 entirely different manners and get 2 different results from guys.  I wonder why that is? (sarcasm)

Oh well, carry on.  Continue doing you...continue sabotaging good relationships because your idea of love and desire is somewhat faulty and/or immature. 

-Hallah

G'head

People live life as if they are jumping from one building to another.  It takes them so long to actually move forward because they are afraid of the time in between having their feet on the ground.

People's tastes are this way as well...people tend to be afraid to pursue something they like because they are afraid of stepping out there and maybe doin somethin different.

Similitude feels so safe...

Get out there and pursue things you like once you have been put on to it.  What are you waiting for?

I always let people hear music and it is funny to me how the ones who generally listen to commercial shit talk about how it's dumb and how they don't listen to anything but the beat.  I let them hear some real shit and they love it BUT...they never go get it for themselves...I have to keep feeding it to them and this goes for every genre.

Why is that?

all the answers I can think of just sound like excuses.  Get into that shit you thought was ill when you heard/saw it.

[with that being said]

www.mafmaddix.com

~Get it in.