Wake Up And See What's Real

There are two things that my father told me that I'll never forget. The first was: "Your boy, Abraham Lincoln didn't really free the slaves." The second: "White folks always say...Let that nigga sleep."   Now I was about 13 at the time, thought that he was testing my intellect, and certainly wasn't going to let him know that I had no idea what he was talking about. Today I am grateful to know that my father's objective was 1) to let me know that things are not always what they seem to be, and 2) those who want to maintain the status quo, will not awaken persons of lower hierarchical positioning to the

truth. 

Whether one believes in conspiracy theory or not, of one thing we can all be sure...the prevailing consciousness around the globe is: 'it's all about me'. Competition is the mainstay of that consciousness and we're competing in school,  in church, on our jobs, and even in our homes. Regardless of whether it's purposed or not by 'the powers that be', the prevailing consciousness is still causing us to focus on the I rather than the we.

The movie, 'The Hunger Games', depicted a futuristic televised event in which teenagers killed one another until only one remained. The media is a means of promoting thoughts on a grand scale, and this particular movie perpetrated the theory of 'survival of the fittest'. The universal truth is that we are all one and that our collective survival is dependent on collaborative efforts to support each other emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Now the movie was interspersed with scenes that reflected this sense of oneness, but it didn't seem that the producers' primary focus was on this truth. 

 Yeah, it's only a movie, but it's also a major box office draw attracting millions of viewers. My contention is that the movie is reflective of what appeals to us today...semblances of power, greed, 'all eyes on me', and 'I got to get mine'. Whether purposed or not, it supplants into the viewer's sub-conscious a thought that never leaves and might come to the surface at some point. That thought is that if this is what the future will be like, I'd better be prepared. Viewing the movie was another opportunity to see our societal state of mind, and subsequently, a catalyst for the writing of this blog.

While at the movie I noticed that most of the audience was under 30, and that many were intoxicated in some form or fashion. I noticed because I was intoxicated for a major part of my life, and it's second nature for me to see it in others. When I got high I was disillusioned, and the continued use of intoxicants kept me with a deaf ear to my true consciousness and what was really going on around me. Even when not intoxicated I was going through withdrawals and, figuratively speaking, 'this nigga was always sleep'. What about the viewers of this film, were they asleep as well?

Drugs like heroin and alcohol certainly have their negative effects, but the harmful side effects of even a seemingly harmless drug like marijuana might outweigh the benefits. After smoking weed one goes through withdrawal, and experiences some, if not all of the following symptoms: loss of appetite, headache, inability to sleep, nausea, aggression, irritability, anxiety, mood changes, and paranoia. They subside substantially after 2 or 3 days of not smoking, but remain, to some degree, for a much longer period of time.

Accompanying these symptoms is a detachment from what's really going on and a longing for superficial gratification. It becomes more of what can I do to make me feel good now, and less of how will what I do now affect what happens later on. If I get high on Saturday will I be completely capable of acing a test on Monday? Will getting high really make me more creative or merely raise my self esteem momentarily? Will intoxication make me more confident, or will it repress who I really am while expressing who I think I am or who I think someone else wants me to be? My hope is that our youth take advantage of the knowledge that's available to them, and make a conscious decision as to whether or not to use intoxicants.

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes made 'Wake Up Everybody' popular, and I'm imploring all of us to manifest those words in our everyday lives. Let's look at all we do and understand that we have the obligation and the opportunity to make a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. What we do inevitably affects those around us, and our intent should be doing what benefits all. Let's quit celebrating what seems to be and wake up to the joy in knowing and expressing what really is.

Thanks Daddy for exposing me to that option.



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