What I See

This young sapling that stands next to me, taller than I; but I with more rings, more branches that stretch in various directions, what do I say to him? He stands with me in the same grove, I have seen more sunsets, and I have witnessed more changes in season. He can only be what his DNA is, how can I ask of him what I still struggle to be? How can he define his goals and ambitions, when I, more than twice his age, have not attained my own? What does he see? Is he looking towards me or is he looking to the horizon?

What I See!!

I'm not quite old school, I'm not Hip Hop, but I am a part of rap. So he stands tall, wonder how and what his goals should be, should I emulate what I see on television? He comes from seeds, I'm not gangster, I'm not a thug, he can't change his DNA, and he can't change his skin color. How do I tell him that he will always be faced with the challenge, that his color defines people's perception of him without knowing him. That it's more than one battle, it is a lifelong war, to move to challenge, to conquer, but to conquer with love, and appreciation of those that went before you and those who are to follow...

No music playing in the background, but there is a beat, there is rhythm. I do I make it prophetic, do I use metaphors, because there is a vernacular of what he is accustomed to, what captures his attention. Do I quote the existentialism: of "I must find a truth that is true for me... the idea for which I can live or die" from philosophers like Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. What about Chomsky, Shakespeare, Biggie, Tupac. Do I want to be poetic, and at the same time prophetic? Am I trying to entertain him or share some wisdom?

What he sees is no different; it's just from younger eyes.

NottHead

Flawed engineering or delusional?

Built to lead or ambition misdirected?  The race to the White House provides the canvas to psychoanalysis of America. The 2008 election process and proceedings have followed the prescribed routines; predictable with lots of unscripted episodes. The ambitious to lesser known, the dark horses all come to the spotlight seeking to galvanize a movement. Banners carry names and slogans, many miles traveled, many handshakes, scripted by teams molding the protagonists to spew propaganda to the mass, all seeking the keys to the Oval Office.

Barack Obama in Colorado

Has America matured to accept the fulfillment of its own stated model shaded in darker hues? We want our leader to be “tall, dark and handsome, intellectually gifted, dedicated to wife, family, church, and the nation.” If these are the guidelines for leadership, if all are equal under the Constitution, should the rejection of Barack Obama on the grounds of race be anticipated?

The virtues of a nation will be questioned. Win or loose, let it be on the grounds of his presentation of the issues and platform for future governerance.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish.. Preamble of United States of America Constitution

The eyes of the world are watching to see if this is personal or engineered. For America, our best defense against those that seek to harm our nation may lie in the perception of how we elect a President.

The model maybe not be flawed, just in need of a few engineering tweaks, but I may really be delusional!

NottHead