Peaks and Valleys

Have you ever looked back at your life to see how you got to where you are now?  Satchel Paige said, "don't look back, something might be gaining on you." I echo his sentiment even though I often look back at my life and examine the peaks and valleys.  The question is why? Why do we look back at our lives?  Is it to see how far we've come or how far we've fallen?  In thinking about Satchel's saying it's important to note his life story to provide a context.  He was a star in the Negro Baseball Leagues but he saw many players come through the league and go on to play in the newly integrated major leagues while he continued on in the Negro Leagues.  His playing in the Negro leagues was not such a bad thing because the Negro Leagues had superior talent to the major leagues prior to integration, which lured many of the best players from the league. So Satchel winds up a star in a league that is now waning in talent and becoming a sort of "minor league" for the now integrated Major Leagues.   I won't dwell on his story but he eventually became the oldest rookie in Major league baseball history at 42.  Now, remember, Satchel said, "don't look back, something might be gaining on you."  Well he could have looked back and said,  "if I was here in my prime I would have dominated in this league" or "I could have been the best ever."  I could have... I would have...  Well one of may favorite sayings is: "What would have happened... did."  I'm not sure who said it but I think it was an athlete after they won a game where it was said that they may not have won had this thing or that thing not happened.  I think his point was that those things did happen so why speculate on what would have happened "if"? They weren't going to replay the game so, what would have happened did happen.  I employ that mantra every time I start to lament about where I am currently in this game called life.  We're not going to be able to replay the game so the best thing to do is learn from the experience and teach from the experience as you move forward and upward.  Grow from it and help others to avoid those mistakes and/or pitfalls.

I bet every single one of us have had some "I could've" or "I should've" or "if only" in our lives.  I have made some major errors in my life.  I have offended the wrong people at the wrong time.  I have  listened to and befriended people who did not have my best interest at heart, and I've rejected the friendship and advice of those who did.  I have faced maltreatment, discrimination and been disconsolate and brokenhearted among other things, but I know that I am destined for greatness. I believe we all are "if" we choose it.

I have been in the valley and I have climbed the mountain only to loose my grip or have my hand stomped near the plateau.  When I was in the valley before I started the climb I wasn't sure if I could climb that high, now I know I can.  If I choose to learn from the failures, obstacles, and even successes of the climb it will be fuel for reaching the plateau of excellence that is before me.  Those of you who have climbed and fallen, you didn't fall into the valley - you just landed hard and got up a little dazed and confused.  You now have a shorter climb and more resources to get there.  I have learned and I will teach and I will lead an expedition to greatness.  Who's with me?

Why Are We Hating on Tyler Perry So Much?

The real villain here is the African American community who flood the box office every time Mr. Perry releases his buffoonery.  Unlike Stepin Fetchit, Amos and Andy and JJ from Good Times,  which were Hollywood creations that made a mockery of Black people for the entertainment of white people, Tyler Perry was not on the Hollywood radar.  He built an economic infrastructure based on the success of the "chittlin circuit"plays in which he starred as Mudea.  As late as last year many non-African Americans had not even heard of Tyler Perry. While we are hating, yes hating, on Tyler Perry's choices we need to recognize that WE made him and others like him and WE perpetuate the ignorance and defamation that he purveys by our patronage.  Even in his catalog of films his most successful are those that have Madea and those around "her" acting a fool, so we are just as much to blame.  Until we actually go see the minuscule amount of few and far between movies that feature images of us that we can be proud of in droves like Akeela and the Bee, Rosewood, Malcom X, Finding Forester to name a few and even Tyler's Daddy's Little Girls then we will continue to see buffoonery perpetuated unchecked and not just by Tyler Perry's hands.  If we continue to support garbage in overwhelming numbers why would any business person (studio/distributor/exhibitor) believe that we truly want to see anything else in large numbers? 

I  will actually give some of the aforementioned "buffoons" like Stepin Fetchet who's real name is Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry  (no relation to Tyler...I think) a slight pass because as "Negroes" in the 1930's they did not have many options available to them in life PERIOD - let alone an opportunity to make that kind of money.  I'll even give Tyler a pass for the material he did early in his career to get it off the ground and build an infrastructure for his "empire" but he does not have to do that type of material anymore. I hear people ask, "do all images of Black people on the screen have to be positive?" No, all images of African Americans or people of the African diaspora in media do not have to be positive.  We need antagonists also.  But a character can be stupid without being a buffoon;  they can be a villain without being a thug;  and a slut without being a neck rolling "around the way girl". This is art and it is very subjective but, as funny as it may be, we know buffoonery when we see it.  Mr. Perry may not have the sophistication to recognize the difference but I doubt that.  One does not need to be a genius to see it even my 12 year old described his genre of filmmaking as "ghetto gospel"

The films that Tyler does that have comedic elements without the buffoonery have not done as well comparatively but they are profitable so unlike Stepin Fetchit he doesn't "have" to do buffoonery to make a dollar, or even millions, anymore (does one ever?). By the same token WE don't have to patronize buffoonery and allow it to be the crown jewel in our body of work that overshadows the brilliant work that is being done by other African Diasporic artists as producers, directors, writers, and performers.  You can hate on Tyler Perry all you like but Tyler will continue to make the garbage he makes until we stop feeding the monster WE created.

The Pursuit of Happiness

"The pursuit of happiness" on which our country was founded is flawed and actually selfish. We are applying the pursuit of happiness across the board to all aspects of life particularly in relationships and it does not apply there. Relationships are necessary in order for individuals to collectively thrive in society. Pursuing happiness with a person automatically creates the premise that you are looking for something FROM that person rather than what you can do FOR that person. If the basic mentality of a relationship was what can I do FOR you and all parties understand that, then there would be more respect (which is love), honesty (which is love), cooperation (which is love) and yes "happiness" in the world. In the "pursuit of happiness" as soon as the initial excitement of a relationship or thing wears off (and it will) one will no longer be "happy" and it is certainly not the thing's fault nor is it the person's. It is yours because you are still looking for them or it to "provide" you with something they can not give and do not have to give and that is YOUR contentment and your peace which is rooted in love. They may have their peace and their self love but they do not have yours. People can absolutely piss you the @#%!! off but you can be content enough in your self to correct them or remove them and move on. But the question is why do people piss us us off really? Is it because they are pursing their happiness/well being etc. at the expense of ours? I think so, yes. Racism is about the pursuit of my happiness over yours. Sexism is about the pursuit of my happiness over yours. Adultery, thievery etc. and the list goes on. Even in oversight we human beings often slip into selfishness/self preservation at the expense of others. Life and liberty are rights given to us by God but the "pursuit of happiness" ironically interferes with universal life and liberty and can cause us to tread down many dangerous roads that can lead to self destruction and the destruction of others. We have a president who is being attacked because he wants to provide for those who are unable, for whatever reason, to provide health care for themselves. When all are whole are we not ALL whole? And if we are not all whole then we are not whole. If one truly wants to pursue happiness then what we should actually pursue is love. Love God. Love yourself. Love others like you love yourself. Love God because God is love and He can teach you what love is and how to love ... yourself. Love yourself so that you can be whole and complete inside and be able to love the unlovable which will sometimes be... yourself. Love others so that love can spread, grow and come back to you through others. If we love only those who love us how are we different from anyone else? Pursue love and selfishness will die allowing all of our selves to live... and love.