Creativity.

Creativity is like a deep well that is dug on a very rich land surface with water gushing out of it infinitely.

Black Kids and Negative Influences.

Recently, some colleagues and I were discussing the dilemmas facing a lot of young black kids in this country of ours. One of us lamented that his son had become a victim of the nation's social ills. The kid could barely remember anything he was taught at school. This prompted his parents to assume that he had a poor memory. But that was until they discovered that their son could recite every rap song in an entire CD with absolute ease!



The problem with a lot of kids in Black communities across the United States is that their psyche and consciousness are constantly bombarded and “fed” with grossly negative ideas and images through music, movies, internet and other media. There is virtually no room for positive images to be celebrated. And when parents are not paying much attention or creating more time to fill-in the gaps, the kids will just have to make do  with whatever negativity is shoved down their mental throats.



This is why many Black kids know very little about Black people’s achievements in education, commerce or any enterprise of positive nature. The same kids will readily sneer when pointed in the directions of great professions such as medicine, law, engineering and teaching. And why not? All they see and hear on TV, newspapers, magazines and the internet are glamorous stories about rappers, hip-hop artists, actors, drug dealers, basketball players or football players.

 

 

Taking Responsibility for our Image.

Whether we like it or not, certain people in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, among our friends and even within our families, will insist on seeing the worst in us. But it is our individual duty to take responsibility for our image, do right by others and project positive image to make a majority of people see the best in us.

There is a natural mechanism in every individual that sieves the positive character in our nature from the bad. Therefore, no matter the extent by which other people try to dent our image either out of ignorance or by sheer mischief, if the positive character in our nature is greater, it will always outshine whatever smear campaign is launched against us.

 

 

The Dog Mentality.

Many years ago, a friend of mine had an Alsatian dog which he cared so much about as if it was a child. One night, the dog suddenly disappeared. The man, his family and some people searched the whole neighborhood for the dog but did not find it. Tired, they all gave up the search to go sleep. Early in the morning, some construction workers came to the street to clear a blocked drainage system. They had barely started work when a faint sound filtered from the interior of the drain. On close examination, the workers discovered the lost dog facing the direction of the debris that was blocking the drain. Completely wearied and dehydrated, the dog was finally evacuated and saved from starvation. Obviously, the dog had mistakenly walked into the drainage system and run into the blockade. All the hapless dog needed was to do a u-turn! But instead of simply turning back around to walk out of the drainage system, it stood there, facing the same direction as if waiting for some miracle to clear the debris from its way. 

Later on, I met with my friend and he narrated the incident to me.

"Animals can be very dumb." he marveled at the dog's stupidity. "In that situation, a human would have simply turned back around to get out of the doldrums."

"Not in all cases..." I shook my head in disagreement. "There are some people who react to issues the same way as your dog did."

When the guy looked confused, I explained to him by citing the example of some individuals, especially women, who are stuck in bad marriages or relationships. Everyday, all they do is whine and cry about their abusive, stagnant marriages or relationships. But in spite of their constant hues and cries, they remain in the moribund relationships while praying and waiting for a miracle. Many therefore will wonder why the affected individuals can't just simply do a u-turn, free themselves from their ugly situations and look elsewhere? This is a dog mentality!

The same principle applies to those who are stuck in dreadful jobs. All they do at all times is complain and feel sad about their jobs. These individuals are not only frustrated but they also make everyone around them at work and at home miserable. Yet, all they need to do is think and look into a different, better career or job within their areas of expertise or skill. This is a dog mentality!

And as petty as it may sound, there are some individuals who also appear stuck in their houses, even though these are rentals, not houses owned. They spend everyday of their lives complaining about all the features of their houses. They dislike everything from their developments to their neighbors, their living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Yet, they remain stuck in the same house when all they need to do is a u-turn by moving out of the house and get a different one in another neighborhood! This is a dog mentality!