2007 is finally here, and that means it’s a time for new beginnings. For me, I will be graduating and starting life, as well as realizing many of my dreams. One dream I am realizing early, and that is being the editor of the opinions section. For me, 2007 will be a time to remember all the travesties and hardships that I have overcome, lessons I have learned, and memories that I will cherish forever. And the great part about it, I get to share them with all my Digest faithful.
Many believe the key to having a successful year is to reminisce about the prior year and make future plans and endeavors for the current. I don’t believe in making New Year resolutions because during the course of the year things change, which means your goals change. I hate starting things I cannot finish, and making plans for a whole year is just too hard to manage. But I do believe there are lessons that can be committed to memory, and from these lessons you can make guidelines to steer the course of your year. These are mine…
On my plane ride home, a misfortune befell me that became an inspiration. My computer died which left me with no entertainment for my four hour flight from Houston to Oakland. As I dug around in my backpack, desperate for anything, I ran across a book that I was given by my mom for my birthday, but avoided reading. It’s called “Letters to a Young Brother” by Hill Harper, a prominent actor. As I began reading, I began to place a lot of things into perspective.
One memorable analogy he used were us black men, today, are like new cars. I quote, “you are the perfect product of 15 billion years of evolution.” Just like cars, we are the upgraded model of the human species, each year becoming the upgrade we seek. We can do things that previous generations can’t do, no matter the education level we have. Just like cars, the ’07 model is better than the ’04 model, which was better than the ’99 model. But one thing all cars have in common, all car designers always study past designs to get a vision from the future. We are perfect the way we are, but we can only reach our full potential through the examples of past great people. We can no longer waste our resources on frivolous exploits.
Our generation has become a material one, but we are not being wise with our earnings. Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. As Harper states, there are only two acceptable types of debt we should allow ourselves to be in: educational debt, which is taking a loan out for school, and when buying a house. Every other type is inexcusable. A popular quote is “if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Ignorance has made us forget that the purpose of wealth is to matriculate and not depreciate. It has made us forget that we are in college to make more money, not waste money by not advancing ourselves, and definitely not to be in a fashion show or car show. “Big bank take little bank” is a childish game, as well as “I’m better than you”, and we are all grown right?
For 2007 I have created a new model for life, one I’d like to share. I call it the ABC’s of reality and it states every Action is caused by a Behavior which yields a Consequence. Just like all math equations, adding two negatives or depreciating circumstances never equal a positive outcome. Sacrificing actions are caused by desperate behaviors, and as result of a risky action, it leads to a risky consequence. This year, let’s all make positive power moves, and let’s continue to upgrade our perfect selves.
Trying to Uplift My Folks
Categories:
New Year’s Revolution
January 19, 2007
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