He Wasn't Nestled In A Snuggie

 He didn’t have a dream He had a plan

As of right now must of us are doing what we would normally do on a day off, sleep late, eat breakfast at lunch time, stalk our exes on Facebook and watch re-runs of our favorite sitcom on television. This agenda doesn’t require much thought, effort, or physical labor. Nor is this a fantasy, an illusion, a myth, or ... a dream.

You may be thinking now, where is he going with this? I’m sure everyone reading this knows the reason we can sleep late and lounge on our couch on this blessed Monday, is because today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Last week I struggled with myself whether I wanted to post something on Dr. King and his legacy to honor his birthday. It seemed cliché, played out, and not original gentleman-ish.  I mean really, what else could I say about the man that hasn’t already been said by someone else? Then it hit me:

Dr. King didn’t have a dream... he had a plan.

For so long we have been conditioned to think that one night Dr. King fell asleep on his Queen size Sealy Posturepedic mattress and dreamt of little black children and little white children playing “Just Dance 3” on Nintendo Wii together.  I for one agree with the King, I think that Just Dance 3 is a great game and everyone should actually play it together. But that’s neither here nor there. Back to the matter at hand, Dr. Martin Luther da King Jr., wasn’t slumbering at all when his vision sprang forth.  As you may know, to dream one does not have to be laid at a restful position with his/her eyes shut. We have all been in situations at work or school laboring to stay awake in a boring class or listening to a monotone supervisor go over new details of an insurance plan. And what do we do? We let our minds wander... This, my friend is called daydreaming.

So let us review... we have established; to dream one can be asleep or awake.

 Now, let me introduce you to a third type of dreaming. The type of dreaming that elects black Presidents in America, the kind of dreaming that created the idea of the McNugget, this form of dreaming  supports equality for everyone, the type of dreaming that allows a player to take their talent to South Beach, the sort of dreaming that built the pyramids. This third category of dreaming is called: dreaming with an open mind.  

Dreaming consists of our brains imagining and processing ideas in our head... we call this, having a thought. Dr. King is best remembered for having dreamed. At that time, many of his dreams seemed highly unlikely, far-fetched and even out of this world. In a world where two black celebrities can make the world stop, and relish in awe, at the birth of their child (shout out to Baby Blue Ivy) we know nothing is impossible.    

Yes, the late great Dr. King did dream, however, we’ve grown to believe he was nestled in a Snuggie, snoozing on his loveseat, while having these miraculous visions. Dr. King and many others before and after him used their open mind to dream, implement and follow through on their thoughts, ideals, and desires.

Discoveries and ideas we have are nothing, unless we share it with someone. Until that time, it’s a well-kept secret. Today, tomorrow, and everyday after, we honor Dr. King by sharing our dreams with others, dreaming with an open mind, and bring those dreams to reality through planning and tireless effort. We all have a little bit of Dr. King in us.  Today I ask you to acknowledge the king and queen in yourself, and the majestic aura in others.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

I am We

What Would Steve Jobs Do?

Something wrong, I hold my head, S.J. gone ...that geek dead.

Like the time you had your first kiss or where you were when you heard the King of Pop died. Everyone will always remember where  they were or what they were doing the Master of the Mac went to that ride on Processor Highway up to the big CPU in the sky.

What was that? Where was I you ask?

Good question. I was actually perusing the internet, on a slim and sleek Mac Book Pro, searching for accent pillows for my couch to match the color of  the walls in my living room ( Yes this O.G. watches H.G.T.V).  Then I stumbled across the headline “Apple Co-founder dies at 56”  The funny part is ...I don’t own a Mac. This just goes to show how successful Steve Jobs was at intergrating Apple into every facet of our lives.

There are plenty of things worth remembering about Steve Jobs. But probably the one most worth noting is that Jobs gave us the authority to design and control our own shit.

In our Age thinking for yourself is considered odd or a mistake. We constantly reinforce the need to fit into a bottle. Much of our instinctive creativity that we are born with is stifled. We start our dreaming, pretending and creating; and end up crunching numbers making up excuses and taking half hour lunch breaks. Amongst the stress from our professors, bosses, and even family members, many of us throw in the towel in search of our meaning and purpose in life. Because we like to follow the herd. Fuck that. And after some time, some of  us start  to doubt that we actually have something unique to offer the world  

When we try and measure ourselves by others standards; Its like the kid in the Volkswagen commercial wacking at the pinata with all his might and not even putting a dent in the damn thing. (c'mon you know the advertisement I'm talking about).. but its pointless..

Some time after Jobs 30^th birthday, Apple relieved him of his duties as CEO. Upon his return Job initiated an ad campaign that pretty much sums up his belief and approach to life. 

So lets give three cheers for the guy that taught us not to conform to what others think. Figure out your own importance to this world and find a way to make a difference.

I am We.