Life Isn’t Perfect, Be Authentic
Authenticity Matters In Life.
This is something I hardly discuss here. When people tell you you have to do things a certain way, you go in the other direction. When people tell you to be true to yourself and not let others dictate your behavior, you do it. The only way you make it in this world is being authentic. Life is not fair, life is not perfect, neither am I. I’m my own brand of authenticity, and nobody will ever change who I am.
I just got off from a little debate on Twitter about what is a waste of time and what is not. It’s no secret to most of my family, I’ve always been known to play sports video games for practically 3 decades. From Nintendo to Sega Genesis to Super Nintendo to PlayStation to Xbox I have played almost every sports game there is.
But here is where I find this hard to believe, even by my own standards. This individual, one that I will not call out by name, said that “Video games are escapism” and saying that “they are a waste of time.” This individual went on to call people who play video games “losers.” But here’s where I disagree with that sentiment. Video games are not in any way are they “escapism,” the people that enjoy video games, just like me and most of my relatives, aren’t “losers” because we want to entertain ourselves. It’s a form of entertainment just like movies and TV shows. We find ourselves being trapped in a society where no one cares about you except your family and friends, and we find our free time to be either reading, watching television, listening to music or playing the latest video games out there.
But in this day and age most people can hardly confront the world’s problems head on; such as making sure we are healthy from COVID-19 and trying to stay that way, ensuring the fact that we have more money in our pockets, but most people have the ability to make our country better than what it is right now. Better healthcare, better jobs, better opportunities. And that is more admirable than preaching to me what is “escapism” and what is not.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing meaningful I can do in this world to make everything better. I am only one person. For this individual to advise me not to fall into “Black lies matter Marxist bait” is something I will not take seriously. Fact of the matter is, I am for the Black Lives Matter movement, but not the organization as a whole. I was born into this earth by a Black father and a White mother. I was raised by a strong black family that helped build my foundation on becoming a better person, even if I often fail to live up to my expectations. If I had learned to articulate myself, how come I have a high school diploma? My high school diploma was handed to me by my mother, who happened to be on the school board, before she went to be with the Lord 15 years ago. My voice is to strengthen my core values and principles that my mother taught me for years. I have relied on the lessons my mother taught me for years growing up. And I sure as Hell I am not going to lose them now.
But when it comes to promoting western values, I promote social equality, standing up for my fellow man, and showing respect for others. I haven’t done much as a kid, but when I started growing up my respect for others started to change. I had became a solid student in high school, I had good grades, and continued to maintain my authenticity while building my own character through the principles I have learned from my mother. I still struggled with expectations, but at least I still want to make my mother proud. When my mother went to be with the Lord, I was left without a sense of direction. That changed when my brothers looked out for me and continue to instill those lessons they have learned from my mother to this very day.
I have a number of mentors who continue to guide me every day of my 33 years on this earth. Mentors like my brothers and sisters continue to play a big role in my life. My aunts and uncles continue to give me the advice I need to make it in adulthood. Not to mention my long list of cousins.
I also have strong spiritual mentors. Bishop Thompkins, formerly of St. Paul’s Christian Tabernacle in Amityville, helped build my spiritual foundation. Father Krantz, formerly of the Church of the Advent in Westbury, helped fortify my foundation. And Bishop Lyons of the Fountain of Life Church continues to make my foundation stronger than ever before.
Experience isn’t free. If those who are saying that experience is free if you know where to look, that is a lie. You have to learn from people you can trust, and help you restructure your authenticity. If you let others perception of you dictate your behavior, you’ll never grow. You’ll regress.
What I have read from this individual is that her mindset belongs in the 1900s. But I don’t live in the past. I live in the future. And while I may not know what the future holds, I keep being myself one day at a time.
Be the better person you are today and tomorrow. Don’t let people dictate you on being the person they want you to be. BE YOURSELF. BE AUTHENTIC.
