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@Mel Hopkins I agree. If it's not constructive then it serves no purpose. Absolutely. I think we should welcome constructive criticism in the black community. I think that's the motivation we need for change sista. @Chevdove Yes, that is part of the problem too. And that needs to be discussed too sista! Regardless of hairstyle, black women are beautiful no matter what! Black women are the most beautiful women!

@NubianFellowReal is all I know - and talking about people, what they wear, et al. is a sign of an inferior mind, lack of power and self-control. As I stated (and this will be the last time); if that’s a sign of black masculinity today, then it’s in a state of disrepair.

@Pioneer1 @NubianFellow Talking about someone’s appearance makes $$$ millions for Wendy Williams and her talk show but that’s cheap entertainment. Nagging about another’s appearance, which gay men have turned into an art form, is a weak and ineffective showing of black masculinity. In fact, when I was growing up in Brooklyn - dudes called that a “bitch” move. An actual sign of Black masculinity would reflect first in a man having control over himself, and then working to better his physical environment. And that’s the bare minimum.

@Cynique You've spoken like a true hustler !!! one of the many reasons I admire you!!! “Always remember whether you be sucker or hustler in the world out there, you’ve got that vital edge if you can iron- clad your feelings. I picture the human mind as a movie screen. If you’re a dopey sucker, you’ll just sit and watch all kinds of mindwrecking, damn fool movies on that screen. After all, we are the absolute bosses of that whole theatre and show in our minds. We even write the script. So always write positive, dynamic scripts and show only the best movies for you on that screen whether you are pimp or priest.” - Iceberg Slim Yes, I believe it, @Troy . "Law of causation" <--- not really a law but I believe nothing ever happens without a cause - even if I haven't seen the cause.

For years, during online discussions, i have been attributing the conclusions i reach to my having taken an over view of things and looked at the big picture. Reaction to this has indicated a total disregard for my panoramic perspective. Now, a serendipitous epiphany has erupted in our midst, giving pause, inspiring a fatalistic view of life, one requiring a resignation to the profound idea that everything happens for inexplicable reasons beyond our comprehension, a declaration of dependence replete with the idea that we are all just pawns in a game which rules out free will. Watching now from my bird's eye view of the big picture, a question comes to mind leaving me to wonder, since everything happens for a reason, why do gluttons for punishment insist on descending into a constant state of fear of and loathing for the demonic social media and all of its by-products, and the enduring racism that thwarts justice, the looming threat of disastrous climate change, and the apocalyptic overtones of political upheaval? A better way of coping with the inevitable is to just chill and take life as it comes. Especially since things might turn out for the best! Since shit happens for reasons too convoluted for mere mortals to wrap their brains around, why sweat it? Leave the hassle to people like me, who believe we are in control to the extent that the choices we make are solely what determine our destiny. Adopting this approach makes things more interesting and at least allows us to enjoy our guilty pleasures along the way.

@Troy Based on the simple definition that I can grasp about 'Quantum physics, how can I be skeptic? The ancient word for 'science' was 'magic' simply because many people did not understand certain issues so, it the common people, it was magic, but to the MAGICIANS in the high courts of ancient civilizations, it was science. For example 'THE BURNING BUSH' well, to a common person they might use this as a basis to think that this is 'fantasy' but to me who understands that this directly correlates to our today's SATELLITES, TELEVISIONS and etc. that is so easy for me to understand. But no, I do not understand how someone 'Jesus' could 'walk through a wall', sit down at the table of the disciples and then vanish, but I see this 'magic' on TV all of the time, so I don't see how I could be skeptic. I used to love to watch the sitcome 'BeWitched' and 'I Dream of Jeannie' in which a lot of this kind of camera 'MEDIUM' was used to show these 'magic phenomena'. Even though I don't understand how 'microwave ovens' came to be, this modern invention, this would be another example of why I can't be skeptic about someone 'walking through a wall'. So, I do wonder if this ancient writing has something to do with Quantum Physics, but 'skeptic', I am not. The way the story goes, is that earlier in the morning, he told Mary NOT to touch him yet, because he was not fully 'Resurrected' [what ever that means! lol] an then later, he walked through the wall and then vanished. That sounds like it might have something to do with Quantum PHysics, IMO. But one of the most interesting 'inventions' today that supposedly happened in the 1950s that also makes me think about this is THE REMOTE CONTROL. Does this have anything to do with Quantum PHysics, I wonder. @NubianFellow But isn't this the very problem, in how many Black men have shown us otherwise? Again, this is the very problem. The standards that many Black men have had was NOT for us, the Black woman. It has become so common, it is joked about in so many films and sitcoms.

@Mel Hopkins Let's be real sista. Black men being concerned with the state of black women is actually anti gay. Gay men could care less. I resided in Brooklyn right on Tompkins ave so I am familiar with the culture. The "bitch move" is allowing our sisters to go around embarrassing the black race and not caring. By this logic I suppose it would be equally "gay" behavior for black women to be concerned about black men sagging their pants. And why should they be concerned that statistically most of the boys they are raising are helping to exterminate black people? Business as usual in the black community? "Let's not be concerned about the state of our people and just let the self destruction continue and deflect as much as possible", could be the behavior of some. I bet they would say it has nothing to do with how anyone wears their hair because it's only fashion. And when a gang member gets a tear drop to celebrate they took a life, then maybe that's just fashion too. Does anyone believe that black women wearing weave could be a direct reflection of why black women outnumber everyone else in terms of abortion? Self hate will always be self hate and cannot be defined any other way. That's why there are more Latinos in the USA now than black people. Between violent murders and abortions, we are probably killing more life than we produce at this point. Isn't the percentage of black people in the US 12 percent now? Wasn't it just 14 percent quite recently. But let's deflect and not concentrate on self hate issues we suffer in the black community. Sleep is a beautiful thing and no one likes to be bothered while they slumber. The problem is, black people have been sleeping too long - to the point where the matter is so serious that at this point in time, it's wake up or face extinction, primarily by ourselves.

@Mel Hopkins Nothing is sad about black men who choose to speak on issues that affect us all. Gang violence needs to be spoken about. All forms of black media and what black people need to do to protect our image. Glorifying low vibrational behavior, and poor self esteem needs to be discussed properly. Self esteem is a big issue in the black community and needs to be thoroughly addressed. This is how we have gotten rid of past low vibrational behavior and trends. Furthermore, our young queens need to understand that they are perfect for the black man as they are. They should understand that other women cannot compete with them as far as black men are concerned. A black man has to have standards. A black woman should appreciate a black man with standards. Some men don't care at all and I am certain that those men do not love black women as profoundly as those who express concern about issues pervasive in the black community such as the state of the black woman in America, among other pressing issues. The issue of weave in the black community barely scratches the surface, yet the importance of addressing this behavior cannot be denied. Why? Because even though the conscious mind tells her that she is beautiful as she is and mother of the earth, we are not our conscious minds. What we do consciously is only a reflection of what we believe in our subconscious minds. The subconscious mind is who we actually are. We have been programmed and must be reprogrammed. We can put the pro black fists up all day. We can embrace our history all we want. The subconscious mind has it's own program running and has already adapted to our reality. We are at its mercy. To successfully change the subconscious thinking, we have to change us!

i don't think so. To believe this is to support the idea of predestination which means that everything has already happened and we are just catching up with t it. i think our decisions influence our lives and such decisions are examples of free will, not some external force that is guiding us with an outcome in mind. i do, however, believe in mental telepathy between individuals but this connection between 2 people on the same wave length is a whole other dynamic, having more to do with randomness.

THE GIBRALTAR WRITING STYLE THE WRITER’S EDGE 1 PRELUDE 2 WRITING Let’s take a moment to deal with what I call “the blank page syndrome”. Just what is this syndrome, you ask? Well, it is the transition your book takes from being an actual mental byproduct into becoming an actual physical product, but before you jot down a single, solitary word on paper, you must understand how to bridge this gap between the mental and the physical; this yawning chasm where you will be compelled to make bricks without straw. What process do you employ to fling open the floodgates of your inner creativity? More importantly, how do you defeat the writing demons that lurk outside the gateways of your ongoing originality? Even more important, how do you maximize your writing potential? One word pops up: DISCIPLINE. You must be disciplined to get the best out of your writing potential. In addition to being disciplined mentally, there are “externals” that must be put into perspective, and though they may vary from individual to individual, they exist. You must select the ideal workspace. Seems simple enough, but the truth is that certain environments possess a better ambiance for writing than others. Find your nest. You must choose a best time to write. You must learn how to develop ideas as they come even if it is not your best time to write. Above all else, you must enjoy your own company. Only then can you hear your true inner voice. So, let’s say that you’ve done all this, then what? You then move for the conscious to the subconscious, that ever-lasting fountainhead of ideas and inspiration which brings us to a thing called “COGNITIVE FITNESS”. Just how important is cognitive fitness? Well, cognitive fitness is to the writer what physical fitness is to the marathon runner because it is via your cognitive fitness factor that you will develop your writing strategy. Can I let you in on a little secret? You can develop a winning writing strategy by tapping into either one of two sources. Well, actually only one is a source. The other is a resource. And there is a difference. Remember that in the literary world, a source has limits whereas a resource has none. Okay, but how does this apply to writing? Here’s how. When you write, you do so by tapping into a writing foundation that is either a source or a resource. Now, about these foundations. One is what I call “Train of Thought” writing. The second I call “Stream of Consciousness” writing. One provides ideas. One provides inspiration. Also keep in mind that ideas and inspiration are as different as the sources from which they are drawn and no matter how tedious it may appear, you must decide which one will better suit your literary aspirations. Odds are, you’re in this for the long term so I dare you to disturb the writing universe. However, if you are content to write beneath your potential, then be patient, failure will soon come. What I would like to do right now is to have you examine what I call a “writing event”. In a short term writing event such as FaceBook, Twitter, texting, and personal letter writing, it would be your best bet to tap into your Train Of Thought “TOT”. Why? Because the psychic costs are low. Always remember that TOT writing is discount writing where your greatest investment will be emotional, and that is exactly how most writers approach short-term writing events—with their emotions. This is great for FaceBook and the other above-mentioned venues because it can be done without a lot of mental sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong because even with TOT writing, you have a lot of info at your disposal and it may even provide you with a sense of literary control and power, but the truth is that it is not sustainable as a long-term writing tool. Why? Because of its superficiality. It is due to this superficiality that TOT writing is invested or possibly infested with what I call “universal literary fatalism”. This is because the ideas come and go. They don’t gather much mental dust. Basically, the ideas don’t belong to you. Now, let me expound briefly on the merits of SOC writing because this is the key to your long-term writing strategy. In fact, you will extend your writing career by employing the SOC method. Trust me, the SOC is the sweet spot for writers. Why? Because SOC provides you with a certain literary leverage, but even with this new-found leverage, you still must think outside the box and to take certain calculated literary risks. Let me offer a quick word about SOC writing which I also call “Alpha writing”. When you become an expert at this type of writing, what you will discover to your utter delight is that you acquire a definite mastery and control over the reader. SOC writing will allow you to get into a reader’s head to disrupt his/her plans. The reader may have every intention of going to bed at ten, but your book is so good, that he/she can’t put it down until two in the morning. Now, that’s power. That’s control. And this may be the only time during the course of your entire existence that you deliberately set out to control another person’s life, so you have to ask yourself: Am I ready for this? Am I big enough and bad enough? Can I handle this? I say you can! But for the sake of argument, let’s say that you’re not cut out to be the quintessential SOC writer and for whatever reason, you find the domination of another human’s senses unappealing, then I’m here to tell you that another option exists. It is also Alpha writing ,but it is where you write with such exquisite lyricism that your every word is savored for its immense beauty. It is where you write with the velvet glove rather than the iron fist, where you fuse each word with such vivid charisma that the words virtually jump off the pages. Understand that in Alpha writing, there are only two styles: Impulse writing and compulsion writing. In impulse writing, you go for the reader’s mind. In compulsion writing, you go for the reader’s soul! If you would like to read more of to study my “Gibraltar Method” of writing, please follow my blog for more.