Life after Death ©

Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment – Buddha

Allow me to take you on a journey.

One that I hope will awaken the critical thinker that lives within you. Now… I have to preface this entry by saying that I plan on covering a lot and I will definitely delve into a broad range of content. As with all my entries, this entry is being written from my viewpoint and perspective on a variety of topics and states of existence. I entitled this entry life after death primarily because one has to lay to rest those things that prevent them from experiencing a life of purpose and fulfillment. Last Rites have to be performed for old habits, toxic relationships, negative influences, past regrets, and fear of future success. Basically, the person society has forced you to become has to die before the person you are destined to become can live.

The world that we live in if you let it will make you question everything that you believe about yourself. People will make you believe that you are the worst kind of person simply for not believing as they believe.  Some people will even dedicate their every waking minute in ensuring that your life is a hectic one. But the wonderful thing about the life of a believer is that there is always one that you can go to that is never too busy, always encouraging , loves you despite your flaws and imperfections and understands when you are weary in your well doing without judgment.  There is one when it’s all said and done and the smoke clears will always have your back, even when you haven’t always been consistently loyal to them. HE is a way maker. HE is your vindicator. HE stands in the gap deflecting things that the enemy means to use for your destruction. HE loves without dissimulation and unconditionally. Truth be told…… HIS love is the only true love that I have even known. I have never had to show HIM how to love me. HE just knows. When love is right and that person is the one HE wants you to have, they will know exactly how to love you. They will give you everything they have without you even asking. They will open their heart to you without any motives or hidden agendas. They will bestow upon you the genuine love that the Creator intends for you to have. They will simply be an extension of HIM.

The key is, keeping your heart open to receive it. Trust me…. I know how difficult that can be at times. This world will make you cold if you let it. See the kind hearted individual has a tough road to travel in this life. Kind hearted people understand that no one is perfect and treats people the way that they wish to be treated. They understand that this life can be a difficult one and that everyone needs someone. Kind hearted people take it upon themselves to be that person. They are the ones that the Most High decides to use to get a word to or to send a blessing through. The unfortunate thing about our society today is that it is these very same people who often find themselves persecuted for “fighting the good fight”. For standing up when others are either too scared, too comfortable or too content with the status quo. See ….Kind hearted people think big picture and are selfless. They understand that the needs of the whole outweigh the desires of the few. It never fails though….. Time after time these individual’s kindness are taken for weakness (Sometimes to the spoiling of their soul) at times leaving them at a crossroads:

•  Do I continue on?
• Why am I putting up with all this stuff?
• Why am I sticking my neck out for these people? They don’t even appreciate or even care about what I’m doing.
•  Why am I even doing this?
•  Do I give up and let someone else carry load?

Truly grounded and kind hearted individuals know that the answers are:

•  Yes
•  Because this season is only temporary and HIS will must be fulfilled.
•  It doesn’t matter what they think. It’s not about them. This is YOUR test.
•  Because this is your assignment. You were built for this. HE doesn’t make mistakes. Trust…even when you can’t trace.
•  No. Christ couldn’t.

This brings me to the topic of today’s discussion.

In this life, I have died 1000 times if not more. Not to sound morbid, but sometimes it is necessary for a part of us to die in order for us to be reborn and rejuvenated. This allows us to step into the creator’s true purpose for our lives. We all know that there have been times over the course of our lives when all seemed lost. Even the most optimistic of us have to call a situation or circumstance what it is. There are times (due to the fact that we are human beings) that something looks down right bad to us when in all actuality the situation is merely working to prepare you for something better. The truth of the matter is, the moment you label a situation as hopeless, you are in all actuality releasing it to the only one that could fix it anyway. Trust me I know. I have caused myself the most pain trying to fix things that were never in my wheelhouse. I should have given it to The One and moved on. But me and this damn A Type Personality of mine got to try to fix everything. All I ended up doing was stressing myself the hell out and aggravating a lot of people in the process. Those that know me ….know me. The wonderful thing about my circle is that we lift each other up. That’s rare these days. Folks nowadays would rather tear you down than build you up. The Word of God says that “iron sharpens iron”. To me this means that your circle needs to be such that where you are weak, you have someone in your circle that emboldens you to be strong enough to overcome that weakness and you in return are to be that for them. Unfortunately the world is so full of what I refer to as “Emotional Leeches”. You know who they are….. the ones that always need “an ear” but are never there for you when it’s time to return the favor. Yeah…those folks. The ones that always need you to pray for them or is asking you to intercede on their regards but when it’s time to stand in the gap for you are curiously M.I.A.. Yeah …those folks. The ones that will scream at the top of their lungs that they got your back and are down for you ….until it’s time to actually show up. Yeah….those folks. But hey …… they’re Leeches. You know they can’t stand the heat. The truth to an emotional leech is like a BIC Lighter.  The thing about leeches is that they will continue to drain you as long as you allow them to. The minute you discover one, it’s best to remove it as quickly as possible.

Unspoken obligations can also be extremely taxing and draining and to me is just an extension of emotionally parasitic behavior. People automatically assume that just because you look like you “got it all together” that you are available for them to dump all of their cares and rubbish on and because you are as strong as you are you try to shoulder the load. However, there comes a time where even the strong needs someone to maybe not carry the load but to just take it off of their back and shoulders for just a second so they can have a break. The truly strong understand the concept of carrying their weight and accepting responsibility for themselves and sometimes others. Unfortunately just like with anything else, this is a trait of the truly strong that regularly gets exploited. Just because someone can carry your load doesn’t mean they have to or you should make them. Take responsibility for yourself and your own actions. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. If you made the mess, then by all means clean it up. That’s the mark of true maturity. We have a lot of “grown ups” out here that can’t even grasp that concept. The truly unfortunate thing is that it is these same people that are out here trying to raise children. Then some of you wonder why the state of our youth is what it is. The time has come for people to start celebrating our differences instead of letting them divide us. We all inhabit this planet…. together. It is ours to share. The Earth is not one class’, creed’s, culture’s or race’s to rule or dominate. Whether you believe as I believe or not (And for record let be known that I am Servant of the Most High God), the fact that there are so many different kinds of people on this planet is not an accident. Contrary to popular belief these days, no one race has the right to oppress another. Now don’t get it twisted, each person that walks this Earth has a responsibility to their ancestry to be the best individual they can possibly be. We have a responsibility to show the world the best of us and of the culture we represent... but not at the expense of another race, creed, class or culture’s freedom. Now there is another side to that coin. I love my people but just because someone looks like you does not make them automatically trustworthy. On the same note, just because someone looks nothing like you, serves another God (or no God) or lives a completely different lifestyle than you does not mean that they aren’t trustworthy or aren’t worthy of compassion, empathy or respect. In this life you get what you give. I don’t care WHAT you look like or any of the aforementioned traits….. if you intentionally cross or  disrespect me..you will rue the day that you did. That’s not a Black thing, a White thing, a Hispanic thing, Native American, German, Hindu, Vietnamese  or Polk-a-dot and Purple thing. That’s a “We are all citizens of this planet thing” and the definition of the title Citizen according to Merriam-Webster Online is:

A person who belongs to a country and has the rights and protections of that country. A person who lives in a particular place.

Let’s revisit a portion of that definition for a second.

“Has the rights and protections of that country”

Well….

Given the events that have transpired over the past few years in this country, one would think that there was a new amendment drafted and attached to the constitution that we weren’t made aware of. One revoking the right to assembly and freedom of speech. One that trumps the Fourteenth Amendment or the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Police Brutality, Racial Profiling, Unequal pay for women and minorities, and the systematic character assassination of individuals for having certain standards or that don’t necessarily agree with the status Quo are at a fever pitch. How about the just outright disrespect of the office of the President of the United States. I mean seriously…let’s just forget the fact that the current President is African American. Let’s take a different look at it. What if ANYONE… white, black or otherwise heckled Ronald Reagan during media session on the White House Lawn. That would have probably been considered treason. You see how Kanye West was vilified for the infamous “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” statement. I mean the dude was a pariah for years.  Now with that being said I do believe that we have individual responsibility in keeping ourselves out of or removing ourselves from environments that could prove hazardous to our health.  However, in light of recent events I have come to the realization that sometimes….. sometimes trouble comes looking for you. Just ask the slew of individuals within the last few months alone that have been victimized for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, minding their own business but unfortunately having the wrong “presentation”. Once upon a time when speaking of those tasked with our safety and security, you could honestly say that the majority of the individuals behind the badge were honestly doing their very best to and giving their all to protect and serve . Unfortunately, it’s a new day. In all my years, I have never seen such absolute abuse of power and authority by members of law enforcement as I have in recent months. Or maybe now with everybody and their momma (literally) having a camera, there is just more evidence of it (Not that that even matters – Rest in Power Eric Garner).

But I digress...

Individuals walk this planet everyday with the ability to decide whether to live or die, but not in regards to their actual mortality. I truly believe that an individual has the ability to decide whether or not they can have a life full of joy and fruitfulness or one of despair and stagnation. In my humble opinion, a life full of joy and fruitfulness grants one life and in essence gives life to those around that individual. Then there is the other side of that coin. The one that leads of life of negativity and pessimism does nothing but corrupt the environment they are in. The thing about both of those scenarios is that both individuals have a choice in which life they choose to lead. Yes….. Negativity and pessimism is a choice. So never let anyone sell you on the fact that that is just the way that they are. They have chosen to be that one that works everybody’s last damn nerve. They have chosen to be the one who will not listen to reason. They have chosen to be lazy. Your life is a sum total of the decisions that you have made over the course of your life. Meaning…. that you have no one to blame for the condition of your life but yourself. Life throws us all a curve or two from time to time. It’s up to you how to respond. Are you going to give in or will for pick yourself up, dust yourself off and fight on? My prayer for you is that you do the latter. The road of life is littered with the cast off dreams of those who decided to let life get the best of them. Don’t add yours to the collection. Press on. No matter how much you want to quit. No matter how hard things appear to be. Press on. Don’t give in. I know it’s easy to resign to setting up permanent residence in your comfort zone. But no one has ever discovered their destiny or their divinely appointed assignment balled up in the fetal position in a corner in their comfort zone.  Fortune favors the bold. Those audacious enough to venture down the road seldom travelled. Those individuals are the ones that enjoy life to the fullest and revel in the life that the Most High has promised all who strive to live their lives righteously. Notice I didn’t say perfectly. I said righteously. There definitely is a difference between the two. The major difference being that living righteously allows for mistakes while living perfectly (which is utterly impossible) does not. I personally, am far from perfect. As a matter of fact I am guaranteed to screw something the hell up at LEAST once a day. Thing about that though is I will not quit until I fix what I have messed up. Not because I’m fear making mistakes but simply because I take great pride in my reputation. I never want it said that I can’t be trusted to do anything properly.  That’s a personal preference though. Some people are perfectly fine with being a screw-up. They are perfectly fine with allowing others to come behind them and clean up their mess. Me? Not so much.  I absolutely can’t stand having to clean up after irresponsible people. My attitude towards people in this category is “If you don’t give a damn… why should I?”

Just sayin…..

If you don’t pay your light bill so you can cop those new Js, don’t complain to me about sitting the dark.

If you don’t pay your car note because you want to go to that Roots Concert, please don’t call me for a ride.

If you don’t put food in your fridge because you got to get your hair and nails done or you just dropped an insane amount of singles at the shake joint…. there is a shelter, mission or soup kitchen in your city you need to hit up ASAP.

Now don’t get it twisted, those in true need I assist wholeheartedly. Assisting irresponsible people for me is optional.

But I digress....

Now.... for the good news.

There is life after death.

 No… I’m not speaking of reincarnation; however there are several studies out there that attempt to make a case for it. No, I’m not speaking on the beautiful account of the one that conquered death so those that believe as I believe would have the right to the tree of life and a shot at eternal life.

No, the resurrection of which I speak has to do with one’s new life once they have decided to lay to rest the burdens of their past. See it’s living in the past that keeps a great many of us from stepping into a bold and brighter future. Harboring guilt about things that the Most High has already forgiven us for. Unforgiveness is a beast. It’s a form of purgatory all its own. It keeps the person in a constant state of cynicism and bitterness. It prevents the individual from moving forward with their life for harboring animosity towards someone that has moved on with their life and could truly care less about you or your “hurt feelings”.  Well I have some words of advice for those suffering from this condition or that finds themselves in this state of existence currently:

Let that ish go, man. No one is worth that kind of energy.

Go to that person (like an adult) and express your feelings and concerns. Either they are going to receive it or they aren’t. Regardless of whether or not the outcome is what you expect or wish it to be…. Let it go. You did your part. Now you can move on with your life. A life full of purpose and promise.  Not one trolling your alleged violator’s Facebook page and Twitter feed looking for any reason to substantiate your reason for disliking them. Just sayin…. While you are doing your daily social media investigation of their lives, they are actually living theirs. So log the hell off and get to living yours. Life is to be lived to the absolute fullest. Passionately and without an ounce of regret.  Forgive others regularly, forgive yourself often ….then step boldly and confidently into your new existence.

I leave you with an absolutely profound yet simplistic quote from American Actress, Singer, Playwright, Screenwriter and cinema darling Mae West:

You only live once, but if you do it right…once is enough.