This is a book on my list of reads. I heard that Will Smith read it and it gave him a perspective that has been key to his success in life. I have mad respect for Will, (Hancock notwithstanding) Me and my boy Rich were talking about the book and he is featuring it on his blog on Tuesdays. His Tuesday post are called, “Back On Track Tuesdays, where they will hold discussions. I will actively join in after I get the book but I will stay tuned in the meantime!
My friend Gregg “The Happy Guitar” Haynes has a nice jam called, “I’m So Thankful.” Its one of my top gospel jams. My favorite version is from a live CD recording I witnessed at Friendly Temple MB Church in St. Louis. Thinking of it while sitting in church recently reminded me once again that in spite of all the challenges we face in this life, I am still and will remain thankful for all that is good and right in the world. So for this post I thought I would take time to list just a few things I am thankful for.
* The opportunity to live in the world and enjoy the natural beauty around me.
* A sound mind which allows me to think straight; or at least want to.
* The friends and family that I know without a doubt love me, and will challenge heaven and earth on my behalf when I need them to. Ride or Die!
* The special friends and family who allow me the opportunity to be there for them when they are in need. Thank you for allowing ME to bless you.
* My beautiful children and grandchildren; You are all so special to me – priceless
* My haters; for keeping me grounded and reflective at all times. Sometimes your criticisms are right on!
* My vocation/dreams. Opportunities to earn money comes and goes – but my purpose is for life and the results are forever.
* My heros; dead and alive. And all of the ancestors who watch over me – who speak wisdom. May my ears continue to be open to hear.
* My thinking crew! Those who always challenge my way of thinking and stretch me beyond my paradigm! They know who they are!
* My Creator and the Universe of which I have the priviledge to participate.
Greetings,
I added a new feature called the Personal Book Club. Its right under the “About me” section on the right side. I am on a great roll these days going through a lot of useful material and I enjoy the fruits of learning. A reader is a leader. Let me know if there are any books you can suggest.
Pictured: Me and Hill Harper of CSI New York (among several other projects) at his book signing for, Letters To a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny. Hill is a great brother who loves his community! His latest work is for the young women. Letters To A Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny
Growing up in the Christian faith community “confession” was a prevalent teaching among the congregations I associated with. The faith movement was based highly on words – ala God created the Heavens and Earth with words… Jesus is called The Living Word – There are scriptures that say life and death are in the power of the tongue – and that those of the faith should call things that be not as though they were and so forth. Today many Christians are very careful about what they say. They do not want to claim negativity. I recall seeing people appear to have a cold, and as he/she coughs and sneeze say in the next breath – “I’m not going to claim sickness. I am perfectly fine.”
I can understand the thinking – I do believe the mind is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and the words we say on an ongoing basis make a difference in our state of being. However, sometimes I think we take it too far. In other words there is a difference between faith and denial. One does not have to deny facts to in order to seek out and confess a higher truth. For there is a difference in facts and truth. I would define it this way. Dictionary.com says of a fact in short;
Fact – Knowledge or information based on real occurrences
But truth is as I define it for the purposes of this post…
Truth – the highest form of reality – an ultimate universal treaty
Truth would not deny a fact but would supersede it. So for a person was sick or depressed and yet understand that their ultimate state should not be sickness or depression – it would not be best to deny what is evident. But yet what is evident is not necessarily the last word. Facts are outside manifestations, but truth is ultimate destination. So one could admit to the fact that he/she is afflicted with sickness, and yet not deny the ultimate purpose and destination of wellness. Facts are temporary and yet if to US those facts become truth – then they become one in the same.
Ultimately people live by and make decisions based on the truth as they know it – not the facts. For example, I recall driving my car and running out of gas with money in my pocket before. Well I knew by intellect or ‘fact’ that the car could indeed run out of gas – and yet the ‘truth’ is I didn’t really believe it or else I would have stopped and added gas to the car before it happened. As the hand slipped to the left of the ‘E’ I thought I had more and more time. Well once that happened to me once – it has never happened again. The potential for walking because a reality to me – especially cause it was like 15 degrees below zero that night. 
Simple as it may seem we all live by the truth that we know in our hearts – not the facts that we learn. Or else we all by way of knowledge would live and do everything we know to do. We wouldn’t abuse our bodies with alcohol and drugs. We wouldn’t eat the wrong things if we really “knew” that those things were killing us. Obviously knowledge is not what we lack. Our personal realization of “truth” is what guides us in the long run.
I submit that our task is to recognize and acknowledge the obvious. We have needs, we are faulty, we have potential to be great and regardless there will be the best and worst of times. At the same time we should strive to learn that which is true – that which surpasses facts for it is by those principles that we are led most.
Part 2 Next…. “Absolute Truth” – fact or fiction
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