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M-CAN Ezine Updates

May-Ezine Updates

The Editor's Corner by John Robertson, Ph.D.

Dear Colleagues,
I’ve been amazed at the volume and irrational words coming out of the mouths of folks who are supposed to be our
Congressional leaders at it related to immigration, the oil spill disaster, the terrorist threat and on and on. When verbalizations
get so bizarre, my clinical training gets me to thinking I better start looking for a diagnosis to deal with this irrationality. But
you know, it gets even more basic than that. As someone said earlier in the healthcare debate, there is a need for some “adult
supervision”. The problem is that I can’t find any adults who are in shape to “supervise”. It reminds me in some ways of
the novel, “Lord of the Flys”, where the weak are picked on and stigmatized. In the meanwhile, most of us are trying to keep
our heads above water and make it- a day at a time.
As Americans we’ve always espoused the notion of being an inclusive people as in” bring me you tired, your hungry”, etc.,
but often this ideal has fallen way short of the reality. So that while the founding fathers were drafting a document about all
men being created equal, most of them had slaves sweating in exploited labor and lives, to build the wealth of these white
men. Moving ahead two hundred years, there is a segment of America resisting change, in a frightened and frightening manner,
being frightened and responding illogically to situations, falling back on their concept of the Constitution, gun-toting, threats
of violence and outright racism to compensate for an imagined loss of privilege. Some would call this last statement pulling
the “race card’. I see it in a way a former supervisor of mine, Hugh Butts defined racism as pro-white, anti-black paranoia.

There is a resentment that someone “different” and oh dear, somewhat Black could take over the reins of this great country
and dare to propose changes that our previous leadership were blind, unwittingly or purposefully blind, to the society’s ill
that needed to be addressed. I don’t see the issue that pundits and politicians keep pounding in the news, that the American
people are “angry”. It smells to me more like fear. The fear and feeling of inadequacy that a mere upstart could have the
nerve to want such things as healthcare for the entire nation or education for the broad populus. How dare he! We can’t have
that! Its too expensive! Why he gave the banks and Wall Street all that TARP money, but nothing to small business or the
homeowner staring foreclosure in it face. I ask where was all this outrage when President Bush led us from a budget surplus
in 2000 to the largest budget deficit in our nation’s history?

And this so called anger, the feeling of inadequacy, is not just extended to Blacks, but is most virulent against Whites who
have the audacity to side with the “Obamination” or whoever they want to vilify. Much of this anger has come form segment
of the nation that sees America as their nation, not that of Black, Latinos, anyone “different” and who would like to see those
different from themselves merge into their version of America, taking on their American values.

However, the strength of America has been her diversity, that mix of colors, creeds, religions, genders and sexual preferences
that has allowed us to strive to become a “more perfect union”. We forget the revered Pilgrims of the Mayflower were the
unwanted, cast-offs and rejects of European society.

It is my hope that White America, the neo-cons, Teabaggers, bought politicians and militia mavens, remember that we went
through a terrible period of cultural paranoia in the 1950s McCarthy hearings. I hope that we give change – a chance and start
building up our country as Americans, not a Black against Whites or Red states against Blue states. I thought that’s what we
fought the civil war for nearly 150 years ago. Lets get it together America!

                                                                                      Perception

I want you think for a second.
If you ever missed an opportunity in life because of fear,
or was to afraid to try because of ongoing doubt,
Don’t worry, I was just like you.
Better yet, we probably have more in common than we know.
Life failures come back to haunt us, we try so hard to let them go.
We try to hold on to something good called hope,
by jumping into a boat,
rowing our life in search of another chance.
But somehow we end doing the same thing again.
We fail.
Now think for a second.
You call it human nature,
when we’re placed into a difficult situation
pushing and fighting a battle we don’t to lose
but losing is what we do
cuz we defeated ourselves,
right from the beginning.
Yeah
Inspiration
straight out of the good book,
we try to hold on to it
Cuz its God’s word and he said it will make you whole,
so we try to look at life with this different design,
try to formulate a path so we won’t left behind,
but we’re stuck.
Unable to move forward in life because our foot
is nailed to the ground.
What’s holding us back the most is what I call
Fear
But this is not once, this is everyday living.
we’re pushing and striving,
trying to keep our head up high
thinking in our minds
this is what we have to do to get us through from nine to five
but thing is, you say
people don’t know what you going through.
You smile and laugh on the outside,
thinking if they know the truth
about you,
It’ll probably get you by,
but you know that’s not real
when you have this raging storm of defeat
on the inside.
We’re scared to step on faith and take a risk in life.
We bury our hopes in the ground,
believing we can’t achieve a level that high.
Because of doubt,
we let opportunities pass us by,
like missing a couple of city buses
at a bus stop.
But sometimes we catch them.
Then we pour out our heart and blood
trying to achieve a dream
that’s without faith.
That when hard times come,
faith is destroyed,
we lay down our arms,
believing that we can’t overcome.
But that’s not all.
We keep believing we’re strong
Always trying to stay right instead of wrong.
But we’re walking around lost,
with our heads held down,
thinking that we’re not worth that shine.
When the reality is,
it’s all in your mind.

Imagine,
this self-destructing concept,
that leads us to destruction.
It has us running around wild because of our lack of perception.
We can defeat it.
Don’t you know,
you have a light inside you that’s waiting to shine?
Let’s rise above our fears in this moment of time.
cuz fear,
is a road block.
Ask doctor King, Moses, and Lincoln,
fear should be the reason to failed.
so
get a knife and carve through your rock of low self-esteem
and rise to your full potential and win.
Let go of friends that don’t believe you.
You are your own worst enemy,
you don’t have for them.
Stomp on your problems,
watch how easily they fade away,
then go out and create your legacy,
try not to sway away.
All I ask is,
don’t let fear dictate the actions of your life
Live by faith,
and not by sight.

I wrote this piece because there are a lot of people in the world that don’t have faith and take risks in life. That’s the only
way success accomplish if we take risk, but people’s skewed perception gets the best of them. They believe they are not
able to succeed in a particular area because of not believing they can do it. Fear and doubt has clouded their vision and
judgment.
                                                                                                                                             Mikel Jones,
                                                                                                                                             Orlando, FL
                                                                                                                                              May , 2010