The five o five: Monday, November 19, 2007

I Am Whatever You Say I Am

<sub>[3]<- What's This

Waiting For: I AM LEGEND</sub>

I don't believe in limits. I don't believe in these invisible barriers that the hard edged warden known as reality tries to enforce down unto us. I don't believe in "I can't" because there is nothing that exists in this universe that I am unable to learn. I don't believe in anything that limits my god given limitless potential. I still hold fast to the shiny silver wordage on the stickers my kindergarten teacher stuck to the top of my worksheets. "You are super!" "You can do anything!" "You are special!"

YES I AM. YES I CAN [Nutty Professor "Yes I can"]

How did I get this way. Most of the world holds selfishly to their shortcomings even going as far as often times using them as interpersonal identification. Most of the time we even describe people by what we perceive as their limitation as though we are verbally sizing them up.

*Phone conversation

"Look at Becky the fat girl.

You know the crazy chick that sits next to the guy with glasses, James.

Yeah, James. You know James, the sleepy guy with the crazy hair and the slight limp.

Yeah, Becky is mad because he's marrying my sister next weekend.

You know my sister!

Stacy, the one with the lob sided breast.

Yeah! That one."

We define ourselves and each other with the limits that have defined the world around us but can we break free of this prison known as reality and go beyond our limits?

Maybe I just watched a bit too much television as a child but I don't recall ever believing in limits. Seriously. Even hard defined and nature reinforced laws didn't hold me back. In my eyes everything I saw on television was fair game. Time travel, unassisted flight, super human speed, inhuman strength, telekinesis, teleportation, levitation, [term for shooting electricity from my hands] I tried them all. Observing adults thought that I was playing but I was for real.

I think I tried flying more than once. I keep having this recurring dream that I am actually soaring on a cushion of air and nothing more. Everything is so real. I can feel the wind resistance. I can feel the vibration of the turbulent sky and gravity both trying to reclaim their escaped prisoner. In those moments I am free from it all. Limits, liabilities, fault. There are nothing but endless possibilities and then.... I wake up.

I've never grown out of thinking that there is nothing that I can't do. I honestly believe that if I focus hard enough the rules of reality will be become momentarily unchained and I will be able to escape to a haven outside of the depressed race of humanity. I will be able to soar amongst the birds and run along the cheetahs. I will be able to swim with the dolphins and lurk with the slithering snakes. I will be more than the limits I was born within. The container known as human, further defined by race, age, gender, height, weight, income bracket, intelligence level, vehicle I drive, color I wear most often, woman I'm dating and/or married to, women I've slept with, house I live in, occupation, shoe size, running speed, criminal history, offspring, siblings, mother, father, cousins, penis! WHY WHY WHY!

Why does any of it matter? Beyond being descriptive introductions to define those we don't know we have taken it a step further to actually design the limits for which we hold ourselves back. We are plagued with a limited mind. A mind that, if allowed to, creates our prison for us. Throughout history men have proven theory's and ideas wrong but even modern science continues to tell us what things are possible and what things aren't.

A perfect example of the contradiction that is the modern world is religion. I honestly believe that religion has its place within our daily lives and modern world but not in its outdated 10th century representation. No matter what religion you practice it was probably founded way back before television, internet, toasters, telephones and even polyester fiber. (I'm gong to be careful with the following statements as not to offend any one persons' religion but please feel free to defend and/or ask any follow up questions you like before making multiple clicks on the inappropriate flag above, Thank you :) With a practice being formed that long ago you would expect a few major revisions along the way just to keep up with the times. Think about medicine. What if the practice of medicine was still in the form it was today as when it was first created. Would you really support and stand for blood letting and routine lobotomy's for mental patients [wikipedia Medicine history]? What about science? How far would we now be if those in Christopher Columbus's day won the debate over whether the world was round or flat? Would our airplanes exist? How about our satellites and space ships? So what about religion?

I'm not saying that there needs to be a reform on the general morals and principals that modern religion contains (which are actually beneficial to society) but I'm hard pressed on the limits that religion sets on humanity itself. Those who read The Bible (also known as The Good Book, The Gospel, MY Right Arm, etc...) talk about Jesus as though he was there favorite cousin. Jesus could do it all. Jesus was the living legend of the biblical times. He could exceed the gravitational pull of the earth's rotation (he could fly). He could adjust his metabolic buoyancy so that he could stroll across the turbulent surface of an unsteady substance (he could walk on water). He could change the material properties of hydrogen dioxide to those of an alcoholic beverage created from the fermentation of grapes (he could turn water into wine). Jesus was the first super hero [Who will save us?] and to top it all off, he was only a man.

Now bible folk talk about Jesus this and Jesus that and they even hold on to the belief that he is one day gonna return but do they really believe the things they say or is saying those things so habitual that it just drips off of the edges of the regular conversational, defensive sentence structure. What I mean is in watching the news or reading the newspaper you see stories almost everyday of miraculous proportion. A man in New York jumped onto the tracks of an oncoming subway train to save someone [news story]. Or in California a group of firemen survived the intolerable blaze to extinguish an out of control flame [news story]. Or on the Simpson's Maggie saved Homer from drowning [You Tube Maggie Saves Homer]. Now, as much as Jesus believers believe in Jesus they are not willing o believe that any of these instances were Jesus manifested in human form. They will argue with you to the death that the Jesus they know has long black hair and fair skin and that he will come without fault or flaw and float on a cloud. The Jesus they talk about kind of resembles Fabio in description anyway.

But a man like Jesus, given exclusive lenience from the laws of reality by god, is one to be admired. We should all try to exceed our limits. Jesus should be an example not solely because of his sacrifice (which is mostly what religion wants to make of him, a glorified martyr) but his conviction to exceed the limits of not just reality but infinity. He believed that mortal death was not the end. He knew that your actions, ideas and emotions transcend your humanness into eternity. His name is spoken more than even our living relatives and we know they are just a phone call away. We should use his example or whomever example that can teach us a lesson in going beyond. People like Lance Armstrong [Lance Armstrong] surviving cancer and winning the Tour De France. People like Martin Luther King [Martin Luther King] who stood against what everyone else accepted as a reality and sought to change it. People like my own mother who doctors told her she would never walk again and she did [the five-o-5]. People who push the limits. Those are the ones I look up too.

So next time crazy eyed Tommy comes up to you with his yellow, gapped teeth tell him that you don't believe in limits and then ask him, "What would Jesus do," and fly out of the room contained within a bubble of confidence and content. At least that's what I would do.

The five o five : Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Cruise Control

<sub>[1]<- What's this?

Watching: Why Are Gas Prices So High</sub>

Let me first start off by apologizing for being so rude. We have been meeting like this almost everyday for the past two weeks and I don't believe that I've told you a thing about myself. So allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Tigga76 [Ziggs Profile]. I'm a poet, writer, artist, graphic designer, public speaker, father, son, brother, man. I am in a supportive relationship and have custody of my eight year old daughter who I take care of everyday. I work for a teen theater drug prevention program [SETT] and I design web sites and fliers on the side [Sublime Designs]. I also teach a fitness class [Step FX] and I plan on going back to school to receive my personal trainer degree. Sounds like a lot huh? Well sometimes it is but then other times it pays off. So with all this stuff going on it made me wonder what is my motivation? What pushes me to do so much expecting so little in return? What drives anyone to want to be successful? Money, fame, recognition, acceptance? Let's talk about that shall we?

F U E L
"
What pushes me to do so much expecting so little in return? What drives anyone to want to be successful? Money, fame, recognition, acceptance?
"

Like I mentioned above, I work for a teen theater drug prevention group [SETT] (which happens to be the easiest way to break it down because it gets a bit complicated) that is my main 9 to 5 hustle. I normally get there at 8am (before anyone else shows up at our regular 9am time) and take care of all of my personal responsibilities (checking my email, calling the bank, paying my bills online, etc, etc) before I have to tackle the challenging tasks of the regular work day (writing grants, revising newsletters, making phone calls, etc, etc). I like having a head start. I like being able to get things out of the way before anyone else arrives. It makes me feel like I'm in the lead. If the work day were a race then I'm already a quarter mile closer to the finish line then all the rest. Is it considered cheating? I don't think so. I think its called drive.

So yesterday, after doing my "first one there" routine, we eventually went out to fill up for gas (Oh. I forgot to tell you that I also drive a 15 passenger van to transport the teens home every evening) I noticed something that wasn't peculiar but it was interesting. The program normally covers the cost of the gas during the week and with sort of arrangement you rarely stop to think how much the gas actually costs. So with that sudden realization I looked up at the gas station marquee and read $3.19. Three nineteen!? I think I did several double and triple takes looking up at the sign trying to figure out was I delusional or is this really happening. For those of you in places where it is much higher, I apologize for being such a baby about this it just shocked me. But the real shocker wasn't the price that people were willing to pay for gas but how many people were actually filling up at the same time I was. I would assume that none of them would top my $90.73 grand total for my 15 passenger behemoth but I know whatever they spent was a pretty penny compared to four years ago [USA Today]. (Now just hang in there I'm getting to the point soon. If you like you can repeatedly squeal, "Are we there yet," until the end of this post. I don't have to worry about you because you're more than likely going to annoy someone other than me anyway).

F U E L
"
It looks like human fuel is a lot cheaper than gas because it can be made out of anything. In school we have grades and report cards and I would assume then that making the honor roll would be the equivalent of NoS. In adult life we have paychecks. In relationships we have love. In parenting we have, "Well adjusted, productive children". At our jobs we have promotions. And so on and so on.
"

I began to think. Gas is fuel. It is an essential component to a cars' system of gears and motor to produce mobility and kinetic force thus propelling a vehicle forward (or backwards). Without it you go nowhere. So even if the price of gas went all the way up to (god forbid) $20 a gallon, those motivated enough to be mobile would line up at the gas station pumps ready to burn. YEP, all three of us. So there has to be a connection. How does gas at a service station (which ironically don't serve anymore) relate to this human term known as "drive"?

Let's look at the similarities. A car needs fuel, and in this case its called gas. Humans need fuel. But what is human fuel called. Motivation? Inspiration? Dedication? Constipation? What makes us go? (pardon the pun?). Growing up I was motivated to things "fueled" by the simple fact that I had never done it before. As a teen I would reach for accomplishments "fueled" with the idea that people thought I couldn't or wouldn't do it. As an adult I live each day "fueled" with the thought that I want my family to live a comfortable life. It looks like human fuel is a lot cheaper than gas because it can be made out of anything. In school we have grades and report cards and I would assume then that making the honor roll would be the equivalent of NoS (Nitros Oxide) [example]. In adult life we have paychecks. In relationships we have love [see, "Waiting to Exhale"]. In parenting we have, "Well adjusted, productive children". At our jobs we have promotions. And so on and so on. So if human fuel is so easy to attain then why are there some people who go places and others that sit still? Why is the four lane highway of success so barren and wide? Where are all the other vehicles? Did the price for human fuel suddenly top $3.19? Am I the only one driving here? People tell me I should only worry about myself but I want to bring some friends along (I think I have enough room. I do drive a 15 passenger.) Maybe I'll look deeper into this another time, but seriously think about it. What is your fuel? What drives you? Where are you going? And will you make it without running out of gas?

Well....We're here now (at the end). I hope you enjoyed the trip. Have a nice day, and you can stop saying ,"Are we there yet," now. Until next time. Get out and don't slam my door. See you later.

*Screeching off----------
*Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, vrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, _{vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmm}

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The five o five : Thursday, November 1, 2007

Family Values

I'm starting to believe all this talk that the end of the end of days is upon us. Have you seen the world lately? Everything is falling to pieces but the media wants to pretend like its no big issue. No one wants to admit that the whole thing is going to hell in a breadbasket because no one is ready to go yet. I know I don't because I just got started. It really doesn't matter though, what I think or how I feel. God does what he wants to do. It is his world anyway and we are his creation. So I appreciate everyday that I am allowed to think, breathe, sing, dance, work, struggle, fail, succeed, live. Isn't that how it should be? What about the rest of the world though? Why does it seem like some people are more fortunate than others? Why does it seem like some are rewarded tremendous successes while others suffer the worse disappointment ever? Maybe its all about perception, the way you see the things around you. I tend to enjoy the smallest and most insignificant pleasures in life while some look at it with the attitude of, "That's it?" It all falls on one single word and concept in the end. VALUES.

I work for a teen prevention program and my boss is always talking about "values" as though it were stronger than the strongest brand of Gorilla Glue[tm]. He always says that, "Values determine the way that you live your life. Values determine what you become. Values determine how you spend your time and the company you keep. Values are the only possession we own that can show our true worth to the world." Values, after hearing him talk about it, sound like a big deal.

V A L U E S
"
The world was a lot more simple then. Children, in my day (I sound old now), did things like go outside, play tag, climb trees, ride bikes, roller skate, jump rope, cut grass, etc, etc... It was all about being creative. I think it made us appreciate the world more. We didn't have virtual reality the real world was our playground.
"

Back in the eighty's I remember most of the television sitcoms focused on that very same concept of values. Their melodramatic half hour quips set the tone for how they wanted people in society to act, live, and resolve issues and conflicts. Sure the world wasn't perfect back then either but people did seem a bit nicer. These days sitcoms come packaged with "off the wall content" and ignorant displays of rudeness or plain idiocy. I'm still trying to figure out if its art that imitates life or vice versa? You can't blame T.V. for everything though. Some of it is our own fault. But what is it that sets the stage for what we value?

When I was younger I was one of the happiest children in the universe. We didn't have PSP's or DS's. We didn't have cell phones and text messaging. We didn't have Cartoon Network of satellite. We only had each other and our imagination. Now, some of you younger readers are probably sitting and glaring wide eyed and open jawed at the screen re-reading the previous sentence over and over to be sure you understood it correctly and I assure you that you did. This next sentence is the killer though. Are you ready? We didn't have the internet[check it out on wikipedia] either. Now calm down it's not that serious. The world was a lot more simple then. Children, in my day (I sound old now), did things like go outside, play tag, climb trees, ride bikes, roller skate, jump rope, cut grass, etc, etc... It was all about being creative. I think it made us appreciate the world more. We didn't have virtual reality the real world was our playground.

So when did we make this introverted transition into the realm of selfish behavior and self confinement? That answer I do not know but I do know that people are going to truly regret not taking notice of the world around them especially after it all breaks down. We don't have long and I know this for a fact. The proof is in the way we treat each other. Yes that's what I said. We treat our fellow "Human Beings" like crap. Look at the stories that make the headlines. At one time the news was a respectable outlet for information and morality but now its filled with the same garbage that fluffs the edges of our sitcoms. But stories like "Britney Spears loses it," and, "Paris Hilton goes to jail". Or stories like, "Michael Vick arrested," an "OJ looses it all." This is what the news is all about these days. The stories don't end with a positive spin or comparison, they just end. So now we sit in front of screen (while the Viagra commercial fills your head with even more disturbing images) not knowing what to think.


I know for sure that the world is almost over, I have proof. There was something that happened to me yesterday evening that I must share with you all. It was almost the most disturbing thing that has ever happened to me but it says a lot about the way people think. So sit down kids a get ready for a story. Ok here it goes.

V A L U E S
"
I could have been a preacher, a teacher, a counselor, his regional manager, GOD. I could have been Jesus returning to judge humanity and he alone damned the whole of existence.
"

I was at my favorite store yesterday, Best Buy, when I was elated to find out that my favorite game, Dance Dance Revolution [check it out on ign], had released a sequel to the play station version of their game. I had a brief internal argument with myself over the decision to get the game or not because I still have other bills to pay and I didn't want to have to sacrifice my responsibilities for a game (how is that for values?). So I walked over to the live display they had set up for the game to see if it was worth the purchase because if I could afford it then I would at least like to try it out first just to see if I would enjoy it in my home. I was dressed in my work clothes at this time which consists of a collard shirt, neck tie, basic slacks and dress shoes. Nothing that would say anything less than, "That guy handles his business." So I step onto the dance mat sorting through the selection of songs to see if there were any that I would be interested in. The game had a nice collection of tunes and I was even impressed to see that a Chris Brown [Chris Brown on Chris Brown world.com] number had made the list. I was sold. A couple of the employees (not gonna mention their race so you already know who they were) walked over and started a casual conversation with me. I half way answered their questions because I was more interested in experiencing the game at this point. One of them shot a half insulting statement my way but I batted it back unimpressed (picture Barry Bonds for that one). I was now ready to play. The song was Le Freak by Chic and even on expert mode it was a bit slow for my tastes but I guess it was just the right speed for a guy wearing a suit and tie. The two employees continue to talk to me as I played and I ignored most of what they had to say until one statement finally pierced my confident bubble of ignorance. I had made the statement that I teach a class for those wanting to learn how to play DDR (and I do it's called Step FX [visit my cafe press store]). I had also told them how I lost 30 pounds over the summer playing the game every morning for a half hour. One of these ignorant individuals responded with what he thought was a funny joke but it had literally made me feel sick to my stomach. He said,

"You wanna know how I lost 30 pounds this summer?"

Before I could blatantly tell him no and continue with my game he continued,

"I found me some fine girls and I "F_ _ _ _ d" them."

YES! HE SAID THAT TO ME! I could have been a preacher, a teacher, a counselor, his regional manager, GOD. I could have been Jesus returning to judge humanity and he alone damned the whole of existence. Values have left the building.

I'm ok now. After the incident I lost my appetite (not for food but just in general). I even stopped playing in the middle of the round. After he said what he said he did go away but I wonder how long had he been waiting to display he immaturity. His lack of morals. His lack of values. All day? All week? His whole life? Is this what our society is coming to that you can approach a complete stranger and on top of that a potential customer and insult their ability and interest with an inappropriate remark? Whatever happened to tact? Whatever happened to respect? Did all of those get canceled along with Family ties and Different Strokes? Who's in charge of the fall line up for reality? Can we get a few reruns? I would love to see a few old episodes of compassion? I would appreciate watching a show or two of honesty. I would even sit through an hour of respect, if that still comes on anywhere. That's the way I feel.

I still ended up buying the game. I need something to take my mind off of the world. Something that I can appreciate. It is the end of the world so I might as well find some enjoyment.

Cue the theme music and roll the credits.


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