Friday, April 15, 2016

Recognize Greatness

It's only right that I bring light to the two most talked about events that took place in sports this week. Wednesday night we had the opportunity to see Kobe Bryant put on a show on last time and man he did just that. Kobe went on a scoring rampage for his final game in that Lakers jersey, scoring a jaw dropping 60 points to top off the legacy he will be leaving behind. The other highlight of Wednesday night was the story about those boys in gold. The Golden State Warriors made NBA history, controlling the NBA the whole regular season and achieving the best record ever 73-9, a record that was once held by the great Michael Jordan and his 72-10 Chicago Bulls team. Records are made to be broken and greatness comes and goes, but it is our job to grasp on to it when we can witness and recognize it.

History is being made every single day we wake up. No matter the place on scale we put it on the history is still documented. I say this because when some of us here about making history, we think of the things that can land us the most retweets or a seat on the Ellen Show. But all aspects of life are historic, from setting records to being a family first, history is what we make it. In a sense we all are living in this movie style lifestyle. The A-list stars of our own motion pictures. A film on all of our everyday encounters, from meeting new people and experiencing new life to ensuring you stamp yourself with great achievements through the history of life. I think in life we all have this common goal of greatness, it's just our job to recognize what we have and run with it.

In life there are a multitude of different things we want to do throughout our lifetimes. It can range in a variety of skills learned or passed down for us to express. But in this pursuit of our peaks we cannot fall victim to the temptations that surround us, like negative vibes and the chase of greed. If you spend your time chasing for the acceptance of outside forces you will be wasting your time, never being able to recognize the greatness you embody. British contemporary philosopher Alan Watts stated that it's "better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way. And after all, if you do really like what you're doing, it doesn't matter what it is".
Knowing yourself, having a clear view on all of your thoughts and emotions. Being confident when presenting your image to the world's population of judges. And lastly staying true to who you are even when the world around you (your peers) seems to being wearing the mask of the society. In this world it is important to stay true to yourself and always remember that YOU ARE GREAT in your own way.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Explore & Adore

Wanting to travel the world is something I have had on my mind for quite some time now. I seem to have these dreams about me being on a boat on an island somewhere. Now I have been on my fair share of trips, like the roaring waters of Niagara Falls or even the low skies of St. Louis on a small plane, what a ride. But I always hear of these exotic places people love to go out of the country. So that's why when I say travel I mean across the globe. The world is such a large place, it only leaves a person like me wondering what else is really out there all around the world.

I feel that when you can take time away from your typical environment and get away from the norms of what surround you it shapes you into a different person. Its like a urban city kid being taken to a farm for the summer, what a flip of environment. Getting out of your comfort zone and exploring new things, new places, and even new people. All these type characteristics build us into the diverse people we are. I grew up in an urban city, a place where I was exposed to variety of different people and culture. Despite a rather tough persona we inhabit, a space for unity is being welcomed to rid away with any bad vibes.

I always wanted to know what goes through the mind of people who travel space, and are able to see the things a majority of us never will hands on. So I watched a video of former astronauts discussing their travels outer space and their new perspective on things here at home. One talked about how his experience outer space changed how he view all of us as a global society. He talked about the time he spent outer space, a chance to look down on the Earth and see it as ONE big thing, he compared this sight to us as people being altogether as one big unit like Earth is in the universe. These type of perspectives come from being able to explore different places and traveling out of your environment. Now everyone won't get the chance to go outer space but we can travel the world we inhabit.

Having the opportunity to explore different cultures and see how people of different walks of life live you begin to take appreciation for all the resources and things we have provided to us. Some have less and some have more but it is the job of all of us as a unit to support each other. In today's society you see an uprising of unity but you also see the opposite in the growth of tension between people. Being able to set aside those differences and  come together for progression is the key to a better tomorrow. Because in reality, I sometimes look at the world similar to the astronaut's ideas. I say this because we all are a unit and seeing us together is something I long to see. So this is why I long to travel.