Lately I haven’t been posting as much as I like to. It’s not because I’ve lost my drive to write. Writing is my love, my passion and at times my man ☺ but recently my life has been so consumed with maximizing my time with leaving a blue print or a legacy of sorts for my descendants. These past couple of months, like many Americans I have witnessed the capitalist barbaric behavior which tries to mask itself as a democracy. I usually write about racial disparity but it has become more and more evident that the flaws in our society is just not racial but about the haves who have plenty and the have nots, where ironically the haves are a small population and the have nots are the majority.
What saddens me is no matter what I do in terms of the American way, schooling, career, pay my taxes; I’ve learned to realize that unless I achieve GREATNESS and become enormously independent wealthy, I will be part of the have nots; struggling, working for less than my worth, subjective to classism, etc. As I look at the prior sentence clarity sets in and reminds sistah girl forget about part of the have nots, you are already there and that’s why I ‘m on a mission to change my course and those of my descendants.
This pivotal yearning in my life did not happen overnight. A few sensational instances coupled with personal disappointments mixed in with reality have set me on fire, for example:
• Watching Michael Moore’s Capitalism a Love Story – If you haven’t seen this movie already I beg of you to try to catch it in the theaters, get the boot leg copy, get a DVD pre-release whatever you can do. This movie is mind blowing and will have you see true insight of how this country beginning from the years of Reagan and most likely a little before him has geared itself to protect the rich and make themselves richer. After I watched this movie I felt I had a better in chance in hell to succeed than on American soil but then again this just might be in hell!
• My job. Like many other employers raises and bonuses were out of the question. Yet our insurance rates were increased by 7% and the worst slap of them all is our equivalents of the corporate big shots, the partners. We actually had one partner who moved to another office in the same location and hired an interior decorator. The bill for the decorator was $23,000, all to design an office. I’m not mad at the decorator, get your hustle, but I was pisst at the message that was sent, no raises, no bonuses and OT; yet this firm can spend $23,000 on placing furniture and paintings in a cosmetically pleasing way. This totally unbalanced act was just one of many acts that we the “lesser” people in my firm had to witness. We have partners who take clients out and spend $1,000s of dollars on dinners and yet this firm cries there’s no money. In actuality they just don’t know how to politically say there’s no money for you! In other words we’re not worth it. We’re not worth the bullshit 4% raise, we’re not worth working late to make extra money, and our livelihood is of little concern. In a nutshell companies view us as an expense and not an investment; when you’re viewed in this manner your mere presences is annoying.
• ME! I love me; I love to have things; I love to provide for my family not just my immediate but my extended to; I love feeling comfortable and most importantly I love not having to depend anyone. Working in Corporate America and living in this capitalist society challenges all of my “loves” and quite frankly I’m tired of it. I deserve to be a “have” and I don’t want to be one to be like one. I don’t need four cars, 10 homes, and the ability to buy a shirt for $400; no I don’t need any of these. I just want to be able to live comfortably; to have disposable income; to not be afraid to spend or afraid I’m not saving to much, I want to “have” all of these things which I thought were fundamental when you did things the American way, but sadly we learn it’s not.
We have a political system that has given birth to plaguing us with deceit, lies and ultimately inevitable failure. I don’t know about you but I’m tired of it. I want to more, I want to be greedy. I don’t want my daughter, my future babies to suffer the way we do. I want to make my ancestors proud; I don’t want to repeat slavery, which is what many of us are doing now. The only difference is we can go home at night, however, we’re being whipped everyday. Trust me take look closer enough and you’ll see the lashes.
So folks with all this being said I am on a mission. I’m taking my profession and enterprising it as my own business and I’m not stopping there. I’m getting my hands into every thing that is available to me. I’m schooling myself, networking, building my spirituality and anything that will bring me closer to obtaining all of my “loves”. While the culprit of this realization can be daunting, it also makes want me to applaud the current state we as Americans are in. We’re at a point that we need to either sink or swim and I say swim. Flap those arms, dog paddle those legs and get a move on. This country has no problem treating you like an expense, get out there invest in yourself and move forward. It’s time people recognize yourself and invest your time with endeavors that can further enhance your staple in society and those of your descendants!
