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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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The Next Five Minutes

At the end of my 6th grade year, my elementary school principal shared with me a quote from Irving Berlin that said:

"Life is 10% of what you make it and 90% of how you take it."

Life is a fascinating journey of difficulty and ease, struggle and concession, victory and defeat, joy and pain, and errors and perfection. Whether or not you believe that your existence is part of a divine plan, I think that you would agree that your path is shaped by the choices that you make. The next five minutes of your life are not promised. If you knew the date and time of your demise, how would you spend it? Would you continue to procrastinate, hold that grudge, keep smoking or drinking, or put off changing your diet? Would you ignore your spouse, put off your children, harbor envy and jealousy, or be selfish? Would you do the opposite? In an instant, you could make the decision to do something that could greatly benefit your life and the life of others. You could do it in the next five minutes.

We have just ushered in a new year. Many of us have made resolutions to do something better this year than we did last year:

"This year, I am going to FINALLY lose the weight."
"This year, I am going to FINALLY stop smoking."
"This year, I am going to FINALLY get out of debt."

Finally... Finally... Finally...

Studies have shown that if significant progress isn't made in the first three months of the new year, resolutions fizzle. Generally the methods used lack clear, written, measurable goals coupled with a measure of accountability. The original thought of the need to make a change in our lives probably occurred months or even years ago. Why did we assume that we could put it off? Who said that the next five minutes were promised?

The way that we handle life's ups and downs makes the greatest statement about our strength of character. Do we make good use of every opportunity, or do we take them for granted? I believe that our success in life stems from finding our purpose, making a good plan, setting clear goals, setting well-placed priorities, working hard and smart, being diligent, being the most prepared, timing, and being kind to others along the way. If you are still reading this post, then you may have the opportunity to apply any one of these principles in the next five minutes. How will you take it? What will you do? The clock is ticking...

More next time!