Is It That Hard To Say “Thank You?”

There is a story in the Bible where Jesus heals ten lepers of a disease they had experienced for a very long time. In fact, if you suffered from the disease of leprosy, you were ostracized and exiled from the rest of the population. It was not good to be known to have leprosy in biblical times as you were truly considered an outcast who was not to be associated with in any form or fashion by anyone. Jesus now comes along and completely heals these ten of the disease (emphasis on the fact that it is the disease that made them outcasts). Now one would think that the first thing that was to come out of their mouths would have been the words “Thank You,” however, it was not to be so. In fact, the ten left the scene with only one of the ten having the presence of mind to come back and tell Jesus thank you. Jesus asked the one who did come back a rhetorical question. He asked him “Weren’t there ten of you whom I healed?” Critically think about that……one out of ten said thank you after being healed of a disease that for all intents and purposes made them the living dead. 

I fast forward to 2012 where I heard a story the other day of a young lady who desperately desired to march in her college graduation exercises and needed $3,192 to be paid to the university before it would allow her to participate in the graduation ceremonies. Because the relationship between she and her father was not that good, the young lady had someone plead to her father on her behalf  for the final payment. In spite of the relationship not being a good one, the father paid the bill in full anyway because he loved her. The father sent the daughter multiple text messages and email messages letting her know that the bill had been paid and that she would indeed be able to “walk/march” in her graduation ceremony.  Sadly, just as in the parable of the ten lepers, the father heard no response from the daughter after having paid her debt in full........... No response; Not one “Thank You.” 

Both of these stories beg the question “Is it that hard to say thank you?” I have posted to this very blog on this topic of being grateful and giving thanks before and will continue to do so because giving thanks and being grateful is that important. Research shows gratitude heightens quality of life. Two psychologists, Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude and its impact on well-being.  The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals. 

Dr. Emmons who has been studying gratitude for almost ten years and is considered by many to be the world’s leading authority on gratitude and is author of the book, “Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier” says that research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. He further points out that “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.” Meister Eckhart says it best when he says “If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

In closing, some years ago gospel great Shirley Caesar wrote a song titled “No Charge" to address this issue of ungratefulness in this case the ungratefulness of a child.  The lyrics to the song are as follows:

My sister's little boy came in the kitchen one evening  while she was fixing supper  and he handed her a piece paper he had been writing on  and after wiping her hands on an apron  She took it in her hands and read it  and this is what it said:  For mowing the yard $5  And for making up my own bed this week $1  For going to the store $.50  And playing with little brother while you went shopping $.25  Taking out the trash $1  And for getting a good report card $5  And for raking the yard $2  Total owed $14.75 

Well she looked at him standing there and expecting  And a thousand memories flashed through her mind  So she picked up pen and turned the paper over and this is what she wrote:  For the 9 months I carried you holding you inside me - NO CHARGE  For the nights I sat up with doctored you and prayed for you - NO CHARGE  For the time and tears and the costs through the years  There is NO CHARGE 

When you add it all up the full cost of my love is NO CHARGE  For the nights filled with grey  And the worries ahead  For the advice and the knowledge  And the costs of your college  NO CHARGE  For the toys, school, and clothes  And for wiping your nose  There's NO CHARGE son 

When you add it all the full cost of my love is NO CHARGE Well you know when I think about that  I think about the day that Jesus went out to Calvary and gave his life as a ransom for me 

When I think on the words "If Any Man be in Christ He's A New Creature"  I like to think about the very minute that he shedded his blood  My debt was paid in full  And I want you to know today  when you add it all up  The full cost of Real Love is NO CHARGE

Be sure to thank God and anyone who has helped you along your journey because the truth of the matter is, they did not have to do it, but they did.  When someone has done something for you regardless of how large or how small the very least you can do is say “Thank You.”  As always, I look forward to your commentary in the comment section of The Critical Thinker. 

Not Even Fortune and Fame

The recent suicides of former NFL Football star  Junior Seau and Soul Train creator Don Cornelius is further evidence and that not even fame and fortune can exempt one from the perils of life. Those of us who are quote-unquote fans look at these people and think to ourselves how great it must be to be rich and famous and yet we see they really are no different than the poor and unknown. In reality the only difference between the rich and famous and the poor and unknown is the jobs the rich and famous do (athletes, entertainers, etc.) are seen by millions and they make millions of dollars for what they do. The poor and the unknown make enough money to survive (and most likely perform jobs that are much more critical than playing some type of ball or acting in a movie) and a limited number of people see what they do; they don't play on the worldwide stage. 

Nonetheless, we (the poor and unknown) associate being rich and famous with being problem-free when in reality as evidenced by the recent and historical suicides of our beloved "superstars" that life does not discriminate. Depression does not discriminate. Pain does not discriminate. Loneliness does not discriminate. Worry does not discriminate and we could go on. It is amazing to me how we place athletes and entertainers on pedestals as we ooooooww and ahhhhh over their lives. It mystifies me how much energy we spend reading tabloids and watching television variety shows detailing the every move of these people, when they are no different than anyone else with the exception of the money they make and number of people who see their work. 

As much as I like Jennifer Aniston, come on now, how many years can the story of her and Brad Pitt be milked? What is the fascination with these Kardashian girls? These folks are people just like anyone else. It is rare that I can open my web browser (which shall remain nameless) that the lead story is not about the deep plunge line on some female celebrity's gown.  Who cares??? Why do we care??  Yet someone must care because the same type of story keeps coming back as a lead story, so someone is reading it. 

My prayers go out to the Seau and Cornelius families as both Mr. Seau's and Mr. Cornelius' suicides spotlights for us that life truly is about more than fortune and fame. Both of these suicides gives us something to critically think about. As always, I welcome your commentary in the comment section of the blog. 

As The World Watched in 1963; The World Is Watching in 2012

Just as television in 1963 was able to move the Civil Rights Movement from a national issue to a world wide issue, television along with the Internet is placing the same spotlight on the issues of race and gun violence in 2012.  For those of us old enough to remember the turbulent Sixties, the world was able to see a horrific attack on young civil rights protesters by the Birmingham, Alabama, police. The world watched as the Birmingham Police Department decided to unleash police dogs on the unarmed protesters, while the Birmingham Fire Department decided to turn on fire hoses and hydrants to disperse the young black demonstrators, most of whom were children. Just by looking at T.V. you could virtually feel the force of the water coming out of those fire hoses pushing those young, black protesters down flooding streets like garbage swept away from the curb during a street cleaning.

Many are espousing that too much is being made over the recent Trayvon Martin case, the shooting death of a seventeen year old unarmed teenager by an "overzealous" neighborhood watch marshal. Many are saying would you all please just shut up about this case already, while others are saying "I don't see what the big deal is because it happens everyday; why this case?"  Well like the dogs and hoses televised in 1963, the 911 calls placed to the police by George Zimmerman have been heard around the world and the myriad "hoodie" protests have been seen around the world.  This case has indeed brought worldwide attention to the unnecessary killings that keep occurring particularly involving young African American males. The issue is bigger than race as there are multiple issues in this case. Fundamentally, the fact that Zimmerman is part Hispanic, racially places him in no different boat than Trayvon as Hispanics are viewed as a minority just as African Americans and in most cases share the same plight. This is much bigger than race. This is about gun violence, this is about mindsets, this is about needless fear, this is about making judgement without facts and about senseless laws that need to be changed. 

We cannot let up the pressure on this case. The Stand Your Ground Law does not make sense because if the tables were turned would Trayvon Martin been able to stand on the Stand Your Ground Law?  I doubt it very seriously. In fact, most likely Trayvon would be sitting in a jail cell for the very same reasons that George Zimmerman claims made him suspicious. He was wearing a hoodie.  The very same vilification that Trayvon is suffering in death would have been the same vilification he would have suffered in life as to why he was sitting in a jail cell for killing a neighborhood watch marshal in a gated community in Florida.  Just as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his letter from a Birmingham jail detailing why we cannot wait, the same applies in 2012 as to why we cannot let up and give in on this case. There are other cases like this, but none have received the worldwide exposure that this case has received, therefore providing us with an opportunity to gain worldwide support. 

So for those who wish that this would just go away.... it can't.  For those who wish that we would just STFU.......we can't. For those who think that we are making too much of a big deal about this.......we are not. For those who think this is just about race....it is not.  We cannot let this die. We must remain vocal, visible, and vigilant until laws such as the Stand Your Ground Law is abolished and that mindsets are changed. Malcolm Gladwell does a very good job in describing what was going on in George Zimmerman's head prior to his pulling that trigger in chapter six of his book BLINK. (I encourage you to read it, if nothing else but that chapter).  

We will not give up the fight!!!! The world is watching.  

Why I Wore My Hoodie

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During my broadcast of my weekly radio show The Reading Circle with Marc Medley heard live on WP88.7 FM and www.gobrave.org, I wore my hoodie for the entire three hours of the program. This was different for me because I normally do not wear the hood on my hoodie unless I am outside and it is a cold winter day. In fact the children in the school that I am principal of are prohibited from wearing their hoods on their heads while in the building during school hours. However, this morning I wore my hoodie for the entire three hours in the hot radio studio as a symbol and as a part of a protest regarding the murder of 17 year old Trayvon Martin. This was my miniscule contribution to a protest effort that has been taking place all across the country now known as “hoodie” marches, designed to raise awareness of the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, a volunteer community neighborhood watch person in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

Some would say why did you wear your hoodie during your radio show? I wore my hoodie because the same fate that Trayvon met could have been me last August as I vacationed in Monarch Lakes  visiting with my sister-in-law in a gated community in Miramar, Florida outside of Miami. If I were to play the same scenario out, the same tragedy could have occurred. Monarch Lakes could've had a maniac volunteer community neighborhood watch person that would not have known me from Adam's housecat and might have taken the same action as I am an African-American male not known to the members who live in the community. I wore my hoodie this morning because Trayvon’s face reminds me of my 17-year-old daughter Niara. I wore my hoodie this morning because George Zimmerman has yet to be charged with anything even after being told to stand down by police and not follow Trayvon Martin. Regardless of the police officer's order, Mr. Zimmerman proceeded to follow Trayvon anyway and we all know the result of this action.

If you listen to the 911 tapes, you can hear the mindset of Mr. Zimmerman as he says “These assholes always get away.” He had already determined in his mind that this one would not get away. A clear illustration of the mindset of Mr. Zimmerman can be read in Malcolm Gladwell's book BLINK in Chapter Six where he describes the mindset of the police officers in the murder of Amadou Diallo, another unarmed black man. While this may not necessarily be about race in and of itself, certainly race played a part. In Mr. Zimmerman's mind he saw a black teen wearing a hoodie and automatically assumed that this child was a troublemaker. It was this assumption that caused him to react in the manner that he did leaving Trayvon Martin dead. Not only was my radio show web streamed around the world on http://www.gobrave.org/, it was also broadcasted live on my ustream channel The Critical Thinker for everyone to see that I was indeed wearing my hoodie as I was broadcasting from the radio booth at WP 88.7 FM.

We must continue to do everything in our power to ensure that another child regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or religion is not made a victim because of it. How many more Trayvon Martin’s are we going to have to suffer through? Lastly, I wore my hoodie because I am Trayvon Martin. May God bless Trayvon’s family through this difficult time and may Trayvon Martin rest in peace.

Why Everyone Ought To Have An Obsession With Their Books

The other day I was watching an episode of Seinfeld and in the episode (The Ex) there is a scene where George is explaining to Jerry that he has just broken up with his girlfriend and he has one small problem. He has left some books at his now ex-girlfriend’s house. George asks Jerry to go to his ex- girlfriend’s house to pick up his books because he doesn’t want to see her again. Jerry says, “So forget about the books.” Jerry proceeds to ask George “Did you read them?” George says “Yes” and Jerry goes on to ask, “What do you need them for?” George says “They’re books, they’re my books.” Jerry goes on to say “What is this obsession everyone has with books? They put them in their houses like they’re trophies; what do you need them for after you have read them?” George finishes the scene by saying “They’re my books!”

As the scene unfolded, I thought about how Jerry compared books to trophies and it occurred to me that Seinfeld’s comparison was not that far off. As an avid and voracious reader, I have a library of books that I have owned for more than thirty years (I’ve now begun downloading on Kindle too). So I looked up the word trophy at dictionary.com and the second definition actually supported Seinfeld’s comparison. The number two definition read as follows: anything serving as a token or evidence of victory, valor, skill, etc. As my critically thinking mind thought about that definition, it became clear to me that Seinfeld’s comedic view of people keeping books in their houses like they are trophies is indeed correct. For each book that is read from prologue to epilogue or beginning to end or table of contents to glossary is indeed a victory won with the skill of reading and every facet of it (comprehension, decoding, critically thinking, paraphrasing, predicting, accessing prior knowledge, etc. etc. etc.). The completed book on one’s shelf is truly a token of victory and is indeed a trophy.

I truly hope people view their books as trophies because just as athletic trophies are valued and worshipped, so ought the number of books that one has read over the course of time be valued, acknowledged and shown off as well. We are oh so proud when we have earned a trophy for being the best (I still have my little league baseball trophy from 1975), so why should we not be proud to show our trophies of knowledge? Seinfeld gave me something to critically think about and I hope he has given you something to think about to.  Get your number of trophies up. Oh and while I have you here, one way to get your number of trophies (books) up is to listen to me every Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. EST on http://www.gobrave.org/. and WP88.7 FM during my show The Reading Circle with Marc Medley (shameless plug.....hey it's my blog). I host a radio show where I interview authors from around the world giving them the opportunity to showcase their work and bring to you some extremely interesting reading. I have many listeners who ultimately purchased and read the books by the authors they have heard on my show. As always, I welcome your commentary in the comment section of the blog and remember that old adage "Readers are Leaders."

What Matters Most Is How You See Yourself - The Dangers of Low Self-Esteem

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. While there is no doubt that I respect and agree with the findings of the CDC, for the sake of this Critical Thinker Blog Post I would like to look a little deeper and suggest a possible root cause for so much cardiovascular and many other life threatening and life taking diseases; and that is low self-esteem.

So what is this thing or concept called “self-esteem?” According to Merriam-Webster.com the definition of self-esteem is a confidence and satisfaction in oneself, in other words it’s being happy with who and what you are. There are far too many of us who suffer from what I believe is the leading cause of not just physical death but death in so many other important areas of life such as our marriages, careers, relationships, education, etc. It is my hypothesis that it is this disease of low self esteem that contributes greatly to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, addiction, and so many other "isms" and diseases that cause premature death. 

I shared with many of my friends at the death of superstar Whitney Houston that it is not my belief that Whitney died from drugs but that she as fine as she was suffered from low self-esteem which lead to many of her decisions.  You may agree or disagree with my assessment but Kevin Costner’s remarks at Ms.Houston’s funeral really gave us a bird’s eye view in my opinion of Whitney’s true cause of death when he said “The Whitney I knew, despite her success and worldwide fame still wondered am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me? He went on to say that “It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end.”

Whitney Houston was not by herself. I have seen far too many people who have all of the trappings of what the world would call having it "all" (attractive faces and bodies, money, houses, cars, travel, talent, etc. etc.) and still not have as the Merriam-Webster definition describes the confidence and satisfaction in oneself. It is mind boggling and perplexing that someone who has what appears to be it “all” could still not be happy with who they are. As that old adage goes, "looks can be deceiving." The same questions that Mr. Costner shared that tormented Whitney on a continuous basis go through the minds of countless individuals on a minutely basis (Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?) causing too many to lead self destructive lives ultimately leading to the death of careers, marriages, relationships, and even life itself.

While the CDC may have its research on the leading cause of death in the United States, I believe we have overlooked a root cause of so many of our diseases. There is no doubt that diet, and heredity and many other factors play a part in the diseases that we contract, but I also believe that our self-esteem is just as large a factor as our diets and our heredity. We must find a way to be satisfied with what and who God made us to be. We ought to always seek ways to improve ourselves knowing that this is different from the little voice in our heads constantly telling us that we are not good enough. We ought to always be seeking to make what is good even better but not from the standpoint of putting ourselves down or looking down upon ourselves. We must always see ourselves as already good enough. We must also be mindful that having a good or high self-esteem is not the same thing as being cocky, arrogant, or stuck up. It truly is about having that confidence and satisfaction with who and what you are and not worrying about anyone else's opinion of  who you know you are. In the Bible in Psalm 139:14 it says ^“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”  I would encourage all of us to meditate on that verse daily to combat the ills of low self-esteem for we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. Something to critically think about and I welcome your commentary in the comment section of the blog.

Those "Blah" People Again

This ridiculous story about former East St. Louis police chief Michael Baxton below is why Senator Rick "The Blah People" Santorum, Governor Mitt "In Quiet Rooms" Romney  and Former Speaker of the House Newt "Food Stamp President" Gingrich feel that they can speak so brazenly about "Black People."

Rick "The Blah People" Santorum

Mitt "In Quiet Rooms" Romney

Newt "Food Stamp President" Gingrich

The idiocy of the police chief in this story speaks for itself.

While most cops protect and serve, former East St. Louis police chief Michael Baxton apparently likes to play.

Michael Baxton pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing four Xbox 360 consoles from the FBI, reports St. Louis news station KSDK.

To be clear, the 360 is not standard issue equipment for the Feds these days. Officials had them in the car as part of a sting operation after suspicions arose about the chief's conduct.
Baxton, who faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, came under suspicion of offering preferential treatment to some suspects and stealing/selling items from the evidence locker. That's when the FBI decided to test him.

Agents bought five Xbox 360s, put them in the trunk of a car, then reported the car as being stolen. Baxton and another officer responded to the call -- and sure enough, when they saw the Xboxes, the chief ordered the officer to put four in his car and keep one for himself.
"Unbeknownst to Baxton, the unnamed officer voluntarily came forward to report other acts of misconduct occurring in Alorton and had been assisting the federal investigation from its inception. The unnamed officer was equipped with covert surveillance devices at the time of the theft -- and he audio and video recorded the entire incident," reads the court record.
Officials tracked one of the Xboxes and found it being used in Baxton's basement. But the U.S. Attorney overseeing the case said Baxton lied and tried to frame another officer when confronted

Baxton's attorney calls the incident a "monumental lapse of judgment."
Ironically, this isn't the former chief's first brush with the other side of the law. It turns out Baxton had two felony convictions from 1982 before he was appointed: one for theft and another for burglary. Those convictions were expunged in 1989. The town really can't catch a break when it comes to law enforcement officials. Baxton, after all, got the job of chief when the former chief was convicted of federal tax crimes.

ENOUGH SAID!!!! In the words of Bill Cosby, "COME ON PEOPLE!!!"