(via thenakedunicorn)
Incarcerated Scarfaces..
“This past, this negro’s past, of rope, fire, torture…death and humiliation; fear by day and night, fear as deep as the marrow of the bone…This past, this endless struggle to achieve and reveal and confirm a human identity.. Yet for all its horror, contains something so very beautiful…people who cannot suffer can never grow up…can never discover who they are..”
-James Baldwin.
Fear is life’s biggest cock blocker. As funny as it sounds, it’s so much truth in this weird, unorthodox statement. For the past 22 years, I’ve experienced fear from all angles and experiences. My own personal fears. Other people’s fears. Fear of both the evitable and unevitable. Fear is nothing more than an imaginary limitation manifested in the mind to keep you from believing that any and everything that you ever wanted to achieve is unattainable. Fuck that! In our own personal search and quest for life, love, success, and freedom, we all come across some kind of struggle. It stands out to us like a hideous scar left from a bad accident. But, instead of accepting what we may believe makes us ugly and insecure in that scar and turning it into our prized mark of learning and beauty, we cover it up as best as we can, terrified of judgement and rejection. I’ll be the first to admit, I have plenty of scars. I have the hardest of time getting a nut off on life, simply because my fears and trepidations wont allow me to. But as a man, a strong black man at that, how long do you continue to allow your fears to manipulate your life? At what point do you look it all dead in the eye, confident and proud, and say, “Get the fuck outta my face!” For many people, that time never comes. Fear remains in control and you willingly settle for the next best thing; mediocrity. Staying average. I easily refuse. A lot of my insecurities and fears stem from not having my pops around. But every time I look at the male figures that I try to mold and shape myself from; The Nas’ of the world, The Common’s, The Malcolm X’s, The Tupac’s, The Nelson Mandela’s and everyone else in between, the one amazing trait that all of these great men shared more than anything is that fear was not an option for them. In each of their own individual tales of turning struggle to success, there was nothing that they feared…absolutely nothing. They each said and did what they wanted at any cost and all physically, spiritually and metaphorically fucked the world. And now, as a 22 year young soul searching for the same success and freedom that they all enjoy(ed) and share(d), i’m steadily learning that these mindless boundaries are the only things that hold myself from everything that surrounds me. A wise man once told me to fear nothing but God. And God wants you to have the world. I finally hear the message loud and clear. Maybe…just maybe…others will too. Let’s all stop being cock blocked and fuck the world for what it’s worth. Peace be with you.
-Ted.
