Life Does Not Wait in Line One of the biggest misconceptions about adulthood is believing life will patiently happen in sequence. Many people believe they can handle life one step at a time—first school, then a career, money, relationships, family, and health. Spirituality often gets pushed to the end, as something to think about later.
Adulthood Is Not a Straight Line Read More »
When a Mother Sees Something Greater I came across an argument that Tupac Shakur and Jesus can be understood through a similar archetype, and at first that comparison sounded almost too heavy to touch. I am not saying Tupac was Jesus, divine, or some modern-day Messiah. I am talking about the recurring human story of
Tupac and Jesus: The Burden of the Chosen Son Read More »
When Access Changes Your Standards I remember having wealthy friends who would invite me into places I probably would not have entered on my own. These were the kind of rooms where everything felt elevated, from the service to the atmosphere to the way people moved through the space. The food was different, the attention
Some People Were Meant to Experience You, Not Keep You Read More »
More Than a Simple Love Song When I listen to Tupac’s “Dear Mama,” I hear more than a son simply telling his mother that he loves her. I hear gratitude, pain, memory, loyalty, disappointment, and forgiveness all moving through the same song. That is what makes it feel so much deeper than an ordinary tribute.
“Dear Mama” Was Love, Gratitude, Pain, and a Debt He Could Never Fully Repay Read More »
The Great Depression Was Not One Single American Experience The standard story of the 1930s usually begins with collapse. We hear about the stock market crash, failing banks, soup kitchens, Dust Bowl farms, Hoovervilles, unemployment, and families standing in bread lines. Those images are real, and the suffering was enormous. But the problem comes when
Black America Kept Building While the Country Was Falling Apart Read More »
We Were Never Designed to Feel Nothing There is a difference between having emotions and allowing emotions to hijack the whole operation. I hear people say they want to become less emotional because they believe emotion makes them weak or irrational. I understand what they mean, especially when they are thinking about decisions they made
Having Emotions Is Not the Same as Letting Emotions Have You Read More »
The Danger of Looking Away We have probably all heard somebody say, “That’s not my problem,” and sometimes I understand exactly why they say it. Life is already heavy, and nobody can carry every burden they see. But in a broken system, the greatest danger is not always the person causing the harm. Sometimes it
When “That’s Not My Problem” Becomes Everybody’s Problem Read More »
Who Do You Become When You Drink? I have always found it interesting how differently people behave once alcohol enters the picture. Some people become happier, louder, friendlier, and suddenly want to talk to everybody in the room. Others become sad and start talking about things they have not mentioned in years. Some become angry,
What Alcohol Can Reveal About the Parts of Us We Hide Read More »
The Question Is Bigger Than It Sounds When somebody asks whether people want children more than they want marriage, I understand why the question feels timely. Marriage no longer carries the same automatic expectation it once did in American life. More people delay marriage, avoid it, divorce, remarry, co-parent, or build families outside the old
Marriage, Children, and What People Really Want From Family Read More »
What Those Words Really Mean When I hear a president or political leader say that losing the midterms could effectively mean the end of a presidency, I pay attention to what is actually being said. Losing control of the House would not literally remove a president from office. A president would remain president unless he
When a President Says Losing Congress Could End His Presidency Read More »