My Brother: What do you LIVE for?

We are in MLK Weekend 2023! We celebrate a hero that is like most of our heroes: Misunderstood.

Children will recreate the I have a Dream speech over and over again, but he said much more than than.

Even I was tempted to merely repost and retweet what I wrote last year. I wrote my own version of the I have a Dream Speech from where I saw things in 2022.

I still stand behind what I wrote, however this year, I feel the need to speak to my fellow Black Men.

Here is an MLK quote that is well known, but in my opinion, not discussed.

I don’t think MLK was talking about throwing our life away, I would like to think that he was giving a powerful context for living that we as men and Black Men should look at.

I think that he was asking us this:

• What are we living for?
• What is our purpose?

So what is our purpose?

For some it is chasing than paper, getting that bag and building the castle!

• Do that and then we can get the woman we want, right?
• If we are “paid”, then they will respect us, right?

(Um: It doesn’t quite work that way, but that is for another post)

I suggest that you identify that ONE person or group that would have you go all out no matter what the consequence.

I think Coach Prime sets the tone for what I want to say.

After watching the video, who did you pick?

For me: That’s my family! My family and is what I live for and would die for if I needed to.

A life lived just for YOU or for your own personal accomplishments is empty.

• Who will you have to celebrate that with?
• Who will you be able to authentically share them with?

You could throw a party, but the people that come to your party are there for the free food and liquor (or whatever else you are serving up).

Those people are not there to celebrate YOU! And they won’t be there in the morning to have coffee with and talk about not just the success, but celebrating the journey…because they were right there with you all the way.

Building a castle with no one in it is sad. What did Luther Say? A house is not a home!

You see an empty life in a pretty castle is meaningless, to get all the joy you want out of life, you need a purpose, by that I mean someone who means the world to you. Because THAT’s a damn good reason to get out of bed in the morning for and “get that paper”

If you want to be GREAT, then find something to be in service of that is worth your life! For my fellow christian folks, this is in the bible!

This is what our core duty of men are!

Matthew 20: 26-28 says this: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

There is nothing more life affirming than being around people you are in service of and appreciate your service.

You will get the joy….

• When you show up at school and your kids are so happy to see you come
• When your family comes to YOU to be the one that helps them with their problems…and you can do it
• You see your kids achieve goals and you both know that they did that through your love and support
• When you wake up in the morning and know you have a life partner that has been and is with you all the way

So my brothers, I hope you can now see you are more than the castle you build, the bag you got or the paper you collect. While money is important, the sole collection of it is an empty chase that will only have you seek more and more of it.

The chase of “paper” is like fast food, it will fill you for a moment, but within a short time, you are back at the counter chowing down an unhealthy meal that will require you eat more and more and more of it.

You will have a full belly, but you will have no nutrition that will sustain you, so it is am empty chase that can lead to dangerous outcomes!

I am saying that the nutrition for the soul is by finding that person that you love more than money, more than the castle, more than paper and serve them.

The universe gives you back what you give it.

• If you want to be loved, be loving
• If you want people to be interested in you, be interested in them
• If you want people to trust you, take on trusting people
• If you want people around you who are of service to you, be of service to them

Coach Primes mom took on being of service to her son and now she has someone who is absolutely in service of her. She made sacrifices for him so that he could have his dreams.

I am guessing that because part of her dream was to have him reach his, and helping your loved ones achieve their dreams makes for a life that is fulfilling and, yes: Worth Living!

She gave her life for him and now he would do the same for her. But first SHE was the one giving.

So…who do you choose to serve?

Who will you give your life for?

Being in service to them will have you be more successful because they will be your reason to succeed and to provide for them.

Someone gave their life for you to be where you are, this is called paying it forward because you cannot pay it back. And the one who gave their life for you isn’t expecting to be paid back. And neither should you!!!

Oh and the folks who you are in service of may not always SEEM to have gratitude and may view your service as an annoyance.

That’s ok too!

So my brothers I ask again, who did you pick?

Then get serving!!!

Because you aren’t here just for YOU, YOU are here for THEM!