03.28.07
The Little Bus That Could
It was a bright and sunny day. The birds were singing. Men and women were walking comfortably in their summer clothing. I was heading home after a very eventful day. After grabbing a bite to eat at the Junction, I hopped onto the bus.
As the bus departed, I had quite the funniest feeling but I could not understand why. I ignored it and figured this would just be a normal 30-minute ride or so I thought.
Ten minutes into the ride, the bus stalled. It just pretty much died right there as it was picking up passengers. I’ve been on buses before when that has happened so I thought nothing much of it.
Code Blue: Six stops later the bus stalled again, only this time it coded and wasn’t coming back. The driver turned the key in an effort to restart the engine, but to no avail. The bus stayed put. Next thing we heard was the bus driver yelling, “this bus is out of service.”
I laughed because I originally considered walking home, but decided to take mass transit because I had to study for a midterm and a quiz tomorrow.
The 30 or so passengers, including myself, grumbled as we took our free bus transfers and quickly exited the bus. Many were upset that the bus was out of service. The poor driver tried to continue his route with the stubborn bus, but the bus proved to be noncompliant. Some felt that it was the fault of the driver, because the bus had stalled before and he should’ve warned them not to board.
We quickly hailed the next two buses which were about to pass us by. Although, we were stranded at a local stop and they were limited buses, they picked us up and we continued on our journey.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 4/30/07
03.18.07
Women are Vicious?
I have heard that men are from Mars and women from Venus, but the words “women” and ”vicious” in the same sentence? I don’t think so. I’m not biased because I am a woman. It’s a matter of fact. Women are NOT vicious.
A friend of the opposite sex and I have been arguing this point for the entirety of a week. In case you were wondering, it was not because we had nothing better to do. When you really think about it, there are some pretty good arguments ranging from creation and a religious aspect to natural phenomenon.
You can disagree but in my opinion he was quite sexist while in his eyes I was a feminist. You be the judge!
It has been a very trying hurricane season. There was Hurricane Katrina, then out of nowhere came Hurricane Rita, can’t forget Hurricane Stan who wanted a piece of the action. According to my friend, a majority of the hurricanes have been named after women for the simple fact that we are destructive. False! Hurricanes have been named after both sexes. There are not as many women in the meteorology field to compete against the men who have dominated that field. Hence, the hurricane names seem to be named after women. The naming of hurricanes has nothing to do with sex. Hurricanes aren’t human.
God is a man and the devil is a woman. False! No human has actually seen either of the two. Though we placed both beings in the male species, no one has any proof to confirm it as a fact.
Women have been taking from men since the beginning of time. Eve took the rib from Adam and since then we’ve been known to take your house, car, money, children, jobs, and dignity. False! Yes, Eve was formed from the rib that God took from Adam but that doesn’t mean that we have that need to claim other people’s property implanted into our XX chromosome. If we earned it, then why not claim it?
Eve ate a fruit and gave it to her husband, Adam. She didn’t know what she did and because of that act, they were kicked out of the garden. Women are responsible for men’s downfall. I am so tired of hearing this. Men let it go! You’re wrong. We’re equally responsible. She went off and did what she did, but no one put a gun to your head and told you to eat the fruit. They shared the responsibility. Accept it!
Men show more emotion and fall in love harder than women. HA! Since when? Women have always been the ones shedding those tears in their pillows night after night. Men have always been the ones to hold back their emotions to avoid being called a punk or any less of a man. How many times have women been dying to hear those words but were the first to say, ”I love you” and have the man look at them and say, “ok” or “cool”, maybe even “thanks”.
So you want to be a priest, because women can’t be trusted. It is common knowledge that relationships are emotionally draining. Both men and women face the heartache of a breakup. Nowadays, women have no other choice. You can either get hurt or put that armor on and prepare for a battle of the fittest. Men can’t be trusted either. It’s unfair that women are called derogatory terms if they have more than one guy while men who have more than one gal pal are congratulated and crowned a “player”.
The hottest songs on the air are about breaking up Keyshia Cole’s (I Just Want It) To Be Over or cheating on your man Cole’s I Should Have Cheated meaning that women are not as into relationships as men are. When it comes to songs, it’s all about what sells. Happiness doesn’t really cut it in the music industry. There are some exceptions, but not too many are out there. People want something they can genuinely relate to such as heartache, being cheated on, anything dealing with loss. Women are tired of being taken advantage of not to say that men aren’t used too. Women are usually the primary victims in anything. Therefore they are the ones who usually sing about misery while men sing about having multiple women like R. Kelly’s Playas Only feat. The Game.
Back to the whole, “women are taking all of our jobs”. “It’s their sex appeal”. No! If that were the case, that environment would soon become sexual harassment. Women have taken “all” of the jobs to make up for lost time. Women have been overlooked for positions in which they were qualified but rejected for gender reasons. Not anymore. Times are changing. Even if we were taking over, how many CEOs are women? If that number is over 10 maybe even 15, then get back to me.
“When I come home, I expect my woman to be cooking my dinner over the stove wearing something attractive. After a hard day of work, do you really expect your wife to be energetic enough to think about how to please you? If you’re nodding your head yes, then come back to reality. She worked a 9-5 job just like you, has to pick up the 5 kids you wanted, cook dinner, and maintain the household. When was the last time you gave her a well-deserved massage for the time she puts in each day? I love NBC’s Mister Mom, Fox’s Nanny 911, and ABC’s Supernanny & Wife Swap. All of these shows give husbands a taste of what their wives go through while running a household on a daily basis. I applaud the creators of these shows. Compromise. Take turns taking care of the household or share the responsibilities and you would both get what you want out of it.
I challenge someone, anyone to disagree with me. Bring on the arguments. I encourage it.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 10-3-05
How STRONG is Your Faith?
Announced with decorative eggs and bunnies, Easter is celebrated by thousands annually.
It is a time to reflect on Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. As I watched the news broadcast of Easter celebrations around the world, it is amazing how the world is full of diverse cultures, which celebrate in their own traditional customs and yet have one thing in common. They all believe in Jesus Christ.
As I marveled at this concept, an idea popped into my head. Jesus Christ was sent down from heaven to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Christ is an all-powerful being. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and yet he left His heavenly palace to walk on this forsaken Earth. That really makes you think. Why would he do such a thing? Would you do such a thing if you were in His shoes? No one on Earth deserved the selfless act that was done on the cross at Calvary, and yet he did it so that we might have a chance at eternal life.
Personally, I do not celebrate Easter. Do not get me wrong! I do believe in Jesus Christ and acknowledge His life, death, and resurrection. I don’t celebrate Easter, but at the same time I am not trying to put it or anyone who celebrates it down. Everyone has his or her own beliefs. Everyone is different. Everyone has his or her own relationship with God. My faith may not be the same as yours, but we can all still get along as long as we do not try to invalidate the other’s belief system.
Faith, by definition, is having confidence or trust in a being. Many Christians believe in Christ, but is there really any faith like the ones forever exemplified by those who lived in ancient times? Take Abraham for example, he was willing to sacrifice his son if it was the will of God. Would you be ready, willing, and able to do as Abraham did? Would you put your only child, sister, mother, anyone you whole dear in danger with no hesitation, if it were God’s will? I doubt you would. I know I wouldn’t. If you would, then congratulations you have a close and personal relationship with God. God did it for us with His son, Jesus and yet we cannot return this gesture with our own flesh and blood. What irony!
In the world that we live today, there is violence, pain, sorrow, grief, unhappiness, illness, death, and so on. The list goes on and on and with each passing day it continues to grow.
We are living in a world of sin and evil. We need God and yet we continue to deny it. Government has taken it to such lengths whereas to separate church and state. There are to be no prayers in public schools. People have even taken the time out of their schedules to try and change the common phrase, ”In God We Trust” off of United States currency.
It’s funny how scientists have tried to prove the Earth’s creation through evolution and the big bang theory and not by a supernatural being. We are amazed at how scientists can now create life. All of this, to not only replace God, but to ELIMINATE HIM and oh how quickly we find our so-called faith and spirituality when the times are trying. Oh, how quickly we find God when we need protection from harm. Oh, how quickly we find God, when we’re ill and need to regain our health. We don’t need God when things are going well, but we sure expect Him to lend us His ear when times are troubling and we’re in need.
I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but faith provides me with morality. Morality is an essential component of one’s personality. Morality is lacking in this world. With morality, you would think twice about killing someone. Maybe you wouldn’t drink yourself senseless or wear those clothes. I cannot tell you how tired I am of hearing all of these foul words being uttered by men, women, and children. It is not a language to be used regularly, if it wasn’t used at all, the world would be a little bit better. With morality, you would think twice about cheating on that exam or even plagiarizing. Lying can only get you that far, and in the end you only hurt yourself by not obtaining the proper skills to progress to the next level.
Imagine how much different the world would be, if we focused more on God and less on ourselves. It would literally be peace on Earth. Think about it! How strong is your faith? This is a reality check for not only myself, but for many of you as well.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 4/4/05
Christian Women
Women, especially CHRISTIAN women, are not representing. Now what do I mean by representing? When you “claim” that you are a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N, you are associating yourself with Jesus Christ, our Savior. It’s a sad reality that we need to really check ourselves.
Take a long, hard look at yourselves in the mirror. Look at what you’re wearing. Are your clothes too tight? Skirt too short? Shirt too low-cut? If you answered yes to all then you are undressed. If you answered yes to even one of them, you’ve still got a problem. How do you expect to draw men and women to God when they can’t take their eyes off you? It’s not a compliment. How are they supposed to actually listen to your testimony for God let alone believe a word you have to say when you’re dressed like everyone else on the street? You are dressed like the world. You don’t stand out. You are unique. God made each and every one of us differently. We are skilled in so many ways but why do we all act the same. Why do we think the same? Wearing tight and short clothes, or not enough does not help your image. Let me repeat myself, when you wear those clothes, you send out the WRONG message, attract the WRONG men, and misrepresent both yourself and your God.
What are you going to do about your self-image? How are you going to upgrade your self-worth? Think about it!
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 3/26/07 and www.blessedsha.org
03.16.07
Where in the world is the Chivalry?
“Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?” I used to love that show. I watched it every day after school, because geography was one of my favorite subjects back in the days. They used to give clues and based on those clues you would have to pinpoint where San Diego was. Now if only I could figure out where chivalry went.
A poor, elderly woman slowly climbs up the stairs with the help of a brown cane. Her gray hair is slightly pulled back and she’s wearing a long winter coat to combat the freezing temperature outside. She digs deep into her pocket to find her bus fare. As she enters the bus, heads turn because no one is willing to give up their seat, forcing her to stand.
The male bus driver turns his head and politely asks the passengers sitting in the “priority seating” section directly behind him, to offer the woman a seat. A woman gave up her seat.
Where has the chivalry gone? Have society’s standards changed? Most men have forgotten how to be polite. They don’t open doors; proudly burp in public, scratch an itch, yell derogatory terms to women who don’t give them any play. It’s disgusting! Plain, old unacceptable.
I could not believe that the young man did not even flinch. He just sat there comfortably as if the bus driver was not addressing him. I sat there and wondered would he have even offered his seat to his own grandmother had she boarded the bus?
Don’t get me wrong. I have accepted and mourned the death of chivalry, but I never realized the severity of its state. If teenage boys refuse to give up their seats, what type of men will they grow up to be?
I can just see a lot of the men who are reading this shaking their hands saying women wanted to be independent so let them. Why should I have to open the door for them when they can do it themselves? Am I right? It’s amazing how our quest for independence and equality has been overused. Let’s say you ask a man for a favor, I can almost guarantee that he will refuse to do it and cite women’s quest for independence and equality as his excuse.
Granted, there are some women who hate chivalry and they are all about me, myself, and I. They don’t want any input or assistance from a man for anything. That is fine, but there is nothing wrong with that. I just hate the fact that men have generalized the female sex. They see us as one body, one person when we are individuals. What works for one, won’t for another. Do not put me in a pool of women!
I love it when men open doors for me. It makes me feel more respected and appreciated. I see nothing wrong with it. I am still independent when it comes to paying for dinner, movies, or my own bills. I don’t depend on men, I depend on myself. It would be nice every now and then to see a man be courteous to a woman despite her age, race, or sex appeal. Yes, I said it.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 3/12/07
