Blue-light
special on peace of mind
Duy
Tran
In
an ever expanding materialistic world, it
is lovely that there are girls who are not
"material girls," and boys who
could give a f$$k about "toys".
But this way of life is nothing new, for
those who recognize that as they transgress
toward success, a big house and that new
Lexus. The identity of the "self"
remains "priceless." While our
environment dictates what we are, and through
that, you do what is "you," there
must be a point of recognition of what we
are made up of and to this we stay true.
Because the identity of "self"
has been past down from generations, through
and through, and it lives on in me and you:
"I
am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired
me to be a white man he would have made
me so in the first place. He put in your
heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart
he put other and different desires. Each
man is good in his sight. It is not necessary
for Eagles to be Crows. We are poor, but
we are free. No white man controls our footsteps.
If we must die we die defending our rights.
(Sitting Bull)."
"Posterity
(future generations) will bear testimony
that I was right" (William Lloyd Garrison,
white abolitionist). "This Fourth of
July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice.
I must mourn." (Frederick Douglass).
"Each generation must, out of its relative
obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill
it or betray it." (Franz Fanon). "Some
will choose to settle for a wage increase
and settle for better working conditions,
others will never be content with that,
they then will be the responsible ones to
have other Delanos, other program issues
so the spirit continues" (Cesar Chavez).
"Without
rectification of the injustices committed
against us nor without restoration of our
rights as guaranteed by the constitution,
we are ordered to join the army through
procedures into a segregated Army! Is that
the American way? No!" (Fair Play Committee;
1944 Japanese-American Internment Camp Bulletin).
"I
read a poll taken by Newsweek magazine this
week, saying that Negroes are satisfied.
Oh, yes, Newsweek, you know, supposed to
be a top magazine with the top pollsters,
talking about how satisfied Negroes are.
Maybe I haven't met the Negroes he met"
(Brother Malcolm X). "America, you
are too arrogant, and God will break the
backbone of yea" (Martin Luther King
Jr.). "Mercy, Mercy me," "What's
going on?" (Marvin Gaye). Are these
the lessons that we forget, when we turn
from "picking cotton, to picking up
cotton?" (KRS-ONE).
Relegated,
as these notions may seem, they can no longer
be ignored, because what they have become
is the make-up of what you see, manifesting
from sea to shining sea. However, amidst
the sadistic, resides the perception of
the individualistic, and in the end, what
remains realistic, is that I'll do what
is "me" and you'll do what is
"you." But before you play your
role, please preserve some self-control,
because true identity of self can never
be sold.
Duy
Tran is a sociology major at Cal State Long
Beach.
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