GET MAD BUT DON'T GET IGNORANT PART VI

Hey Bruh! America has been called the land of second chances! Well, that depends on who you are, where you live, and what you did! Now this will be the subject of a series for this blog in the future, but suffice it to say, that in America second chances for most of us are hard to find and come few and far between! Particularly as it pertains to the Criminal Justice System in this country! Be that as it may, I think we all will agree that there is something that seems to be irredeemable about the men who are involved in this rivalry that was started by Cain and Abel and exacerbated by their descendants! In this blog, we are going to discuss how redemption is all-inclusive and how both Cain and Abel need it!

Why? Because the consequences that were heaped upon the social structure in this country have been devastating! The family dynamic has been ruined, laws have been enacted to make everything a crime and sentences have been designed to be punitive, not restorative! The economy is broken because of greed and economic access has become so limited that the gap between the rich and the poor is now a gulf! Racial division is bringing this country to its knees, and religious hypocrisy has turned many away from their faith in God, thanks to Cain’s jealousy and Abel’s vindictiveness! This is unacceptable and it shouldn't be accepted anymore! But again, everyone deserves a second chance!

DADDY ISSUES?

Pay attention, are you listening? Because if you can listen long and hard enough to the sounds of violence, to the voice of ignorance, to the screams of pain and disappointment, and to the shouting of threats and accusations, you are going to hear the voices or the distinct and desperate cry of lost, abandon, or forgotten children who are looking for a Father! Why are they crying out? It’s because the worst thing about the best that they have to offer is that it is unacceptable! The worst thing about their best being unacceptable is that it that you don’t get or that you forfeit the attention of the Father! The worst thing about not getting or forfeiting the Father's attention is that it will cause you to feel unwanted, make you keep your distance, and push you down the road of infamy looking for someone or something else to fill that hole in your heart and to replace what you have been missing all of your life!.

There is so much more that I could add to that list, but I don’t want to be, and I’m not trying to be monotonous! However, what this list is describing is what can be called the Syndrome of Insignificance or Loser’s Disorder! But in reality, this is insecurity brought on by an identity crisis! In other words, if you don’t know the Father, you won’t know who you are! If you don’t know who you are, you won’t know your purpose! If you don’t know your purpose, you won’t know how to act! Period! But at the risk of being monotonous here are 10 reasons why men are angry:

                                                                          1. Rejection 

                                                                          2. Condemnation

                                                                          3. Stigmatization

                                                                          4. Disappointment                                                         

                                                                          5. Cyclical Failure

                                                                          6. Fear and Anxiety

                                                                          7. Unhealed Wounds

                                                                          8. Unforgiveness 

                                                                          9. Betrayal

                                                                         10. Jealousy

Now look, I am not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, a counselor, a therapist, or a life coach! What I am though, is a man who has experienced the full range of insignificance in the downward spiral of that syndrome, as well as the lowest and darkest dimensions of losing and being a loser while suffering from that disorder! I hate to say what I am about to say next because it is so cliché, but I have to let you all know that you can live through it, get out of it, be healed, let your soul prosper, then get back into that war to help your brother get out! So at the risk of sounding cliché, Been there, done that, and got the scares to prove it! Oh by the way, and most importantly, I have my Father's attention!

If you are tormented by this syndrome or incapacitated by this disorder after having heard what I just said Cain or Abel, the question you are probably asking yourself while you’re still in the midst of this epic battle is, “How do I get or get back my Fathers Attention! I have returned to this battle to show you how my brothers! Because it is time for both of you to reunite with the Father so you can reunite with one another! I want you to know that opportunity doesn’t only knock once! The proof is in the fact that what I am about to share with you, you have heard before! Being engaged in a fight for your life and/or livelihood, however, will always cause you to miss, discredit, or flat-out disregard the opportunity to reunite because of fear, mistrust, and the intensity of this rivalry! But here are the steps that you need to take to overcome your fear, learn to trust then become trusted, and turn down the intensity of the battle with the proper use of anger!

STEP #1. RECOGNIZE AND ACCEPT THE SPIRIT OF FATHERHOOD! 

Listen I have used the phrase “The Father” about God, the creator of the universe and the father of us all! However, I do not have a misunderstanding about the fact that this figure of authority makes a lot of us both men and women, but particularly men, uncomfortable and quick frankly, it turns them away! Now there are many reasons for this, and if you stay with me and follow #MANHOODREDISCOVERED I will address each of those reasons in future posts. However, the biggest reason for the hesitancy is that the essence or the spirit of Fatherhood has been misrepresented!

Whether they were a biological father, a stepfather, an adopted father, or a foster father, because of their imperfections these authority figures in our lives misrepresented the Father and Fatherhood and left an open wound or a scar that reminds us of the dysfunction in that relationship! However, there is and has always been a presence in and around our lives that properly represents Fatherhood that must be recognized and accepted so that this relationship can be reconciled! It may never be with the one who was or was not there, but it will be with someone who, because of the true spirit of Fatherhood was and has always been present!

It has been said and has been confirmed that just because you procreated does not make you a Father it only proves that you are a male! Absenteeism, infamy, and iniquity are not what the Father intended for his children! This disposition does not represent God who is the Father of us all or the institution of Fatherhood! So then what personifies the true spirit of a Father or what demonstrates the true essence of Fatherhood? The characteristics of Presence, Leadership, and Legacy are what distinguish a Father and what qualifies them for Fatherhood! God promised to never leave you or forsake you, to guide you in the way you should go, and give you the desires of your heart! That spirit is present everywhere around you and you can have a proper relationship if are ready to recognize and accept Him as your Father!

STEP #2. JUST SAY YOU'RE SORRY 

The transformative effect that a drink of water or something to eat has on people who are hungry or thirsty is both immediate and sustainable! In other words, if you give a sandwich to someone who is hungry or a glass of water to someone thirsty, the more they eat or drink the better they’re going to feel! You don’t have to explain what’s going to happen to them biologically once they start eating and drinking. You just give them what they need and watch their continence change even before they put the glass of water or that sandwich to their lips! 

This is the same dynamic that happens when you apologize to someone, or someone apologizes to you! Listen, when it comes to interpersonal relationships and particularly when it comes to Manhood, a simple and sincere apology will end a rivalry, restore families, and heal friendships! I know what you are saying, Cain and Abel! You’re saying if it is that easy then why are still trying to take each other out? Because you won’t apologize, or you are not sincere! I’m not talking about jumping through hoops! If you have sincerely apologized or asked for forgiveness multiple times and your brother won’t forgive or let it go, then you have to move on! However, if you won’t forgive or refuse to say you’re sorry because you’re mad, you can’t forget, or you want then to explain why, then the battle will continue!

This mindset that says, "Love, means never having to say you're sorry is flat-out ridiculous!" Why? Because you cannot tell me you love me and then continuously stab me in my back! "We always hurt the ones we love." is true but if you do it intentionally then you don’t love them! Let me make it plain and simple if you love me, or if I love you, I will apologize and say I’m sorry without being prompted, coerced, and without strings attached! Period! Love covers a multitude of sins! Let's end here but stay with me because, in my next post, I'm going to continue this list of the steps you need to conquer your fear, and your trust issues, and help turn down the intensity of your anger! Remember, we want to get mad, but we don't want to get ignorant!