#postitforhope

[atestimonyaday]

It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt....there is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf ("He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home," April 2016)

[thetruthaudris]

I know that in every region there is its own rhyme and flow of hip-hop. A lot of it I will not give attention to because it is just that bad. However, if I am going to push and implement the poetry/hip-hop program, I need to give ear to the stuff that is going in the ears of our youth. Yesterday, I took some time to really listen to drill hip-hop to only find myself asking, "What in the hell just happened?"

I commend Kanye for reaching into his fellow Chicagoans to give them a chance, but he has to understand the influence music has over our children. Creating music videos of smoking weed and waving guns while talking about burying someone in the ground is not conducive to anyone. If we are going to give someone a record deal, teach them the true power over words and to clean it up. It isn't about selling out your roots, it's about selling up and above those situations; a way to encourage others.

Hip-hop is a culture that derived from our ancestors, from our corner poets, and orators of old. This language that we hear in a lot of the mainstream music is not a reflection of yesterday's work but a perpetuation of the ignorance that spills from mouth to ear and so on.

That nescient behavior becomes a trend and accepted as the norm. Children begin to converse in such terms at tender ages. When they should be talking about whose turn to be "it," they are telling each other that they aren't shit. Women have accepted that it is okay for their dudes to tell them that they are bitches who better have their legs open and be about that money. How can we grow from this behavior? How can we demonstrate that we are a people of value when this is adapted into our culture? How can we dispel the myths when we are making this type of thought into our realities? Yes our communities are thriving and deprived, laden with pockets of violent sections. However, it doesn't mean that it should be that way.

Yesterday, I ear-hustled my neighbor's music. They're musicians and well-known producers. They were jamming to "Since I Lost My Baby" by Luther Vandross. The song took me back to my days in North Philly listening to my aunt sing, "My my my my bayyyy-by"(I bet some of you are now singing the song right now). It felt good to return to that memory. Even though the song talks about looking for a long-lost love, it was a feel good song to hear and sing. And even though I cannot sing to save my life, I still loved to sing that song. That is what music should do.

Our music is our life in beats. Our music is our life from the streets. Our music speaks our hearts and soul. Our music shares our dreams and goals. Our music is the truth we seek. Our music is the pain we speak. Our music is and shall forever be about our people and hope for humanity.

[legowerewolf]

We all change. When you think about it, we're all different people all through our lives, and that's okay, that's good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.

11th Doctor

This is my contribution to #PostItForward: Post it for the memories. Post it for the life. Remember the good times and the bad. Remember all the people you've met. We all die two deaths: the death of our body, and the death of the memories of us. Make a difference. Be remembered for being yourself.

[r--u--ok]

i said push it forward lol :3

Hey i’m R--U--Ok a comparative smash player and lover of many things and i’m posting this because things have been hard in life these last few years and its ok to be lost. But i now know as long as you have people in your life that you can rely on when things get tough you can make it though anything. Just remember that you are beautiful / You are amazing / You can do anything / and Don’t give up!