Darrell Davis

On Vacation

What else is there to say? See you in a few weeks.

The Death of Michael Jackson

I still can't believe it. Michael Jackson dead? Michael was larger than life. He was more force of nature than man. His picture hangs in the homes of royal families and it hangs in mud huts. Dead? I can't quite grasp that yet.

Still, in a certain way, Michael is very much alive. His death is real, but so is his legacy. As much as some in this society who have yet learned to relate in a positive way to people of color try, they can't tarnish his memory. Dispite the fact that he was the greatest entertainer the world has ever seen, some will try and remind you of the money problems, the drugs and the scandals. I am not trying to diminish or shrug off any of them. But the fact is, an artist is defined by his or her art. Unfortunately, the mental imbalances that make one great in one area, often makes one deficient in another. Michael was no different in that respect.

But let's keep it real. In a society that was founded on white supremacy, any person of color who rises to the heights of "worlds best" has always been targeted with unfair criticism and facts taken out of context. Racist America just simple will not allow a Black to represent the best.

As my friend Sean pointed out to me, they never let a Black stand alone at the top. If you say Tiger Woods, they say Jack Nicholas, if you say Muhummud Ali, they say Rocky Marciano.

Michael Jackson was a tragic figure not as much because of allegations against him that he was acquitted of in court, as what was done to him. And why is it that when O.J., Puffy or Michael wins in court, the media says they "got off" instead of "innocent"?

Michael Jackson was snatched from not only his childhood, but any semblance of normalcy in order to make record companies billions of dollars. He was chewed up and spit out a sick man both mentally and physically. And instead of owning it, they ridicule him.

Thankfully millions of people around the world love Michael Jackson and his legacy will be preserved by that love. He gave us so much in life and now in death, will continue to give. Many however will continue to take from him. They will exploit his memory for even more money, as Michael dances his way into heaven.

Obama and Smoking

President Obama is without doubt a great man. This statement has nothing to do with whether or not you agree with his politics. Greatness rises above political views. This is a man that has shown to be extremely intelligent and disciplined. Yet, the one habit that he is a slave to is smoking.

Our President just can't seem to kick the habit. It is without question one of the hardest addictions to break. I don't know if he will kick for good or not, but if you find yourself struggling with tobacco, you can find some guaranteed help over here.

Known As...

In the last post I raised the issue of who I am? I have written close to 150 posts on this site and purposely stayed away from too much of my personal side. I did that basically because I felt for a long time this blog wasn't about me; it was about personal development. Yet, I realized you can't separate the two. Especially in my case where it is all about my personal journey from sick and homeless to where I am now- healthy and successful. At least successful by my standards and in reality, that is the only standard that matters.

That being said, before I talk about "who I am" I need to mention "what I am known as." To start, if you ever have the chance to visit Westchester County, New York- more specifically, a small city named Peekskill, you will be in my hometown. It is here that I was born and raised. I have lived in Peekskill most of my life. I love the city and it's people.

In that town, I am known by the media and residents as a radio host and a community activist. Still, some call me troublemaker. Depending on your perspective, all of those descriptions- and more- are true ( better to say accurate).

I have had a long and respected career in the arenas I am known for, but that is not who I am. Let us start by saying I am a man. And as a man, I take on certain responsibilities to family, community and society. Don't mistake this to mean I hold sexist views as to the place of a man or woman in society. No, for me being a man means dealing with chauvinistic views that infect us as part of being socialized into this society.

To me, being a man simply means taking on certain responsibilities, such as teaching your daughters how to relate positively to men. We must cultivate loving relationships with our daughters (as well as sons) and talk to them about male/female relationships. We must forever be on the stage and show respect to woman at all times. No "B" words or demeaning jokes. There is much more that goes with this. You must explore your relationships and make adjustment where necessary.

Being a man (to me) also means washing dishes and cooking. Yes, my sons must see that there is no such thing as woman's work! And we must also talk to our boys about showing respect to woman. We must teach them gender specific skills, like shaving and safer sex practices (hard as it is to deal with, the same holds true for the girls!).

Of course there is much, much more to being a man- like getting the love I need-  but I wanted you to get an idea about who I am. I am a man who happens to do radio and Human rights.

Who Am I

I guess that is the million dollar question for most of us. I don't ask this in the metaphysical sense. I am really asking the question about me. I have been writing about Personal Development and other topics for some time now and really have not gotten too deep into who I am. That is all about to change.

The reason for this change is to help the readers better understand my journey from sick and homeless to where I am now. After all, what does "sick and homeless" really tell you about me? How did I get that way?  There is a lot to cover in there. And we will do just that in the upcoming articles. Of course, I reserve the right to leave out some juicy info ;-)

At Peace or Empty

Are you living your dreams?  Do you get excited in the morning in anticipation of the new day and possibilities?  Are you at peace with life?  Or, are you empty?  A lot of questions, I know.

There is a world of difference between being at peace and being empty and many people don't know the difference.  Your life needs to have some passions and enthusiasms. Just because you think you are relatively stress free doesn't mean you are.  A lack of significant stresses  can actually  be emptiness.

That is why I raised so many questions at the beginning of this post. Often when we think we are at peace, we are really feeling empty. It could be your relationship, your job or your career.  If you are not feeling alive about these things, you are not stress free, you are empty.

Stop Resisting Change

My personality really comes out on a chess board. And chess, in many ways, is so much like life. You have to plan (strategy) and then figure out a way to proceed (tactics). I love chess and am a decent player. I have played against ranked players (notice I didn't say I won). And my personality is all over that board. What it is is I resist change and I do that in chess by never adjusting my strategy. As a result, it often does me in when the opening I thought I saw just wasn't there. I suspect many of you, like me, do the same thing in life.

Before we proceed, we need to qualify change. There are all kinds of change and not all of it good. I am talking about positive change. Change that causes or brings about positive events. It can be a change in the time you rise in the morning or a change of habit or giving up smoking. Whatever the case my be.

I have found that I resist change on a sub-conscience level. I know this because I meditate, have developed the habit of watching my thoughts carefully and have researched the subject quite thoroughly. What I find myself doing is sticking to the way I do things because a change in them would mean I was wrong and nobody wants to be wrong. So I resist change. I'll bet many of you do also.

I have found that affirmations such as  "positive change does not mean you were wrong it means you are growing"  has been successful for me. There is a lot of literature out there on affirmations. I highly recommend you explore them. And remember that positive change has benefited the individual and the nation for countless ages. It is well worth pursuing.

Personal Development and Jail

In a recent post, I mentioned that Folk Legend Pete Seeger came to one of my trials. Some of you sent me emails asking what I was on trial for and I might add, "what does jail have to do with personal development?" My answer is that In some cases, a lot.

In my bio, I mention that I am a community activist. My core focus as such has been human rights and Youth issues. Unfortunately, sometimes those in power see your kids as the enemy, as criminals that do nothing but "hang out." I begged to differ. In my hometown of Peekskill, N.Y., I was arrested twice while trying to ask a question about money that was supposed to have been earmarked for the community that I lived in at that time to help get kids off the streets. Rather than answer where this money went, the mayor chose to have the police arrest me and drag me from the podium where I was taken straight to jail.

One moth later I was dragged out of the audience for "speaking out of turn" for attempting to ask the same question. Peekskill being Peekskill, decided to give me two trials on the same day. It was these trials that Pete came to too show his support.

For me, personal development is much more than just bettering your skills and increasing your value to make more money. It is about becoming a better person by helping others become better. It is about standing up and going places that fear would normally stop you from going but your convictions are more than your fears and you do it anyway. You have grown. Personal development!

I have been arrested five times in my life and put on trial three times, being found guilty all three times in a Peekskill court house. They were all political arrests and I am proud of each one. Was it stressful? Yes, but meditation helped me cope. Did it cost me financially? Yes but necessity taught me to earn more money. Do I think I am a better person because of these experiences? Yes. For lack of a better phrase, I call it Personal Development.

Happy Mother"s Day!!!

To all you moms out there who sacrifice time and time to bring a smile to our faces. For all the times we made you proud, and more likely, the times we made you sad. For all those times we've seen forgiveness in your eyes, just beyond the hurt. Dear Moms, we love you so much. You where there with the heavens and made the stars light dim. It is to you moms I say, " Happy Mother's Day..."

Lebron James is League MVP

LeBron James is this season's NBA most valuable player. At just age 24, James is fast becoming a national role model. Yes, he has the magic on the court. As Seth Godin says, He makes the difficult seem easy. That is the result of years of hard work.

James dominates in a field that is difficult, to say the least, to dominate - sports. And off the court, he also shines. His outreach to billionaire Warren Buffet is another model for young kids that Lebron projects. One eye on basketball on the court and one on finance off.