Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Earth vs. Your World


How big is your world? Sure we all live on the same round Earth, but how big is your WORLD? World and Earth carry two separate meanings. Honestly, it saddens me when i think about how most people live in a very, very VERY small world.

Most people's lives consist of doing the same things in repetition, even though they don't realize it. They shut themselves off to new ideas, concepts, people, places, etc. because it's not a part of their 'normal' routine or way of thinking. In America, we tend to have to fit into certain molds according to our label. Those molds tell us what to do, when to do it, how to dress, who to hang with, what music to listen to, EVERYTHING. Don't you ever wonder what else is out there for you to enjoy besides the things you know best? You know what phrase i REALLY hate? The phrase 'Who does that?!'. Think about that for a minute....how often do you hear people ask that question? I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME! And frankly, that's the question of a follower! What you mean 'Who does that?!' I DO IT!


My world first began to expand when my older cousin Tandra came to live with us for a couple years. She was the first 'revolutionary thinker' i had ever known. While living with us, i noticed she was a bit different, strange is what i called it at the time. She listened to EVERY kinda music, whether it was The Commodores or U2. I remember one day, askin her why she listened to that kinda stuff, exclaiming 'US BLACK FOLKS DON'T LISTEN TO THAT!'. She was never one to get offended though, she just laughed and calmly but confidently said, 'If you listened to some of this stuff, i bet you would like it..'. I thought to myself 'Yea rite..' as any young and dumb 10 year old fifth grader would. This was around the time the Red Hot Chili Peppers' album Californication came out and i remember coming home from school one day playing Sonic on Dreamcast and she had the album playing. That was when i first heard the song 'Californication'. Before then, i thought all Rock was just outta control screaming, loud electric guitars and crazy drums. I noticed that the song had a cool rhythmic vibe and the distinct vocals of lead singer Anthony Keidis hooked me. In no time, i had the song fully memorized.

We listened to all sorts of music...we cleaned up listening to Santana, sung old Earth Wind and Fire songs around the house, and conversed about Hip-Hop on the regular. Mind you, I WAS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD! She was never the type of person to talk down because of my age...she treated me as an equal and was my best friend during her stay with us. Her opening my ears to different genres of music led me to trust her into guiding me into other things as well. We sometimes went to those HUGE libraries in LA where i had the opportunity to take an interest in any subject of my choosing. She got me into the whole government conspiracy deal and i've been interested ever since. We often had abstract conversations about a wide range of topics....ghosts, afterlife, heaven, hell, just about anything you can think of. She even took me to Mexico, where i got to see how people of other ethnicities interacted (we're all the same, by the way..). Her husband is Hispanic and they took me in as one of their own on that trip. Not once did i feel any kinda ethnic tension and since then, I've grown a genuine love for every single one of those people. I'd have to say that she is fully responsible for my abstract way of viewing life. Something as simple as new types of music can take you down avenues in your mind that you never knew existed. New thoughts create new paths in life for you to travel, and inevitably, new places and new people.

All it took was a few efforts at suggesting new ideas and an open mind to expand my world to what it is now. I couldn't thank my cousin Tandra enough, however, i do want her to realize and understand the effect she's had on my life. So Tandra, if you one day read this, just know that you've helped to expand my world and now i feel as if life is limitless. The Earth we live in is a place for all of its inhabitants to share, but the World...well, the World is Yours.
-Chill







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