Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Feb.25, 2012

We keep learning things.  It's a part of our progression.  Sometimes, we forget them, but something brings them back.

Not too long ago, I was watching a portion of a wonderful movie I hope everyone has seen called Talk to Me.  The 2007 film tells the story of Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, a Washington D.C. native and prominent radio/television personality, who went from an ex-con to an influential community activist.

"Petey" Greene

(courtesy of Wikipedia)

There's a powerful scene in the movie, highlighting the events that happened in the nation's capital following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Many people credit some of the statements Greene made in those trying moments with helping quell the riots that were occurring throughout the city.  At the end of his segment, Greene shared a song.

There have been many times that I've needed that song.

I was born by the river, in a little tent.  And just like the river I been running.  Running ever since.
It's been a long time coming, but I know.  A change is gonna come.  Oh, yes it is.


These powerful words, made famous by the late, great Sam Cooke, have always been a source of hope.  I've listened to them when searching for direction, in some of my most trying times.  They have literally brought me to sudden tears, with the overwhelming realization they always manage to bring.  And they remind me.

It can get better.


Usually, upon hearing those words, our human instinct is to immediately ask how.  We've all been in need of something more, something better, and get so caught up in trying to get there, that we forget to exhale and take comfort in knowing that better really is possible.

That new job you've been looking for.  That change in your lifestyle.  That little piece of hope to keep you going.  It really is out there.  Sure, getting there is important, but it's good to know that there's a path.

It's been a long time coming, but I know.  A change is gonna come.  Ohhhhh, yes it is.


Knowing this has brought me from some dark places.  I hope it can bring some of you from those places, as well.



Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come


Before the stresses of your life overwhelm you, take a little joy in knowing that things can get better.  Only then can you try to figure out how to get them there.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet

Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Dec. 14, 2011

Failure is hard to stomach.  Especially once you've tried something and it doesn't seem to work out.  Remember that time you first started learning to ride a bike?  Falling off and scraping needs seemed like reasons to give up.  I recall watching my son try to build something out of blocks.  He kept stacking and stacking, but eventually the blocks would fall.

He would push the blocks aside, lower his head, and pout.

"What's the matter?" I'd always ask.

"I can't do it!!" he'd say, in the cutest little voice.

"Keep trying, baby, and you'll get it."

I remember giving him that advice, hoping he'd take it to heart.  Because I know that after a while, it's a lesson we all forget.

Keep trying.  It eventually pays off.

For the last three years, I've been unemployed.  I've searched high and low, in multiple cities, to find an employer that would hire me.  I've gone to interviews, presented the best me I could possibly present, only to have them all tell me the same thing.  We're sorry, but you're not the candidate we're looking for.

The frustration that builds from repetitive failures will often make you want to give up.  But I'm glad something within me kept pushing, kept believing in that advice I'd given my two year old son.

I'm am glad to say that as of today, I am once again employed.  I am thankful for the opportunity and believe even more adamantly that trying does eventually reap benefits.  So, to anyone out there considering quitting something, all because it hasn't gone according to plans, stop.  Step back and observe the situation.  Learn what you can from those failures, then put your best foot forward and try again.

Pretty soon, success will be waiting.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet

Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Dec. 3, 2011

Sometimes, something comes to you that really isn't for you.  This is one of those moments.  Whoever this is for, I pray that it reaches you.

I'm a people watcher, a shameless one, in fact, because I feel we learn so much from observation.  I try not to be creepy, staring hazardously at random folks.  At some point this would make them uncomfortable.  A few subtle glances.  Sometimes, listening to conversations.  It's interesting some of the things you'll notice about others that leads you to noticing something about yourself.

One thing I've wondered about people is how they deal with their varying moods.  Have you ever seen someone so overwhelmingly sad that it makes you sad, and suddenly you wish you could give them a hug?  I'm certain that's not just me.  It's interesting how our moods rub off on others, but I'll examine that in another post.  This one is about depression. 

In all of my life, even while enduring some extremely difficult things, I can thankfully say I've never been depressed.  Sure, I've found myself dangling close to the threshold, that invisible  place where sadness is so close to becoming a gloom that you just can't shake.  But luckily, I found some way to pull myself up again.

Family, close friends, work, writing, etc....there were several factors that helped me escape.  But some people don't have those outlets.  So I've been racking my brain for the last few moments, trying to figure out what they can do, and how I might possibly help them.

Most people have heard the saying 'there's light at the end of the tunnel'.  But what if the tunnel is so dark and long that the end seems nowhere in sight?  Then, it takes something within to make a person continue to move forward.  Suicide has always seemed like an odd concept to me, but I understand why some people struggle with it.  If I wasn't blessed with all the wonderful things that keep me motivated and going, the idea might have crossed my mind at times.  From being teased relentlessly as a child to dealing with seizures that my doctors couldn't find cause for, there have been moments in my life where I easily could have given up hope.

But I always remembered one thing.

Every life is worth living.  

There is someone out there battling with something right now and they're feeling like it has the best of them.  They've cried so many tears and fought as hard as they could, but somehow that hardship keeps winning.  And right now, they're considering ending their life, as the only way to cope.  But I'm hoping they don't do it.  Because every life, no matter how hard or desperate or unbearable it seems, is worth living.  From the pastor to the prostitute.  The extremely rich and the extremely poor.  Every single life is a valuable one, because it's the only one you get.

And while this might not solve your problem, I'm hoping it's enough to make you consider a real solution.  There are crisis centers, guidance counselors, or even the pastor at a local church, willing to talk to you and offer help.  My email address is therarepoet@yahoo.com, and you can email me at any time.  

I don't know who this message is intended for, but I was moved to write it.  I feel that if we're nice to each other, offer a smile, and try to be more concerned with the lives of others, then everybody will eventually understand that every life is worth living.

Blessings to everyone out there.  Make somebody feel worthwhile today.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet 

Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Nov. 28, 2011

Sunday morning, I was recuperating from a bit of sickness, and happened to catch an episode of Super Soul Sunday on OWN.  It was an interesting show with Oprah Winfrey talking to Mark Nepo, the author of The Book of Awakening, a daily companion book to 'help people meet their days and inhabit their lives.'  Nepo, who published the book in 2000 following a battle with cancer, said the book turned out to be a spiritual first-aid kit.  The Book of Awakening catapulted to fame in 2010, when Oprah listed it as one of her favorite things.

During Sunday's show, Oprah read one of her favorite passages from the book, which I'll share here.

After hearing the passage, an ancient Hindu teaching, it really made me think.  So often in our lives, we are confronted by pain and don't really know how to bear it.  But the profound message behind the teaching is that pain, like everything else in our lives much be taken in context.

Putting our experiences into perspective will allow us to deal with them better.

This might seem hard to do at first.  Often times, especially with negative situations, it's hard to get past how uncomfortable they are.  We forget to think about the bigger picture and only focus on how we're immediately affected.  But everything functions within a broader spectrum.  And that amount of pain, discomfort, heartache, or whatever, is serving a purpose within the broader spectrum of you.  I think what the teaching was trying to say is that unless we understand that we extend beyond the pain, we will always succumb to its bitterness.

Be a lake, not a glass.

The smaller the receptacle, the more force or impact anything that comes in contact with it has.  By being a lake, or expanding ourselves outside of the moment and seeing everything as a whole, we lessen how much we're impacted by pain.

I think being the lake is key in positive situations too.  So often, we get caught up in our successes and joys, so much so that we forget to keep them into perspective.  We become stagnant, because we get stuck in the moment, instead of stretching ourselves towards the bigger picture.

Once we learn to take things into perspective, we'll live fuller lives.  And isn't that a step towards happiness?

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet

Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Nov. 25, 2011

Life is what you make of it.

Sometimes, life really sneaks up on you.

This was something I was told in a conversation that really made me think.  When you hear this, it probably conjures up images of life overtaking you, most likely for the worse.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  Even when life sneaks up on you and you start to realize that things aren't going the way you want them to, it's best to look at it as an opportunity.

This is the chance to get life back on track.  Look at how your life is going, and if you don't like it, figure out why.  From there, look for opportunities where you can implement changes for the better.  Don't let it overwhelm you.  If someone had told me I'd be 30 years old, unemployed, and trying my best to just hold it together, I probably would have panicked.  But I've looked at my life and realize there are plenty of opportunities for change.  I'm learning new skills, meeting new people, and still pushing my way towards my dream.  I'm learning about myself as well.  I'm stronger than I once believed.  I'm wiser than I used to be.  And I've developed a ton of patience, the kind necessary to achieve what I want for my life.

Yes, life has been sneaking up on me.  There are things I assumed I would have done by now.  There are places I expected to be.  But the best part about it is, I'm not looking at this as defeat.  I'm still striving.  And who said there's a time limit on getting to exactly where you want to be?

In less than a month, I'll turn 31.  According to my teenage self, I should be a multimillionaire by now.  But Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes, and a life you're completely happy to live is worthwhile, regardless of how long it takes you to get there.

Keep believing in yourself, keep reaching for those goals, and keep seeking ways to make yourself happier.  When it's the life that you know you want, you'll enjoy every second of it.

And that's what happiness really is.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet

Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Nov. 4, 2011

If you've read my previous post, then you know that my will to blog is back.  Yaaaaaaaay!!!  It feels good to be back at it again.  And it just felt good to introduce a new recurring portion of the blog.

All the time, I hear people, when comparing life tales or discussing their experiences, talk as if they have been stranded in some isolated portion of the cosmos and whatever is occurring is only happening to them.  But one of the biggest concepts we can grasp as human beings is how interconnected our lives and experiences really are.  There's a good possibility that, if you're going through it, someone else has done so as well.  It's recognizing this connection, and taking something from that recognition, that makes us truly human.

So I decided to start writing about things that we can all relate to.  And the first thing that came to me was love.

Love is simply love.  Or at least, it should be.

Chances are, if you've been living on this planet for at least a handful of years, you're experienced some form of love or another.  Even the most miserable people manage to soften their heart for someone.  But often we take love for granted, exploit it for selfish reasons, or never really grasp its power or potential, until it is far too late.

I've been in each of these instances, and have come to understand a life lesson that we all should embrace.  Love is given, period.  It shouldn't need to be reciprocated, returned, justified, validated, or any of the other one-sided things we are constantly guilty of doing to it.  When you love somebody, like Nike, you just do it.  

Now don't get me wrong.  It sucks to love someone who doesn't love you back.  But if your love is genuine, it still remains.  Even when you can't be with a person you love, it doesn't erase it.  I think one of the biggest flaws in the way we love is that we place expectations on it, which immediately diminishes it.  I still have love for all of my ex's, even though it's not the same type of love.  I still have love for family members who I haven't seen in years.  Love can change.  There's no law that says you have to love someone the same way forever.  If you do, you're probably loving wrong.

I think this picture kind of sums it up.  The heart is love, or our capacity of love, and the water represents all of our expectations and presumptions about how love should be.  But the more we cover our love with those things, the more it washes it away.  Until soon, we're left with nothing, except a whole lot of longing.

Love is a powerful thing.  It motivates our actions, alters our moods, and factors into our measure of our life as a whole.  But until we learn to love, wholeheartedly and without presumption, we are cheating ourselves out of life's most rewarding experience.

Love.  Without exception.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet