To begin, I will start by illuminating the antithesis that social media is. Social media is a solution and a problem. To me social media has been a great way to keep people connected. There are no excuses nowadays when it comes to networking or staying in touch because everyone is easily accessible thanks to social media. Unfortunately, social media can be super addictive. The way news feeds and timelines are set up, folks can get stuck scrolling on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. for hours everyday. Do not get me wrong, there are opportunities to read some good information on social media, but to my experience the things that should be avoided most are the things that pop up the most. Countless ignorant yet entertaining post are unavoidable at this point on social media sites.

I have not even mentioned the possibility of cyber gangsters, cyber bullying... Is cyber domestic violence a term yet? To me this is collectively the reason why I find it necessary to remove myself from these social media sites.

Since I was introduced to the internet I can admit that I have had continuos addictions to social media. If you name it then more than likely I have had some type of an account on the website, and whatever the hot site was at the time was the one that got my attention. Shoot it all started with chat rooms.

Source: socialmediaexaminer.com

That being said, my biggest, most recent addiction has been Instagram. At my university, events are typically promoted through Instagram. If someone does not have an Instagram, then more than likely they do not know about events going on around campus. The way that my generation uses Instagram to promote events today makes me wonder how campus events were advertised prior to the creation of Instagram. Being as involved as I am, Instagram was a necessity for me when it came to promoting events, so I had to have it, BUT for me Instagram was also an addiction. I found myself on Instagram when I did not need to be, pointlessly scrolling down the timeline and I only would get off to reach the bottom of the Instagram timeline. It was if I had some unofficial obligation to see what was happening on Instagram everyday, constantly checking on what other people post in hopes that someone else's life may be more interesting than my own.

If social media is not be moderated then it will become a problem, so I removed myself from it. Greatly enough, since I removed myself from Instagram I am now reading books again in my free time! Instead of damaging my brain with pointless social media post I am enriching my brain with free knowledge from books!

I share this story to say life is truly short and the things we do and decisions we make today directly effect where we end up in the future. I actually saw a social media post that said something similar, but from a different angle (not all social media is bad), and because I cannot find it I will paraphrase it. The decisions you make today will effect how your children live in the future. Someone reading this may have a similar issue or maybe even might be addicted to something else, but whatever the case may be I encourage any and everyone reading this article to reflect on what you do on a daily and make sure that it is will help you be the person that you want to be in the future. If not then you need to change something.

My friends and I woke up this morning to find out that we are on USA Today. It is pretty wild. We came up to Ferguson, MO to experience the movement first hand and be a part of it first hand, and we are. Being here has opened my eyes a lot and it has all been an adventure. We did not expect there to be another black teenager gunned down. We did not expect to be on USA today. We just want to be a part of the change and make a difference. Hopefully I can reach my friends and family so that you guys know that it is up to us to make the changes that we want to see. When I go out to these protests it is the same people, but the same people is not enough. I hear a lot of people talk about how all they see is protestors being violent. I will admit there is truth to that, however there is not a lot of violent protestors. Unfortunately, most people give the most attention to the violence. I think people have  to take into consideration the folks committing the crimes during peace protest. These people are affected the most and feel a need to react. We need more peaceful individuals because sound minds like yourselves are at home observing on the televison, computer, and phones. I understand all the different reasons not to protest. Before I came up here, I told folks that some people are not willing, and some people are not able. Luckily the group of classmates and I were willing and able. In the end, its all about Unity. If you believe there is something wrong with every thing that's going on, but you chose to go about your everyday life, then you are not for the cause. I took one of the best photos recently during a candle light vigil. It was a white person holding a sign saying "WHITE SILENCE EQUALS VIOLENCE." It's like the saying "if you aren't for us, then your against us." If your not aiding in the movement then your not helping it. When cops and protestors can stand together then things will change. Black silence is just as bad as white violence, if not worse. Kwame Toure said "If your people are oppressed and you are not making a contribution to end the suffering of your people, by your very act of inaction, you are against your people. There is no middle ground."

Since I have been here I know there are a lot of good cops that are not allowed to speak up. You can tell. They are good people but they are intimidated by the people. I also think there is a part of them that enjoys when things pop off...

With all that being said, I understand it takes time to for a person to decide to join a movement. People need to understand why they are joining a movement for themselves. I mean sometimes it does not happen at all. My mother said it usually a "Faithful Few." We all know the world is not perfect and it is going to take time to change it. It is going to take ALL of us to change it though. Not just one. It's going to take a big group of folks with a sound mind and not with violence.

If we could eliminate guns that would be perfect. When I go to these protest I think about how powerless we are. The cops have the guns. They have the bullet proof vest. They have batons. They Have shields. They have helmets. All the people have are their words. These young individuals that chose violence only have their hands and rocks. No gun. No bullet proof vest.

When I go to these protest it becomes reminicent some times. I think back to how my high school got closed. It was the people versus the board. A similar situitation happened here in St. Louis. I witnessed a city hall meeting about the closing of a homeless shelter. At the end of the meeting it  was shut down by the city. There were people fighting to keep the shelter open and when the decision was made it just seemed like it was the people versus the board again. When I go to these protest, it is like its the people versus the police (the board). It seems like people have no power in this government, yet this government is supposed to be for the people.

Originally this post was supposed to serve as an update for my Facebook page, but I think it turned into something more. The biggest message I hope anyone who reads this receives is that it is up to EVERYONE to make change, and that is including you. When you're ready, join the movement and make a difference.

The video below is an important message that I think everyone should hear.

Please go fund us as we embark on this journey. We have no place to stay nor do we know how long we are staying, we are oblivious to many details, but one thing is for certain: WE ARE GOING TO FERGUSON. We are limited to our funds, meaning the more we can raise, the more we can do. Catch the rest of the story by visiting my gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/TUtoFerguson

Recently I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to relax, read, think, and gather my thoughts. Being a full time student and being involved in campus organizations can become very consuming, and in my experiences it is very easy to become lost in it all. Ones thoughts have to be strong, in order to block certain things out and stay the course – I will elaborate on this thought of staying the course throughout this article and I will do so by highlighting a couple of books I have begun to read: As a Man Thinketh by James Allen and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

An excerpt from As a Man Thinketh says this:

To put this in my own words so folks know that this is my blog and not just reposted quotes – A man's actions are a result of his thoughts. No action a man takes is not related directly to his own thoughts. Which leads me into a quote I just read from Siddhartha:

"...When you throw a stone into the water, it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal. Siddhartha does nothing; he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal. That is what Siddhartha learned from the Samanas. It is what fools call magic and what they think is cause by demons. Nothing is cause by demons; there are no demons, Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goal, if he can think, wait and fast." 

What is this stigma with black people?

Where did it begin?

How can we get it to end?

As a young black man, I really have an issue with the progress of our people as a race. Growing up and hearing about the civil rights movements led by Booker T. Washington, W. E. Dubois, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, etc... I thought the fight was over. I thought we had equality. With the abolishment of slavery and Jim Crow laws it seemed as if we as a people made it. Legally we have come a long way, but psychologically there is still an underlying issue in regards to the mass of our people and until we learn how to influence each other positively, the issue will remain. 

In my opinion, the problem starts at home. Children develop their ideologies and characteristics based off of their experiences growing up. So how can you ensure that our children do not fall into the trap of black ignorance? They are our future...

This issues is larger than a misinformed upbringing. The media does not help. Be careful what music you listen to. Whether you believe it or not, your subconscious is always taking in information. So many songs talk about how "n*ggas and b*tches ain't sh*t but hoes and tricks." & I hear the same quotes in everyday dialogue like its okay. Pay attention to what you listen too. There is plenty of good music that does not talk about getting b*tches, selling dope, and killing n*ggas.

Black people we are Kings and Queens. Nothing less. And if we think like Kings and Queens then we will act like Kings and Queens. 

So what are your thoughts? Is there an issue with our race or is everything fine like it is? Is there a need for change or am I tripping? If you agree that we need a change then how do we make it? I know the answer is influence, but how do we influence those that are not looking to be influence? How do we influences the masses? What does that plan look like and how long does this plan take? 

Feel free to comment.