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Posts tagged ‘responsibility’

25
Jan

Black Men: Make Your Health A Top Priority

 stethoscope

When's the last time you've been to the doctor?  For most men, that's a question that is not easily answered.  It's no secret that we can be very hardheaded when it comes to visiting our physician.  I'm no different when it comes to this topic. 
 
As I make my way though my 30s, it is very apparent that my health is now more important that it was when I was in my 20s.  And that's no surprise because there is a sense of invincibility when you're younger and taking life by its tail. Maybe you still feel invincible.
 
But as I sit today, 31 years old, a parent of an eight year old son and a six month old daughter, I really must now think of my well-being as a matter of obligation.  This responsibility is to myself, my wife, family and friends. 
 
As black men, our attention to our health leaves much to be desired. Black men's health is the worse among any racial and gender group. For example, check out a few black men health statistics: Read moreRead more
18
Jan

Rediscovering Lost Values: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech

If you took time to visit our About Us page, you will find the reason this site was developed.  Too many websites, television shows and magazines marketed toward black men are lowering the bar for our values.

On this Martin Luther King holiday, I think it is fitting to take a look at a speech Dr. King gave on February 28, 1954 in Detroit, Mi. The themes and topics Dr. King discusses are so much like we live in today.  It's amazing to me how we suffer from the same ills in 2010 as they did in 1954. Thus this speech is great to read not just because of the MLK holiday, but as men striving to be better, we can all learn a great deal from this lesson.

I hope you enjoy and take something away from this wonderful speech. Read moreRead more

27
Oct

Mistakes I Have Made With Money

Money Mistakes
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Personal finance is something that I’ve become more diligent of as the years have gone by. It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago and being 21 years-old, I had no clue about how your money can be so hard to get and keep.
But with 10 years under my belt and a lot more knowledge, I can see the importance of being financially responsible. Some of my awakening has been a result of maturity, having a family and seeing mistakes made by others. 
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. I often think about that when I see collegues and friends making poor financial decisions.
So to hopefully help those who are struggling with money, I am going to highlight six money mistakes I’ve made and learned from. Read moreRead more
7
Oct

What’s Going On?: Chicago and Teen Violence

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With the recent violent death of Derrion Albert in Chicago, it really had me thinking. Like the Marvin Gaye hit song, "What’s going on?" As many of you all may know, I was born and raised in Chicago. It seems as if every time I turn on the national news, there’s a violent incident in Chicago’s inner city. And such a high percentage of these incidents have been involving teens.
 
I remember one of the first stories to get national attention was involving 11 year old Robert "Yummi" Sandifer accidentally shooting a young girl. And the eventual execution of him. I guess this type of violence by teens is nothing new to the ‘Second City". Read moreRead more
10
Sep

What Happened To Respect? [Inspired by Rep. Joe Wilson]

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As most of you (I hope) watched last night, President Obama spoke to a special joint session of Congress and the American people to outline his plan for health insurance reform. In his speech, he stressed the importance of providing more security and stability for people who have insurance, while providing affordable care to those who don’t. He also talked about the ever rising health care costs that are negatively affecting families, businesses as well as government.

But, this is not a post to debate the merits or faults in his proposed plan. We can do that until the cows come home and I’d venture to guess we’d get nowhere with our dissenting opinions. Read moreRead more
17
Aug

Athletes: Role Models or Just Entertainers?

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Today, it’s becoming harder to tell the difference between ESPN’s SportsCenter or the police blotter and Access Hollywood.  Our athletes and sports figures have become much bigger focuses because of varying legal issues and moral indiscretions.  Recent weeks and months have spotlighted a number of sports figures that have had off the court/field problems as  Michael Vick, Rick Pitino, Dante Stallworth, Steve McNair, Brandon Marshall and Alex Rodriguez just to name a few.

Whether it be breaking the law, infidelity, or steroids allegations, the increase in media outlets does a great job putting a bigger emphasis on these issues. That gives more children to learn about the other side of their favorite sports stars.

If you recall, Nike and Charles Barkley created a controversial commercial about how athletes are not role models in 1993.  Check it out below.

In the commercial, Charles claims that he (and all athletes) are paid to entertain and help their team while parents should be the role models.

So this week’s Question of the Week is:

Are athletes role models?

 

We’d like to get your take on this question.  Should we view athletes merely as entertainers or do they have a greater responsibility that goes beyond the sport? We look forward to your responses.  Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. 

18
Jun

4 More Lessons I Learned About Being a Man From Growing Up Fatherless

Image Credit: leroys

Yesterday, I came across a great article on The Art of Manliness titled 6 Lessons I Learned About Being a Man from Growing Up Fatherless by contributor Andrew Galasetti of Lyved.com.  I invite you to hop over and check out the lessons he’s learned.  His article is so timely as we approach Father’s Day on Sunday.

I, like Andrew, grew up in a single parent household where the relationship with my father was sporadic at best.   As I grew older, the relationship dwindled and as of today, we have not spoke in quite a while.  Read moreRead more