the hype & the hate .

sometimes i tweet things that i feel are not simple enough for one hundred and forty characters. it makes me feel like a machine that spits out bumper sticker quotes and over-simplified phrases. After all, life is too complex to revolve around blurbs of one hundred and forty characters. 


"they'll either hype you or hate you. it shouldn't make you or break you."


within those seventy-two characters lie numerous thoughts, experiences, and resolutions.  Understand: Feeding into hype can be just as detrimental as feeding into the hate. I know SO many girls in high school who lived their lives trying to keep "popularity". It is important to know, however, that hype does not know loyalty. You're hot one day and old news the next. If your self-esteem is dependent upon hype ... then you're in for a rude awakening. I learned early on that flattery and hype will massage your ego, but it is nothing SUBSTANTIAL. it's amazing to me how much power we give to our peers. we "value" their opinion so much that we will shape-shift our souls, appearance, or self-esteem. Nevertheless, i challenge you to take a good look at your peers ... do they walk on water? have they given sight to the blind? oh. they have the new Concords. well, i guess that is more than enough reason to devote your life to their approval.

within the past few months, i have seen so many people torn down because of the hate of people around them. from the high schoolers that i teach to my colleagues in the AUC, i see an epidemic of choux pastry self esteems. people have been gossiped about, lied on, used, had, swindled lol; but honestly, you're going to let another normal ass person ...  construct ... you? somewhere, a little high school girl is sending naked pictures out to maintain her hype. don't act like that's a left field concept...and if you think it is ... welcome to Pasadena High School in 2008. 


Look, i'm not saying that you should NEVER listen to a person's compliment or criticism. Sometimes, it's nice to know that someone out there can understand you or vibe with what you're doing. Sometimes, people have the gift of wisdom- gently guiding your path in the right direction. That's love. Sometimes we need to hear something we don't want to ... because we're too stubborn to see. As for me, i take everything a person says with a grain of salt until i can be sure they have my best interest in mind. Because sometimes, our loved ones can even come from a place of spite, fraudulence or jealousy. When all else fails, i seek counsel from God and try to eat sparingly from the tree of vanity. If your foundation is solid, the hype nor hate can phase you. 

humble thyself .

there has to be more to life than tattoos, weed, babies, & g-shocks . right ?
my eyes are glued shut and i can only see the inside of my eyelids .
but who tattoo'd the inside with my next urban outfitters purchase ?
who hung those posters of marc jacob handbags in my mind ?
the hype .
its real and breathes and never sleeps .
it has taught us to embrace these obsessions rather than keep them in moderation .

let's see: "obsession (n): Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. "

we spiritually deal with fits in the night to have the hype . to be the new "it" . we mentally scratch our veins at the thought of being that girl in the music videos with the hair, dress, & celebrity .
as 'middle school' as it sounds, it applies at every level . we repress our conscious recognition of it . like we're too old to believe what we see on TV . on the contrary, the older we get...the more susceptible we become to these unrealistic extremes of what's important in life .

all i want for myself is to invest as much time into my soul & mind as i do my image & social life . what you feed your soul is what it will produce . what lame ass nigguh really wants to have a soul devoured by things that are out of style by the fall ? hmm .