I am not Your Superman™

I am a lot of things and as I continue to write blog posts, champion certain causes, and lead certain organizations, it becomes increasingly important to establish just what I am and what I am not.

What I need to get out of the way first is what I am not.

I’m not Superman and nor will I ever be. I am a person who makes mistakes and says the wrong things. People will have personal issues with how I do things and how I say things. Sometimes I think they are more turned off by the way I say things than the actual content.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not blindly say shit out of my nether regions to get a response. However, I do not always believe everything I see or read. I critically think about all the things that are happening around me. If I say that a certain movie is commercializing slavery or that I do not trust the content of the Flu Shot then perhaps I may have my reasons. It is perfectly fine if you do not agree but that also does not mean I don’t know what I’m talking about.

I am not a racist (I’m amused that I have to say this). I believe in the human spirit and I do not hate any particular race, creed, or religion. I think that we all have issues and I just address the one that effect me and the people who look like me. I have been well educated in this area with the classes that I have taken and the many books that I have read about critical race theory (most written by white people by the way). I have a history of working with everyone but guess what? We still live in a racist society and I am quite sorry most people cannot see that.

I am not Anti-USA. I love this country and best believe that you will never hear me say that I would leave it due to stupid policies and laws. I have always used my right of free speech and never quelled anyone else’s right. What I do know is history and that kind of knowledge trumps many things. We may be the greatest country in the world but we still have faults.

Let me tell you what I am.

I’m a critical thinker that questions everything. Maybe it was my educational background. Maybe it is my father who has always told me that there are bad people in this world and I need to watch out for them. I have been burned too many times as a kid not to question things.

I am a Mentor. I have been involved in the lives of many young (and now older) college students since 2001. I have made it my job to help any one of these kids where and how ever I can. These have been individuals who have I have either supervised, advised, or just randomly met through another student. I take pride in knowing that I mentored young adults that still come to me for advice on life.

For better or worse, I am an artist, a poet (or word ninja). I love to string together words and phrases to come up with a product that I like. I have mentioned this some time ago that I write for nobody else but me. I am ok with putting things out there for people to read because that is what writers/artists do.

I am a leader. I have never ever believed in following the status quo. I don’t like to do the things that everyone else is doing. If something does not seem right, I try to address it. If I can help make things better than I will try. However, I will follow those who are worth following and not because it is the cool thing to do.

More importantly, I am a lover. Believe it or not, I’m the most sentimental guy that I can think of. I love my life, my school, my job, my family, my friends, my girlfriend, and my dog. I’m not even sure if that list is complete. I also love to laugh and make other people laugh. My humor is what makes me…me. I have faith in the human spirit and the human nature. In fact, I have been known to put too much faith in people and have often paid the price for that.

But, you know what? I am ok with that because I truly believe that everyone in my life, for however short or long that may be in it, has a purpose. So, no, I am not YOUR Superman. I am just a Human that makes mistakes like everyone else.