The Merit of Midnight Meetings

Everyone has done it.  Or, at least, we would like to believe everyone has "done it" just so we can feel better about having "done it" ourselves.  But, the reality of the matter is that there is very little merit in midnight meetings that lead nowhere fast. 

Appearing as the main theme in movies like Basic Instinct, Knocked Up, and a montage of others, the merit of midnight meetings has been scrutinized on many levels.  These movies have been dedicated to finding the value in - and then destroying - the basis of a one-night stand.  Thus proving that there is no merit in "hooking up" just for fun.

 

Even when two people say that they are fully aware of a "no strings attached" encounter, one person always feels emotionally abandoned immediately thereafter.  Temporary pleasures can lead to self-hatred on so many levels.  Once the "deed" is done, nothing can be done to regain the fleeting feelings of that moment. However, the guilt of having sacrificed your morals and undermining your character causes the onset of completely new feelings which can gnaw at your mental psyche for a prolonged amount of time.

 

In addition, today's medical dictionary can barely keep up with the new strands of communicable diseases that can be spread through the most intimate of human interactions.  Birth rates steadily increase as the number of unwanted pregnancies and unwanted children continue to create a downward spiral of socio-economic problems that continue to plague our country.    

Fear: An Open Call For New Leadership

I was raised black.

In saying that, I have to acknowledge the fact that I like to dance to my favorite song whenever it plays in my head. I like to laugh out loud (at times) when I am most embarrassed. And, I know that I will be watched everywhere I go - whether it is a corner store or an inaugural ball - because the world expects me to do something worthy of reprimand.

As a child, I often wondered why black history was omitted from the history books in school. Then, as I grew older, I learned that if all Americans were actually taught the true history of America, we would be forced to deal with the harsh reality of oppression that has lingered since slavery.   Even after being emancipated, people of color have remained enslaved by a legal system that seemingly thrives by denying a large populous of this country their civil and economic freedoms.

I sincerely doubt if half of this country's population even knows about the accomplishments of Black Wall Street, the massacure of over 10,000 blacks in 1921, or the Detroit race riots of 1863, 1943, and 1967.   In each case, countless lives were lost each time our community dared to advance in spite of oppressive boundaries that were intended to limit our community's potential.

Long ago, I realized that being "raised black" came with just as many precautions as it did freedoms.  Don't do this.  Don't do that.  I was free to enjoy gym class as long as I liked; however, I was not expected to excel in chemistry or math. I was free to stay after school for track, band, or football; yet, I was hardly ever asked to join study groups or eat my lunch at an integrated table. I was always expected to be the comical "life of the party"; yet, I was also the central focus at these same gatherings if something went missing or if the police were called.

I understood, at a young age, that the color of my skin came with added pressures and responsibilities. To this day, I tell my doctor that I do not have high blood pressure - I am just constantly under duress due to the things that I must deal with on a sub-conscious level at all times. Being black in America is an added "pressure" that his medical equipment could not compensate for, so the medical readings of my pulse may be higher than my counterparts who do not deal with my day-to-day dilemmas.Going to the store could be a death sentence for me – if I am in the wrong place at the right time.