urban/'ərbən/
- In, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town.... and closely associated to African American communities.
The Experience
Those movies provided an escape window via entertainment, briefly alleviating some stressful situations. Compared to the suburbs, where the city powers maintained a totally different lifestyle and provide accessible opportunity for its youth. Our inner city experience engineered our maturity by high school....
- by the 5th grade, the Compton gang culture prevented safe walks home
- by the 6th grade, a few of us embraced the neighborhood family
- Middle school was spent having adult experiences, seeing countless fights, dodging shootings...
- in the 10th grade, I experienced my first police drug raid.
- Watching the movie "the Bastard, a novel by John Jakes" taught me its meaning, looking@my life totally different
- Choices we clearly made and bared its consequences/ no one to blame but ourselves, but my point is...
"Surviving an urban lifestyle isn't easy and was not a normal life"
When most were worried about teen popularity, disappointing parents, and/or a driver's permit. We had those same issues, but they were the least of our worries. We sought community popularity for defense, our single-parent became disappointed upon recognizing our type of popularity, and due to Reaganomics there was no driver's education or home-ed by high school. Honestly, these thoughts and feeling resurfaced, due to a recent conversation. The following is a comment from that recent discussion about life and how we appreciate it,
Aftermath & Adulthood"We dodged and avoided some serious life perils, left some of us lifeless. Losing people the way we loss them, was not normal. The lessons we observed matured us. It's a Blessing we have not been committed to someone's psych ward." Brother Ron
An urban life is full of moments that have shook one's mental stability and many of us undergo counseling. We have always associated psychiatric counseling with being disturbed or simply crazy, so prideful it was ignored and we counseled each other, our own therapy. Through our discussion, we had to admit that we are balancing, just steps away from being considered 5150.
Having to recognize our different reality, and subsequently maintaining a mental hold through spirituality, motivation, and empowerment; we avoid what many consider beneficial treatment. Our treatment is someone's recent case study turned best seller for organizational management, a philosophy we have been practicing since before Abraham Lincoln. Our coded language and narrating talents are other forms of science resulting from domestic life.
Urban cliches like, "Blood is Thicker than Water, My Block and Keep it Real" are terms and places that represent deep valuable safe spaces and meanings we honor. Surviving a lifestyle that was not moments of entertainment, unlike how Pop Culture is perpetuating urban images as good times. It is developing young impressionable minds falsely for a misunderstood urban context on life.
Closure
Our mission is, "tapping the Muslim and Non Muslim mind for personal development." By experiencing life at its most intense moments - grants insight, advice and actions; most cannot understand, give sincerely or have the gumption to implement for change. We lived and live it, which makes a major difference.
In closing, because my urban life was not all normal, I pray I'm able to help others developed themselves. A blessing for those urban knights and princesses who have the capacity, ready to engage abnormal lives with good relevant advice.
Next, life as seen through the political eyes of Brother Ali, is an urban understanding...
Wisdom Wednesday are reminders for social conversations - the sharing of honest opinions and wise ideals. All of us have a value worth sharing; it may motivate another to stop, continue and/or begin a certain process in our personal growth or social development.
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Thank you!
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