How would you react if I told you that I had found a community that meets all of my needs? Every last thing that I could ever want, need, or dream of... it encompasses. Now what would you do if I told you the very same community that meets all of my expectations, will meet all of yours, as well? How could the same community meet the expectations of everyone, you might ask? It seems far-fetched, I know. Please, allow me to explain.
Far too many times I find myself yearning for the fresh air and green grass of the country. I find myself gasping for the oxygen that only nature can provide. I begin to feel claustrophobic, trapped behind the walls that the urban sprawl has erected around me. So I flee, bursting forth from out of the pollution that has engulfed my being, running as fast as I can to escape the monotony that has become the life force of the city.
The country becomes my life. The green grass, fresh air and miles of nothing but nature rejuvenate my spirit. I work by the sweat of my brow, farming to keep myself alive and thriving. I bask in the beauty of the world around me.
But as with all things, I grow weary. I once again yearn for the opportunity that beckons me to return to the city. The skyscrapers towering like the limitless possibilities that exist with its walls. I grow tired of toiling in the dirt, expecting to receive the rewards that are rightfully mine, but denied time and again by the greedy hands of the government. And when I return to the city, it's the same story all over again.
If you are like me, you long for a community that will correct these social injustices. You expect a community to meet your every need.
Well friends, that community exists.
I, along with my associates, have created a community that caters to the dream. Ours is a community that will allow you to be who you want to be, do what you want to do, play the way you want to play and work as hard as you want to work in an environment that is supportive, friendly, and, above all, full of opportunity. Ours is a community that not only values your personal taste in natural surroundings, but provides you with the best of both worlds, free of the stigmas that are associated with the "urban snob" and the "country hick!"
I promise you a community that domestically produces everything you can possibly need. And I guarantee that in this community, there is opportunity to advance in the class structure, without fear of falling to the perils of class struggle. We see it this way, do your job well, and get rewarded for it. No questions asked. It will be our little deal. ;)
But wait! How is this possible, you might ask? How is there structure without struggle?
It's easy! Every job is specialized in this community, and every job is of the utmost importance here. Every worker is a valued member of society! You do the work that you were born to do! And if and when you do it well, whatever the "it" may be, you'll be acknowledged for it, guaranteed!
By now, you might be thinking, "this sounds an awful lot like a Utopia..." Well friends, I can promise you, it's not. It's better.
Too many times do the plans for a Utopia fall short. Too many times does the promise of "equality" fall to the harshness of reality. We avoid this here. We don't promise equality for all, but we do promise that you will have nothing but equal opportunity!
Isn't it time to join a community that values every one of its citizens for who they are and what they are able to contribute to the bettering of society? Isn't it time you were happy with your location, no matter where you are? Isn't it time you feel like you're truly and fairly acknowledged for the work you do?
This community has got it all. The only thing that it's missing... is you!
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I understand that not everyone will agree with, or appreciate the class structure system. There will be those that will potentially complain about not all being on the same level of income. But, this community never promises equality in wealth amongst all individuals. It does promise the ability to make as much as possible. It's the opportunity that matters in this sense, the possibility. Not a guarantee, which does not exist.
The only individual that I can think of who attempted to create a community like the one I have envisioned is Walt Disney. While he did not see his community to completion, in the sense of a real, working, breathing, environment with citizens - he did conceptualize an community with similar ideals. A diverse environment where everything that one could need was readily available and accessible, with ample opportunity.
While my community is capitalistic, in that people work for what they want, and earn what they deserve, it is not corrupt or malicious towards its citizens. This should be a major drawing point for those that are willing to work for what they want/need... but could also turn down those who are unwilling to work.
With this in mind - I feel that the community I have designed would attract exactly the types of individuals I want to live there - those that are interested in doing what they can to continually better our society, while working to better their personal lives. This belief that "work for the betterment of yourself and your community," paired with the best of all worlds (rural, city, country), will attract a lot, while pushing away the less inclined to our ideals. And that, in my opinion, can only be beneficial.
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"I believe in being an innovator."
- Walt Disney
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Effort
I was recently presented with a quote that I found very indicative of today's societal beliefs. Take a look and tell me what you think.
"Purposeful effort comes to mean, primarily, effort directed to, or resulting in, a more creditable showing of accumulated wealth."
Ideal, isn't it? You put effort into something, and from your hard work and countless hours of toil, you amass more money than you know how to handle. And only then are you successful. That's the American dream... for some. Clearly, this quote represents said "some" - those individuals who believe success breeds monetary gain. Undeniably, effort mixed with skill and a little bit of luck will lead to success. In turn, it seems as though success and wealth go hand in hand for the majority of the world. In some aspects, rightly so - if effort is placed into areas that can amount to an accumulation of wealth, purposeful effort and hard work will undoubtedly increase the wealth of said hard working individual. I'm talking about people who succeed in business, people who succeed in Hollywood, people who succeed in Medicine, people who succeed in these areas and areas like them - these individuals will all accumulate wealth. In this sense, wealth is as much a side effect of career choice as it is a measure of success.
Often, I feel that we discount the idea of success as anything but wealth. And the aforementioned quote just furthers my belief. We, as a society, are obsessed with money. We are consumed by consumerism, bought by what money can buy. We are force-fed the idea that social status is determined by the things we own, and therefore hinged on how much we can buy with the money that we make. As a society, we feel that effort has to lead to more money. And when we put our efforts into something that doesn't pay up, we are devastated, enraged and eager to cry foul.
I feel that we, in general, are very close-minded in our understanding of success. To me, success is much more than the bills that line my wallet. Success, as the author of the aforementioned quote does get right, is a direct result of effort. But who says effort always has to lead to money? What if you place your efforts in your family? What if you place your efforts into service? What if you place your efforts into love? What if you place your efforts into virtually anything that does not promise an amassing of wealth? Are we to discount efforts placed in anything but work? I, personally, believe that we are heading into dangerous territory if we start thinking that way. There are so many more opportunities to succeed, so many other avenues of life to place one's efforts in besides the pursuit of money, the chasing of greed.
So why not place your efforts in pursuing a stronger relationship with God? Why not place your efforts in building a loving family, creating lasting friendships, and changing the world... rather than wondering how more money can be used to change yourself. That's the way I see it.
Don't get me wrong, I am not naive. I am not foolish enough to believe that we don't need money. Of course, we need money to do everything - I do not discount this, nor do I pretend that this is not the case. I do, however, believe that equating the culmination of effort to an increase of funds is naive. By making claims like this, we place ourselves in such a small box. Personally, I would rather have that strong relationship with God, a loving family, and self-confirmation of my efforts to truly make a difference. Money, really, doesn't hold that much weight with me - it's a necessity, yes, but not something i have to necessarily pursue with all of me. I'm comfortable enough with the life that I am pursuing to not have to feel that I must place my efforts in things that bring me the most money. I'm comfortable enough to place my efforts in the pursuit of happiness (and all that it encompasses), and confident enough to know that money does not equal happiness.
So the question is, what do you pursue? What do you place your efforts in? Place your best effort in all that you do. Strive to succeed in all that you pursue. My only advice - be confident in what you pursue; confident in a knowledge that you will find happiness, that you will grow closer to a God who is everlasting and ever-sustaining, and that you will truly feel successful. Don't let the pursuit of money place a box around you. Instead, place a box around money. Make it one aspect of your life, not the entirety.
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
- Walt Disney
"Purposeful effort comes to mean, primarily, effort directed to, or resulting in, a more creditable showing of accumulated wealth."
Ideal, isn't it? You put effort into something, and from your hard work and countless hours of toil, you amass more money than you know how to handle. And only then are you successful. That's the American dream... for some. Clearly, this quote represents said "some" - those individuals who believe success breeds monetary gain. Undeniably, effort mixed with skill and a little bit of luck will lead to success. In turn, it seems as though success and wealth go hand in hand for the majority of the world. In some aspects, rightly so - if effort is placed into areas that can amount to an accumulation of wealth, purposeful effort and hard work will undoubtedly increase the wealth of said hard working individual. I'm talking about people who succeed in business, people who succeed in Hollywood, people who succeed in Medicine, people who succeed in these areas and areas like them - these individuals will all accumulate wealth. In this sense, wealth is as much a side effect of career choice as it is a measure of success.
Often, I feel that we discount the idea of success as anything but wealth. And the aforementioned quote just furthers my belief. We, as a society, are obsessed with money. We are consumed by consumerism, bought by what money can buy. We are force-fed the idea that social status is determined by the things we own, and therefore hinged on how much we can buy with the money that we make. As a society, we feel that effort has to lead to more money. And when we put our efforts into something that doesn't pay up, we are devastated, enraged and eager to cry foul.
I feel that we, in general, are very close-minded in our understanding of success. To me, success is much more than the bills that line my wallet. Success, as the author of the aforementioned quote does get right, is a direct result of effort. But who says effort always has to lead to money? What if you place your efforts in your family? What if you place your efforts into service? What if you place your efforts into love? What if you place your efforts into virtually anything that does not promise an amassing of wealth? Are we to discount efforts placed in anything but work? I, personally, believe that we are heading into dangerous territory if we start thinking that way. There are so many more opportunities to succeed, so many other avenues of life to place one's efforts in besides the pursuit of money, the chasing of greed.
So why not place your efforts in pursuing a stronger relationship with God? Why not place your efforts in building a loving family, creating lasting friendships, and changing the world... rather than wondering how more money can be used to change yourself. That's the way I see it.
Don't get me wrong, I am not naive. I am not foolish enough to believe that we don't need money. Of course, we need money to do everything - I do not discount this, nor do I pretend that this is not the case. I do, however, believe that equating the culmination of effort to an increase of funds is naive. By making claims like this, we place ourselves in such a small box. Personally, I would rather have that strong relationship with God, a loving family, and self-confirmation of my efforts to truly make a difference. Money, really, doesn't hold that much weight with me - it's a necessity, yes, but not something i have to necessarily pursue with all of me. I'm comfortable enough with the life that I am pursuing to not have to feel that I must place my efforts in things that bring me the most money. I'm comfortable enough to place my efforts in the pursuit of happiness (and all that it encompasses), and confident enough to know that money does not equal happiness.
So the question is, what do you pursue? What do you place your efforts in? Place your best effort in all that you do. Strive to succeed in all that you pursue. My only advice - be confident in what you pursue; confident in a knowledge that you will find happiness, that you will grow closer to a God who is everlasting and ever-sustaining, and that you will truly feel successful. Don't let the pursuit of money place a box around you. Instead, place a box around money. Make it one aspect of your life, not the entirety.
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
- Walt Disney
Thursday, September 23, 2010
the new urban century
In the 16th century, two percent of the world's population (500 million) lived in cities. Over the course of the four centuries that have passed since, that percentage has increased by over 30,000 percent. This means that more than 50% of the global population in the 20th century has been urbanized. Not only has the global desire to live outside of the proverbial "city" diminished over the past few centuries, the means to do so are as fleeting as the residence who, for economic reasons, are forced to retreat to the urban sprawl. But cities haven't changed, have they? Aren't they still the same dirty places that breed crime with pollution to create civil unrest? In a sense... yes. Health is still a major issue. Congestion is still an issue. All of the issues that have notoriouly plagues the urban landscape since the first city still plague the cities of today. And yet, cities have never been more overpopulated. They have never been more popular. And for good reason - the benefits of living in cities (the convenience of everything, the tight-knit community, the numerous opportunities for self-improvement and advancements in the working world) will always, to the majority of the global population, outweigh the negatives. But... is this urbanization a good thing? What about the health problems that plague the slums? What about rural communities? What happens when the city is all that there is?
I recently came across two interesting, and opposing, takes on the urbanization of both the nation, and the global community.
In the first article I read, written by John Blake of CNN, the reporter establishes the process of "new urbanizing," quoting experts who claim that everything about "old" cities, and the "old city" way of life - has to go. Gone are "sprawling interstates, suburban living, long car commutes." The new urban century is "sidewalks, bike paths and parks." In essence, this sounds perfect. A more green community, catered towards the young urban professional who bikes to work, drinks from a reusable plastic water bottle made entirely of recycled materials, the individual who wouldn't be caught dead owning a car, let alone driving one. This is the new urban utopia - the ideal, thriving downtown district that branches out to high rise apartments and deep-buried shopping malls and public transportation. (But let's not forget that public transportation is scheduled to make a shift to high occupancy light rails - it's the future, after all).
However, while the new American vision for city living is, ideally, focused on people, and not automobiles and pollution... it's still a vision. The problem with the "new urban century"... with any vision of urbanization, lies within the solutions that the promoters claim to have found. The focus on people is a step in the right direction, to be sure. However, the facts still stand - skyscrapers will keep reaching to the sky, and consumer life will still sink (literally) into the ground. That is, until the cities spread outward - continuing to construct the massive living community for the middle-class American - the suburbs. While the vision of future cities focuses on people, in terms of transportation and bike lanes and pedestrian-focused street plans - all fantastic ideas - it still fails to take into account the one major issue that all cities face: space. No matter what the "goal" is, said goal will always be encumbered by the fact that cities spread - growing away from the crime-ridden, heavily polluted, poverty-stricken "inner-cities, " the very inner-cities that the same urban professionals who fuel the wheels of this new people-focused urbanization pretend don't exist. Thus, the suburbs are born - a wonderful mix of blue sky and steel, grass and pavement, power plants and solar panels.
But what about those inner-cities? What about the countless individuals who inhabit them? Do we give up on the inner-city and allow it to collapse on itself in order to make room for the "new" city? And what about the individuals that fear the outward spreading of the "city way of life?"
The second source I came across dealt with this very issue. Professors and students at UC Berkeley held an event that focused on urbanization and the deteriorating health of the inner city. In short, the fact is - this problem of poor-hygiene and sub-par health conditions hasn't gone away, and will not go away anytime soon. While the panel regarding the health concerns of inner cities can easily acknowledge these problems, and come up with theoretical solutions - the fact still stands that these problems are going to remain problems until the theoretical becomes the real. This... well, this can be a long while out. And for those that are worried about the spread of cities - the fact that cities are literally built upon the ashes of what was once nature, those concerns are just as valid. It's a new century to be sure...
As for my self, I fall under the countless individuals who live the suburban "dream," and think nothing of it. I like my lifestyle. I like my commute. I like my nature. But isn't this the problem? Isn't complacency with the "middle" the root of the conversation? I believe it is. Those that are "in" the city want to be IN the city. Those that are "away" from the city want to be far AWAY from the city. The two polar groups don't want this middle-community - they don't want to travel any farther than a bike lane will allow, and they don't want to travel any closer than a trip in a truck will suffice. To the extremists, there is no need for the regulated suburban neighborhood - the perfectly fine, livable middle ground. But for myself, and the numerous other suburbanites, we are just fine. The problem, as I see it, will inevitably arise when "just fine" encroaches on one group more than another. I would love to see the vision for new urban communities become a reality, just so long as there is still room for suburban life and rural life. Once that problem, along with the problem of the deteriorating inner-city, is diminished, then, I feel, we will truly have an urban century worth writing, talking, and dreaming about.
"I don't believe there's a challenge anywhere in the world that's more important to people everywhere than finding solutions to the problems of our cities. But where do we begin... how do we start answering this great challenge? Well, we're convinced we must start answering the public need. And the need is for starting from scratch on virgin land and building a special kind of new community that will always be in a state of becoming. It will never cease to be a living blueprint of the future, where people actually live a life they can't find anywhere else in the world."
- Walt Disney, on EPCOT
I recently came across two interesting, and opposing, takes on the urbanization of both the nation, and the global community.
In the first article I read, written by John Blake of CNN, the reporter establishes the process of "new urbanizing," quoting experts who claim that everything about "old" cities, and the "old city" way of life - has to go. Gone are "sprawling interstates, suburban living, long car commutes." The new urban century is "sidewalks, bike paths and parks." In essence, this sounds perfect. A more green community, catered towards the young urban professional who bikes to work, drinks from a reusable plastic water bottle made entirely of recycled materials, the individual who wouldn't be caught dead owning a car, let alone driving one. This is the new urban utopia - the ideal, thriving downtown district that branches out to high rise apartments and deep-buried shopping malls and public transportation. (But let's not forget that public transportation is scheduled to make a shift to high occupancy light rails - it's the future, after all).
However, while the new American vision for city living is, ideally, focused on people, and not automobiles and pollution... it's still a vision. The problem with the "new urban century"... with any vision of urbanization, lies within the solutions that the promoters claim to have found. The focus on people is a step in the right direction, to be sure. However, the facts still stand - skyscrapers will keep reaching to the sky, and consumer life will still sink (literally) into the ground. That is, until the cities spread outward - continuing to construct the massive living community for the middle-class American - the suburbs. While the vision of future cities focuses on people, in terms of transportation and bike lanes and pedestrian-focused street plans - all fantastic ideas - it still fails to take into account the one major issue that all cities face: space. No matter what the "goal" is, said goal will always be encumbered by the fact that cities spread - growing away from the crime-ridden, heavily polluted, poverty-stricken "inner-cities, " the very inner-cities that the same urban professionals who fuel the wheels of this new people-focused urbanization pretend don't exist. Thus, the suburbs are born - a wonderful mix of blue sky and steel, grass and pavement, power plants and solar panels.
But what about those inner-cities? What about the countless individuals who inhabit them? Do we give up on the inner-city and allow it to collapse on itself in order to make room for the "new" city? And what about the individuals that fear the outward spreading of the "city way of life?"
The second source I came across dealt with this very issue. Professors and students at UC Berkeley held an event that focused on urbanization and the deteriorating health of the inner city. In short, the fact is - this problem of poor-hygiene and sub-par health conditions hasn't gone away, and will not go away anytime soon. While the panel regarding the health concerns of inner cities can easily acknowledge these problems, and come up with theoretical solutions - the fact still stands that these problems are going to remain problems until the theoretical becomes the real. This... well, this can be a long while out. And for those that are worried about the spread of cities - the fact that cities are literally built upon the ashes of what was once nature, those concerns are just as valid. It's a new century to be sure...
As for my self, I fall under the countless individuals who live the suburban "dream," and think nothing of it. I like my lifestyle. I like my commute. I like my nature. But isn't this the problem? Isn't complacency with the "middle" the root of the conversation? I believe it is. Those that are "in" the city want to be IN the city. Those that are "away" from the city want to be far AWAY from the city. The two polar groups don't want this middle-community - they don't want to travel any farther than a bike lane will allow, and they don't want to travel any closer than a trip in a truck will suffice. To the extremists, there is no need for the regulated suburban neighborhood - the perfectly fine, livable middle ground. But for myself, and the numerous other suburbanites, we are just fine. The problem, as I see it, will inevitably arise when "just fine" encroaches on one group more than another. I would love to see the vision for new urban communities become a reality, just so long as there is still room for suburban life and rural life. Once that problem, along with the problem of the deteriorating inner-city, is diminished, then, I feel, we will truly have an urban century worth writing, talking, and dreaming about.
"I don't believe there's a challenge anywhere in the world that's more important to people everywhere than finding solutions to the problems of our cities. But where do we begin... how do we start answering this great challenge? Well, we're convinced we must start answering the public need. And the need is for starting from scratch on virgin land and building a special kind of new community that will always be in a state of becoming. It will never cease to be a living blueprint of the future, where people actually live a life they can't find anywhere else in the world."
- Walt Disney, on EPCOT
Thursday, September 9, 2010
redemption
I have always been interested in stories about individuals who "find themselves" as a result of drudging through difficult situations. To go into the wilderness and come out a better individual. To be deep in whatever hell [you] may be trapped in, and return the wiser and stronger. To be redeemed, or restored, is a gift that I think we all strive for in some form or fashion. No matter what, no matter how we've "fallen," or even how far we may fall, most of us, if not all, can relate to struggle, hardship, and setback. For whatever reason, it's the downfalls in life that are so relevant, a universal common ground. That's why the proverbial "underdog" is so popular. That's why Christians shout, "We shall overcome." Because, in the end, we all have something to overcome. The where and how "we" overcome that something... that's the stuff that makes for a great story.
Every Bruce Banner has his unbearable anger. Every Peter Parker has his Mary Jane. Every hero has his downfall - but that's what makes heroes so great, isn't it? Who wants his/her hero to be perfect? Sure, we want them to be "better" than us - to give us something to look up to, and to aspire to, but do we want them to be perfect? I would venture to say that no, we don't. We don't want someone who is so removed from the realities of life. We want our heroes to be individuals we can relate to. We want our heroes to go through the same struggles we go through. We want our heroes to face their downfalls head-on, and to come out on top. It's not the power that we admire. It's not the differences that make a hero a HERO. It's the common struggle, the sameness, that aspect that allows us to say, "I've been there too, he (or she) is just like me."
The truth of the matter is, we all have our own "wilderness." We have all had to wander. We've all had to fight. And if we haven't, we will. Above all, it's the hope of overcoming that keeps even the worst of struggles from getting us down. Hope... now that is a powerful thing.
I recently came across two incredible stories that illustrate how powerful redemption can be. The lives of Kenneth Hartman and Stan "Tookie" Williams, two individuals who were marred by the decisions that overcame them and overcame the consequences of their decisions, serve as perfect examples of the archetypal "wilderness story."
(You can find all of my bookmarks regarding these individuals @ delicious.com/lutz24)
Kenneth Hartman has served 30 continuous years in the California prison system for killing a man when he was 19 years old. He spent the beginning part of his life-sentence proving that he deserved to be behind bars - doing drugs, brutalizing his enemies, getting thrown into solitary confinement, and other nefarious deeds. Remarkably, he turned his life around. After entering a relationship, while still behind bars, he began to realize that there is more than what he was aspiring to. An incredible tale, Hartman dropped all of his debauchery, took classes, got transferred to new prisons, got married to his girlfriend, had a child (through conjugal visits), he published articles, he helped create an Honors System for prisoners willing to uphold strict rules, and authored books. His story proves that even the most horrendous men, the men that society strives to forget, can invest themselves in daily life, turn their stories around, and come out on top.
The second story that I came across is that of Stanley Williams, or, how he is better known, "Tookie." Stan "Tookie" Williams, along with friends from South Central Los Angeles, California, founded the notorious street gang, the "Crips." He was convicted of four murders, over the course of initial robberies - a convenience store worker, and two Los Angeles motel owners and their daughter - and was sentenced to death in 1981. He spent the majority of his life, from 1981 to 2005 (the year that he was executed) in the California state prison system. Over the course of his life-sentence, he aimed to redeem himself, and wrote a series of children's books disavowing gang violence. He was nominated five times for a Nobel Prize for peace and four times for a Nobel Prize for literature.
Two men who were beaten down by the decisions they had made. Two men who decided to turn their lives around, to come out of the wilderness that much more the better. Two men who were redeemed.
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible. "
- Walt Disney
Every Bruce Banner has his unbearable anger. Every Peter Parker has his Mary Jane. Every hero has his downfall - but that's what makes heroes so great, isn't it? Who wants his/her hero to be perfect? Sure, we want them to be "better" than us - to give us something to look up to, and to aspire to, but do we want them to be perfect? I would venture to say that no, we don't. We don't want someone who is so removed from the realities of life. We want our heroes to be individuals we can relate to. We want our heroes to go through the same struggles we go through. We want our heroes to face their downfalls head-on, and to come out on top. It's not the power that we admire. It's not the differences that make a hero a HERO. It's the common struggle, the sameness, that aspect that allows us to say, "I've been there too, he (or she) is just like me."
The truth of the matter is, we all have our own "wilderness." We have all had to wander. We've all had to fight. And if we haven't, we will. Above all, it's the hope of overcoming that keeps even the worst of struggles from getting us down. Hope... now that is a powerful thing.
I recently came across two incredible stories that illustrate how powerful redemption can be. The lives of Kenneth Hartman and Stan "Tookie" Williams, two individuals who were marred by the decisions that overcame them and overcame the consequences of their decisions, serve as perfect examples of the archetypal "wilderness story."
(You can find all of my bookmarks regarding these individuals @ delicious.com/lutz24)
Kenneth Hartman has served 30 continuous years in the California prison system for killing a man when he was 19 years old. He spent the beginning part of his life-sentence proving that he deserved to be behind bars - doing drugs, brutalizing his enemies, getting thrown into solitary confinement, and other nefarious deeds. Remarkably, he turned his life around. After entering a relationship, while still behind bars, he began to realize that there is more than what he was aspiring to. An incredible tale, Hartman dropped all of his debauchery, took classes, got transferred to new prisons, got married to his girlfriend, had a child (through conjugal visits), he published articles, he helped create an Honors System for prisoners willing to uphold strict rules, and authored books. His story proves that even the most horrendous men, the men that society strives to forget, can invest themselves in daily life, turn their stories around, and come out on top.
The second story that I came across is that of Stanley Williams, or, how he is better known, "Tookie." Stan "Tookie" Williams, along with friends from South Central Los Angeles, California, founded the notorious street gang, the "Crips." He was convicted of four murders, over the course of initial robberies - a convenience store worker, and two Los Angeles motel owners and their daughter - and was sentenced to death in 1981. He spent the majority of his life, from 1981 to 2005 (the year that he was executed) in the California state prison system. Over the course of his life-sentence, he aimed to redeem himself, and wrote a series of children's books disavowing gang violence. He was nominated five times for a Nobel Prize for peace and four times for a Nobel Prize for literature.
Two men who were beaten down by the decisions they had made. Two men who decided to turn their lives around, to come out of the wilderness that much more the better. Two men who were redeemed.
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible. "
- Walt Disney
Monday, August 30, 2010
for the people
I've created this in partial fulfillment of the requirements for HONS 225 at Andrews University. For a while, the only posts that will be here will be related to class. I encourage you to read and comment, however, as I hope to contribute new and exciting things as time goes on.
"“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney
"“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney
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