Another Message to Gen

Dear Gen,

In my Modern Political Theory class at Morehouse, we read 'Leviathan' by Sir Thomas Hobbes. Of all the things in that work that stayed with me, the following quote was the most striking, (I'm paraphrasing) "to acknowledge a man is to honor him."

Thank you as always for your comments. I wrote my last entry not in a response to you or anyone else, but because tomorrow is the 139th birthday of my alma mater. So the 'you' in in the last reason was not directed to you dear, but more so a 'you' in general. And actually, if you did not attend, you can't understand. You can empathize, you can have an idea what it's like, you can even feel you kind of know what's like, but until you've stood in the lines, dealt with the professors, received the hateful looks from others at the mere mention of Morehouse, dealt with the stereotypes, and tried in vain to live up to the shadows that cast so ominously over the campus, you don't understand.

I sincerely do invite your comments, and I am happy that you are thoughtful enough to provide opinions about what it is that I write. I write my blog not solely for my Atlanta University Center sisters and brothers, but I write my blog firstly for myself. Secondly, I write about things that people that I know, grew up with and went to school with might find interesting.

The aforementioned brotherhood and loyalty in my list about Morehouse is why Ray responded the way he did. If you met him you'd know what I am saying. I apologize if you were offended by his comments, but I do not apologize for his spirit.

That same spirit is something that is not easily translatable or transferable in the world outside of 830 Westview Drive. It's a connection that is forged over turmoil, tumult, good and bad times, times of comfort and of conscience. It's the mystique that we talk about so much and rarely if ever find the full amount of words to describe.

Come to think of it, I also write this blog because I fancy myself a writer. I do not bow to the will of others interpretations of my opinions or my words, but rather write what is on my mind and in my conscience. I haven't the time nor the inclination to worry about who the writing is for, because in the end, if it makes me happy, then I've done my job. I do not want you to misunderstand that last line though. I do openly and gladly welcome readers from all over and all walks of life, so please keep them coming.

Sarcasm and inuendo gets us nowhere, so it's not something that I subscribe to. I do subscribe to healthy discourse, and you have definitely been providing that Gen.

I'm Joe and that's how I see it.