This is a message to the brotherhood, and to the sistahs that support them. To wit: These treacherous times of ours are no respecter of anything good. Signs of the times are rife with scales that are unbalanced and detrimental to all things spiritual. In times like these when adversity and ill-will cloud our skies, we habitually look up for better days. The stock market has crashed, our global monetary system is in shambles, the U.S. economy is reeling in recession, and it’s increasingly hard to staunch the institution of racism that still in place. We yearn for the good times of yore and allow hope and change to be the barometer to measure how far we need to go. As a man of color, there are a plethora of things I’m always thinking about that have the propensity to make the grade for reflective thought. The depth of my soul is like a bottomless pit that cannot define volume. I’m no different from others in this state looking for a new lease on life.

Here I am in mid life, two score ten and seven, a little older and a little wiser legitimizing a closer walk to benevolence. I often look back from whence I came fathoming the legalities of growth, and know that change is inevitable in all of us. I also can lament how time waits for no one, continuing to remind us that we always reap what we sow. I would guess the clarity of such an acknowledgement would be all that’s needed to pay homage to that still small voice that’s constantly in my ear. Yes, in these treacherous times there’s a need to pause and ponder to what needs to be done with a sense of urgency. Time is NOW! I ask myself questions that I know can only be answered using a different mindset, and a new set of rules.

In the catbird seat from where I sit, I see clearly and don’t like the sights and sounds of today’s rancor. Some of my youth are in trouble. They are not reading enough, not articulating coherently both orally and written, and finally self-esteem seems to lowest now. I see them of this generation lost and lacking the type of mentorship that would steer them in the right direction; I see the bane of an androgynous nature where gender is on trial…where young girls are taking on the persona of boys, and where boys are embracing a ‘gangsta’ mentality trying to uphold an image that is not suitable for respectful visibility. I see quite a few of my brothers not standing up to the challenges of taking care of home; I see our communities torn asunder because options are being compromised by outside interests; Trials and tribulation abound…teeming with these iniquities – the kind that God frowns on.

The plight of my race has potential and promises that should be exploited wholeheartedly. We should be striving for stability that would breed confidence so that the color of our skin would go way beyond the content of what is seen by others who regularly stereotype us. Our next president on the Democratic side if we win will make history. The white house will become the Black House. In these treacherous times be it a Black man running for president, or a woman on the distaff side looking for acceptance, you should be appalled by the back biting, slurs and sensationalism thrown at them by the media. This alludes also to anyone else who happen to continue perpetrating the unbalanced scales of racism, gender bias, and other prejudices to hinder doing what is right. Can we overcome these maladies? What can we do to stem the tide and warrant change? I wonder what God would say if He was among us in the flesh?

Time in its proper place will always be the barometer for that change. I was able to triumph over adversity and iniquity by professing to elicit a better way of being respected, as there was something in it for me. I learned that in order to respect, one must intrusively pay homage in humble ways to see empathy in those with whom they endeavor to respect. I close this essay with one other point to posit: We men of color need to do more, and be challenged to do a better job of eradicating the treachery of these times. If we can dare to dream, let us put our words to action, and shoulder some of the responsibility to be seen more. This is why I write, why I want my voice to echo across all lines to purport to make a difference in my community, home and deep within my soul. Let’s bolster our self-esteem, take control of our communities, and allow God’s covenant given to us in being dominant as we protect our families, and lastly – let’s be praying men building up the Kingdom so that our progeny will have divine direction to do diligently thus, in remembrance of Him!