BREAKING SHACKLES AND GETTING STRAIGHT … A SECOND CHANCE FROM THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

On this episode we welcome back Bernard Mills, a man who embraced the criminal lifestyle as an opportunity to live and thrive, and become something better. Let that statement settle for a moment. Our world as it is structured for far too many of us offers crime as a worthwhile opportunity at a better life. Remember, perspective matters. We also bring on Ronnie Long, a man tried and convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. Yes, we’ve seen this story before, all over television and the movies, and we hear about it as real life. Real people suffer. But the drama is a story, one that many of us say just is, sorry, life is hard. That, is not the way. On this episode we hear the stories of Bernard and Ronnie and we dive deep into the humanity of these men, to see them as human beings, and realize in the hearing of the stories, that second chances are worthwhile, for Ronnie a first chance and a shift in how the system works. No one should be convicted for a crime they did not commit. We all know this. However, we have to lean in and not treat it just another something we hear on the news. If you think a 2nd and 1st chance for those consigned to hell but want nothing more than to live righteously is the right thing to do, then do more than listen, etch an edge and act. Let’s listen.

Etch The Edges Here:https://bit.ly/BreakingShacklesAndGettingStraight

CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND FINDING A NEW PATH A - CRITICAL CONVERSATION WITH JERRY FU

In this age of division it is absolutely imperative the we figure out how to talk to each and not at each other. It is absolutely critical that we figure out how to do the mandate of this podcast and the project, bridge the ideological divide and come together. It is essential that we learn to internalize and understand perspective, value it for what it brings, toss it into the crucible of conflict, and figure out answers for the challenges we face that we can all live with, together. Our guest on this episode, Jerry Fu is all about conflict resolution. He lives to do just this type of activity and that is why we’re so glad to have him on this episode of Etch The Edges. As we learn about his work of conflict resolution we get some insight into who he is, how he arrived at his calling, and the challenges he faced through the prism of diversity, dealing with stereotypes. Join us for this uplifting discussion as we continue our journey into 2022, and work to close the divides between us all for the greater good. Let’s Etch The Edges. 

Etch The Edges Here: Etch The Edges With Jerry Fu

ETCH THE EDGES IS BACK FOR 2022

It’s 2022 and the mission and mindset continues. We have to lean into discomfort, lean into the things that are necessary. There are elections this year. Voting rights are truly under attack. No matter your perspective we have to understand that the debate is on the table, and the concern is generations long, a charged road to be sure. WE ARE IN THE GAME OF THRONES, and life is far more precious than seeking to live the metaphor of the dramatized. Insurrection and and secession cannot be up for consideration. That is not American and that has nothing to do with freedom. Additionally, CRT is looming large and threatening to overwhelm our critical conversations, which to be sure is a tragedy as the actual emergency is not that it is looming, but that it is being seen as a threat instead of what it is, a systemic approach to realizing the truth of the American ideal, an academic approach to uncovering our shared American truth. There is all this and more. So, let’s lean into discomfort. Let’s think critically. Let’s talk. Let’s share stories. Let’s get familiar, find comfort, and develop some trust. And let’s do all this while we work the work of getting into some Good Trouble. 

Episode: https://apple.co/3GYIKVg

https://www.facebook.com/meetmedsbrown

WHAT DOES TRUST GET US - FROM 3FE TO FCT

THIS IS THE BOOK THAT SERVES AS A GUIDE TO SHARING THE TRUTH. IT’S THE STORIES THAT MATTER.

Our society is fractured. We have always lived along lines that separate us, that divide us into the categories we’ve used for generations to describe who we are and where we fit, or don’t fit in the socioeconomic structure. The lines of separation frequently generate episodes of social unrest. In times of crisis, they can threaten to bring down institutions and lay waste to governments. When this happens, a new structure is born as the people rise out of the fire. Depending on the how the crisis is managed and the knowledge and temperament of the people the new structure may be painfully destructive, eroding the social fabric even more than before, and at its lowest becoming a purveyor of evil. As the world quickly advances in technology and interconnectedness our ability to aggregate and increase all the things that separate us is magnified. We can hurt each other just as we have before, but harder, faster. 3FE TO FCT details an approach through the filter of simple but powerful everyday critical thinking. It actively addresses the lines that divide us. As the lines wax and wane ever threatening to become chasms, 3FE (Find, Focus, establish the Fundamentals, Execute) leads us to FCT (Familiarity, Comfort, and Trust), providing us with the tools necessary to bridge and in some cases even close the ideological divides.

Be sure to get your copy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096TRVP8T

IN RESPONSE TO GEORGIA'S GOP VOTER SUPPRESSION EFFORTS

I sent the below message to the following state senators Senate Ethics Committee:.

max.burns@senate.ga.gov (Chairman)
dean.burke@senate.ga.gov
jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov
mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov (Senate Majority Leader)
steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov
butch.miller@senate.ga.gov (President Pro Tempore of the Senate)
randy.robertson@senate.ga.gov
brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov

This is your democracy. Let your voice be heard ... 

To the members of the Georgia Senate Ethics Committee:

I fail to understand why after one of the most secure elections in human history … let me repeat that, one of the most secure elections in human history, because that is exactly what it was, you have deemed it necessary to introduce bills that will make voting more difficult, but not more secure. 

Echo chamber catch-phrases and rhetoric painted up to sound reasonable will not deflect from the simple fact that the bills you are proposing equate to de-facto voter suppression. This is Jim Crow evolved, the modernization of disenfranchising people of color. And for this, you should truly be ashamed. However, we know you are not. 

The fine veneer you cover yourselves with to separate you from your antecedents who rationalized their actions with religion and skewered made-crooked words of Christ, most assuredly not doing what Jesus would do, does not present you as different, not in our eyes, not in the eyes of your constituents, and yes those of us who did not vote for you are your constituents. And this brings us to the point.

I correct myself. I completely understand why you are taking this action. It is plain because many of you have said as much. It is plain for the same reason the former President stands unpunished and unrepentant. It is the same reason your parents and grandparents did what they did, unrepentant, lying to themselves, and you, living in fear of losing power, of losing control. It is sad and it hurts but I see it I hear it, I heard it last night at the Gwinnett County Public Schools Board Meeting. You and a large number of my fellow Georgians not of color seek to retain power either because you hate us, or you actually think you don’t but just think you know better than we do and we, who are the wrong kind of people will destroy what makes us great. That is the truth of you and your belief. However, the truth also is like you, all we want to do is live, and thrive … just like you. We have no desire to bring you low. We just want after so very long that you appropriately invest in lifting us up. We should all be about this type of work, together. 

Today I’m writing you because I want you to support American freedom and liberty in the great state of Georgia. I’m writing you because you are committing a wrong that will brand you in history. I’m writing you because I’m asking you to see my perspective and reconsider just how wrong your actions are. I’m writing you, because you represent me, and making it harder for people like me to exercise the franchise is un-American. 

You will do what you will do. I want better of you. If you turn these bills into law you already know we will not stand back. We will not standby. We will continue a Fair Fight, in the finest American tradition. In John Lewis’s name, we will continue to create Good Trouble.

 Best Regards,
D.S. Brown
Gwinnett County Democratic Party
Executive Committee District 1

FROM 3FE TO FCT - CLOSING THE DIVIDE

We all live in times of hard division. It affects us at home, in our schools, our places of worship, where we work, and painfully enough it descends upon us in how we are governed. All this creates a culture of exclusion that is magnified by algorithms that beat down our ability to think critically, find common ground, and embrace inclusion. Our social well-being is under constant assault and we are in crisis. Join one of the following seminar sessions below and learn how with 3FE to FCT we can do the hard work that's necessary, find the courage to not hate, and in time embrace real inclusion, and in elevating together, make all of us great.

Please register for one of our sessions by clicking a link below and start this new year with the right frame of mind. :

Select - SESSION 1 - JUNE 10, 2021

Select - SESSION 2 - JUNE 12, 2021

This seminar is being brought to you by Critical Thinking Minds at a discount of free! Get your ticket now!

The CBD Craze Is Hot and You Are Not

It took a while for it to happen, but it finally did. I was listening to the radio on the way home from work last week when I heard it. The inevitable pitch by someone promising to make your rich. Or, rather to put you on the path of possible profitability, quickly followed by the implication that they’re going to make you rich. It’s time for you to sign up for your free CBD seminar and training session. 

If you were to look at a map of America for where marijuana is legal you might actually be surprised. The movement for legalization has been a long one. However, the change that has come as of late has really surprised many. In some states it is legal. In some states it is less criminalized, or rather prosecutors won’t prosecute. In some states CBD oil is legal. There are only around ten or eleven states where it is still fully illegal and criminalized. That’s a helluva thing and a helluva opportunity. 

Now with that understanding, we all know what’s going to happen next, or is already happening. I don’t know if you’ve done this, but I have. I’ve taken the time to sit back and think about just how gullible we can be in our desire to be rich, to covet, to want, to be able to buy stuff. It boggles the mind, or at least it boggles my mind. 

There is always the get rich quick ThingamaJigAmIstupidAsHell scheme, whether it’s stocks, real estate, long distance phone service, energy, or a person from a foreign country who will give us a cut of the proceeds if we help him with his 1.5 to 3-million-dollar bank deposit. We all have heard about it at this point. Still, again, and again without fail we will throw caution to the wind and give this person, this prevaricator our hard-earned cash. We hope, that what will happen next will allow us to buy our own champagne wishes and caviar dreams.  

Well, I hate to say it, but that old thang is back with a vengeance. The real estate seminars have been back on and popping for a few years now. Some of you may have attended a free seminar or two. Many of you may have bought the $500 hot box packet to help you build your empire, or you may have dropped the $1500 to $4000 necessary to take the course through the special all-powerful training academy that will help you conquer the land in your own back yard. 

Yeah, same old story with a new book cover. As Clark Howard once said, if they have all the answers, why are they sharing them with you? Do you really think they’re doing it out of the goodness of their hearts? Do you really think that $1500 multiplied by the fifteen of you out of the class of thirty who attended that day and paid are just small potatoes in their annual balance sheet, a small goodwill line? Or, do you realize that even though they made money buying and selling homes they really make way more money today telling you what they did as opposed to continue doing it themselves? Just something to think about, critically.

So, now that I’ve rehashed the continuous tried and true that find their targets every year, it’s time to introduce the latest entrant. And to be sure, this one is a heavy hitter. 

Do you smoke weed? Have you ever smoked weed? Do you love the allure of marijuana? Have you ever considered the money-making potential of cannabis sativa and thought it should be you, or it would be you if it were legal? Are you a person who thinks of the societal wrongs of marijuana and how now that it is becoming legal the windfall will belong to the same people who have always controlled the reigns of power? 

Are you one of those people who thinks about all those who have been imprisoned and suffered while trying to make a way by selling it in traps and on street corners? Are you an old hip-hop head who remembers when the Notorious B.I.G rapped about how he was just trying to make some money to feed his daughter? For that one go listen to his song “Juicy,” and if you don’t know, now you know, you know. 

Are you one of the folks who saw the video of the woman news correspondent who said “fuck it” on live television and walked off her job after she revealed herself to be the owner of the Alaskan Cannabis Club? 

Are you an American who sees the powerfully ripe opportunity that marijuana legalization represents, just like former Speaker of the House John Boehner, a Conservative and a Republican? Do you see all this and feel the itch and fear of being too late? Are you worried about being completely left out? Do you think of all this and say, NOW is our time, or more importantly my time?

Well, please allow me to tell you that the impending legalization of marijuana and the accelerating growth of cannabis derived products truly do represent an economic paradigm shift, and they will make fortunes over time. Let’s get that out of the way first. 

Second, all that you have seen and all that you feel creates powerful emotions. We humans become ripe for exploitation when we feel we’ve missed the boat, or that the boat is just about to leave, and we feel we can still get on it. We feel just like we would if we were late to the port of our seven-day cruise that we spent our hard-earned money on. Our stomachs sink. We become frantic, manic, willing to do whatever to get on that boat. 

That’s who we are and that is why critical thinking is so incredibly important to consider. 

I’ve heard many of them already. People want you to join their downline in their CBD Multi-Level-Marketing program. People are starting CBD businesses around how to make CBD businesses. People are offering programs to join CBD startups that will develop innovative ways to circumvent current challenges to actually getting your CBD oil. People are offering courses on the health benefits of CBD. 

And the health benefits of CBD have to be considered independently of the rest in my opinion because we aspiring critical thinkers know the truth. We’ve seen it all before, just like many of you. There are those who will tell you CBD cures everything, helps everything, is the be-all and end-all of medicines. CBD oil clearly has many benefits. But it is not a cure-all. Still, there will be those that market it as such and there will be those who will buy it as such. And that, is truly sad. Critical thinking is needed more than ever, especially at early stages of what many consider be a crazed gold rush.

 I hope what I’ve said resonates with you. I felt the need to make this statement. I was driving, and I was simply moved to speak. If you be an aspiring critical thinker, when asked to attend the seminar, join the program, start a business, ask critical thinking questions. Because you see, someone is making money. Someone might be making money and it is all above board, no fraud, no skirting the edge of legality. Yes, someone might be making money, but with regard to these types of schemes and programs, that someone is more than likely not going to be you. The Marijuana CBD craze is hot, but many of you my friends, are not. 

The Aspiring Critical Thinker/Writer/Innovator, D.S. Brown

THE URGENCY AND NEED FOR CRITICAL THINKING

In today’s rapidly changing environment everyone’s been talking about critical thinking. It’s been a topic of focus in business for some years now. Employers are making it a requirement, a trait that must be developed in its employees and highly valued in candidates.

It’s had its opportunities to become the latest buzz phrase. Thankfully, it has not, at least not so much. Still it seems everyone is slowly recognizing just how important it is, even if they’re not quite clear on what it is or what it really means at a given level of interaction and engagement. 

People driving projects, and employees working on those projects, as well as candidates seeking to be part of the team have come to realize the importance of critical thinking skills and are trying to figure out how to increase their ability to utilize this trait. They recognize the urgency and want to know how to satisfy the need.  

However, what is the urgency of critical thinking?  

We can answer this question by actually utilizing critical thinking skills. Let’s start with what is critical thinking? Critical thinking is simply the act of evaluating and using rational judgment. This is a bare bones simple definition that most appropriately satisfies the first critical question, what is critical thinking. Understand, by nature we don’t consistently evaluate things using rational judgment. It’s at the core of what makes us human. 

Who does critical thinking apply to and who uses it? Well, to put it quite frankly it applies to every living person on the planet. Consider my perspective, we should think about our interactions with others, the relationships we develop, the perspectives of others who are thinking about things just as earnestly and passionately. In this sense it applies to all of us by degrees. If we could learn to cultivate it as a skill it would definitely improve those interactions, those relationships, the manner in which every living person on the planet is connected.  

Who uses it? Those who have made critical thinking a way of life, in addition to those who must use it in their given field of study. However, what must be made clear, as stated before, is that all of us must endeavor to develop critical thinking as a skill. 

When must we apply critical thinking? In my humble opinion there is no situation when critical thinking should not be applied. However, as we are emotional beings who find great value and pleasure in just vegetating, being lackadaisical, just sitting, we must accept the fact that we are not robots. We need downtime. However, the skill must be applied in degrees, and when it comes to problem solving on the job or at home it is an absolute must.

There are men who act like boys, women who act like girls, officials who act like playground bullies and petulant malcontents, professionals who act like amateurs, people who simply don’t know what to do, when to do it, why they are doing it, how it can be accomplished, who is affected, and where if applied it will be most effective.  And unfortunately, too many people are the people I just described, be it in the realms of politics, religion, the home, or on the job.  

With this understanding, we see why critical thinking is so urgent, so incredibly important. Common sense has seemingly become a forgotten art form, respect is missing, accountability is gone. And as these factors have vanished, with the rise in the urgency of critical thinking we find many people claiming to be critical thinkers, claiming to apply common sense, outright lying about accountability and making a show of responsibility, leaving us wondering, who can we trust? 

Yes, we can see why there is an incredible urgency, a real and true need for the rise of critical thinking skills. 

To round out the previous critical question it is clear that after we know what critical thinking is, who uses it and who needs it, as well as when we must apply it, we can plainly see that it must be applied everywhere. Everywhere is where we need it. 

The how of its use requires the sincere increase of critical cognition as a contagion, a metaphorical meme virus of accountability, deep thinking, and perspective, a continuous exercising of the mind, just as much as we exercise our bodies. The why of this urgent need is simple and plain. 

However, to be true and sincere I tell you now that we are well below the threshold of true critical thinking in this nation, or rather the entire planet.  We may recognize the urgent need, but only when we truly begin to embrace critical cognition and exercise the mind free of restraint but still bound by morality and abiding passion will we truly begin to think critically. 

And as sure as my name is the name of my mother and father and my bond is my handshake and the integrity of my word, I tell you now you will know another critical thinker when you see in them the hallmark. 

And what is the hallmark of the true Critical Thinker?  It is the sincere ability to seek to internalize and understand the perspective of others, most especially when that perspective is diametrically or even violently opposed to your own. 

Experiencing this and seeing it in another clarifies who we can trust, builds on urgency, prompts us to act with a diversity of thought, an intention of inclusiveness, a drive in positive conflict, a means to close the divide and the power of passionate purpose. Consider all this critically.

The Aspiring Critical Thinker, Writer, Innovator, D.S. Brown

Conflict is Critical to Good Product Development

You are in the middle of an argument on how to proceed. Maybe it’s an argument on what a requirement means, or what the customer actually meant. Or maybe it’s an argument over how to execute the project, Agile vs a Waterfall methodology. Whatever the argument is you now find yourself in conflict. The question always, is how will you, feeling caught in the middle and wanting to do the right thing, manage this conflict? 

Over the years in my role as a leader in software development I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many trends, processes, ways of doing things. I’ve often thought to myself about how we build products and the difficult challenges we face in the process. One of the most mis-understood parts of the development process is the role conflict plays, the good of it as well as the bad. 

Let’s make it clear from the start, unlike greed, conflict is good. The critical point to consider is that conflict can come in two flavors, good or bad, positive or negative. Which type of conflict you engage in will determine whether you’re building good product with all the variations being considered, or if you’re building bad product, with little to no compromise, diversity of thought, or dimensionalized consideration with regard to what the customer wants. In fact, truth be told if you’re engaging in deep negative conflict odds are you’re not going to build anything at all, at least not anything any customer would truly want. 

Let’s remember the hallmark of the critical thinker. The hallmark of the critical thinker is the sincere ability to internalize the perspective of others, most especially when that perspective is diametrically or even violently opposed to your own. 

What does this mean? It means you may really not like the way Robert thinks, talks, much of anything that you sometimes think of as spewing out of Robert’s mouth. However, if you be an always aspiring critical thinker you know you owe it to the process and to the customer to truly step into Robert’s mental framework, see from his perspective, and ask yourself the critical thinker’s everyday simple questions.

Why is Robert saying what he is saying? Are we both clear on What we are trying to produce? When is always a critical factor on How we do our work, is this a challenge between us? Are we both clear on Who should be working on this product and are we both on the same page regarding Who we are delivering to? Where are we doing this work? Are we in agreement on the environment as well as all the players critical to this What? 

Note that such questions will always require you to lean into discomfort and check yourself for negativity. Leave your attitude at the door and see if you can truly find common ground with whomever you’re diametrically opposed. 

The conflict you’re engaged in can either be an opportunity for positive engagement and a point from which you both grow and together implement a powerful solution. Or, it can be an opportunity for negativity, and though you may deliver something, the broken and flayed body parts will tell the tale of horrid execution and deadlines that were literally hit through much pain and discomfort. With morale low and ideas dwindling each successive milestone reached through the prism of negative conflict will only build a house of cards that at some point, will all fall down. 

As we build ever more increasingly complex systems and products that require more and more people to contribute real ideas and innovation it becomes ever more imperative that we ask each other those simple critical thinking questions and embrace the different diverse and divergent perspectives that come to light. Though those differing perspectives may create conflict, if we remain positive in intent we can freely say that it is a good thing. Through positive conflict, we can achieve more. We just have to commit to understanding each other, commit to accepting varying perspectives, and thereby commit to engaging in positive conflict.  

The Aspiring Critical Thinker/Writer/Innovator, D.S. Brown

LET'S START A JOURNEY TOWARDS CRITICAL SUCCESS

I’ve started this journey more times than I can count. Instead of serial entrepreneur I often categorize myself as a serial failure, even if others look at what I have done and view the results differently. When weighing success against failure the perspective that matters most is your own. Only you can manage your satisfaction. Only you can adjust your plan and act as you must, whether it is to resign yourself to failure and fail down, which is fall down. Or, grasp hold of the lesson and fail up, no matter how charged with punishment the scroll. 

Failure and I are intimate and though I have a deep abiding hate for failure, its lessons are never lost on me. And just as the quote above from Colin Davis reminds me, I know with certainty that the road to success and the road to failure are almost the same, if not often enough they are exactly the same. Same damn road with potholes, rocks, boulders, and roadblocks of burden. Yes, they are the same road. 

However, again failure is what we make of it, and with the appropriate tools and the right mindset we can harness the power of failure and make it our very own critical success. That, is the journey I want to start with whomever is willing to come with.

Let us embark on a journey towards critical success. Together, we can find that which we truly seek, not the floss and flash of materialism but rather whatever that thing is deep down inside that we know we are willing to sweat for, to bleed for, to damn near die for.

What is that thing we know we need, not believe we need? What is the thing we discern through the sincere application of critical thinking skills that brings clarity and satisfaction to our lives? What is the real thing that will make us smile? What is the thing that we know we can be happy with, live with, and be satisfied when we die that we have achieved? What is our true Critical Success?

The Aspiring Critical Thinker/Writer/Innovator, D.S. Brown

AND SO I DID NOT VOTE ... HERE'S WHY

First, out the gate let’s clear up the title of the post. It’s an attention grabber, not my personal action. Not only did I vote, but I voted early, carefully, with critical cognition and a sincere regard for both perspectives. As I have said and will continue to say we must ALL vote, and vote with an ever-aspiring critical thinking mind. 

And vote in this manner is exactly what I did, following my own process of 3FE: Find, Focus, establish the Fundamentals, Execute. I followed the process with a regard for first myself, then my family, then my community, my town, city, state, and nation. That is the 3FE critical thinker’s process, and I adhered to it. 

Now, to be sure I was visibly shaken by the election’s outcome, but I rationalized the results and looked only at the facts, pushing back any negative emotions. I understand just how deeply divided our nation is, how daunting it is to cross the ideological divide. However, to still see so many of my fellow Americans stay aligned with the Trump agenda was for me very disappointing. It speaks loudly to tribalism, identity politics, me-first culture, compassionless perspective, and plain outright fear, which when stoked appropriately can descend into outright racism and actions antithetical to the uplift of humans in a descent and dare I say it Christian capacity. Truly, what would Jesus do? 

The facts of the situation exposed a flaw in the Critical Thinker’s approach to voting. However, that is not the focus of this post. It’s about those out there who still refuse to vote, those who stand proud as non-participants in the process. It’s about those who refuse to exercise the franchise. 

I felt compelled to write this after seeing a post about people jumping on Keri Hilson for voicing her frustration with non-voters. In searching for a good image I found a blog article by Jay Alan detailing his reasons for not voting in 2016. The image I’m using is the same one he used. After reading his article I felt the need to respond, but as ever respond with a mind for perspective and a desire to close the divide, to find common ground, because that is what ever-aspiring critical thinkers are supposed to do. 

In Jay’s article (link at end of this article) his primary complaint is people telling him he does not have a right to complain about the government and its elected officials if he did not vote. He’s absolutely right. He definitely has the right to complain. In fact my hope would be that his complaining and posting would be loud enough to draw positively engaging people with counterpoints. Of course, given our online culture any dialogue would probably attract far more negative people and the discussion would descend into ad-hominem attacks and trolling. We have to move beyond this type of combative online convo. We have to aspire to be better. 

As I read the rest of Jay’s article I had to smile. To me, the solution is a simple matter of continued thought and consideration, a desire to do something, anything to make things better, no matter how small.  Primarily Jay’s article is actually a powerful treatise on why everyone that can should exercise the franchise, complete with horrifying pictures of a future apocalypse through rising despotism in a fascist regime. It’s almost funny.  

He says it himself, nothing’s changing, things are getting no better. Logically, literally logically, things do not get better when doing nothing results in nothing being done. Deepen the logic. Inaction can have a positive result if the variables of the situation tend towards better outcomes, that is if one does not act upon the situation. Sometimes leaving something alone can make it better, or allow it to heal. However, examine our politics through the same lens. Inaction upon our polity does not move politicians, or the policies they enact. People live in push and pull. If we do neither, then our desired outcome has little to no chance of occurring. In his article he clearly wants things to get better. This will not happen if he does not participate in the process.

The same applies to those that are attacking Keri Hilson. Online I saw people talking about how she hasn’t had a song in ten years, so she needs to take several seats or something. One has nothing to do with the other, more ad-hominem attacks. 

I saw one guy say he puts his faith in God and does good work in the community through education and helping kids, and that his vote is a waste of time and energy. He says that all his faith and energy in God will win the day. I’m sorry to say, this man clearly does not understand the way his world works. Living in the world you believe in, carries great value. I will never fault a person for their belief in God. 

However, it has become abundantly clear to me that God truly helps those who help themselves. And in this world, if you would have a positive impact on children and the educational system then you must do all you can to penetrate the politics of education. This man clearly does not understand how his tax dollars are allocated, why they are allocated the way they are allocated, and how that school superintendent who he refused to vote for or against has a direct impact on just how much money is available to do good work for schools in his community.

It’s simple really. Either you participate and help change things or you don’t. If things aren’t to your liking, and you don’t participate, then yes you are free to complain. Just excuse the rest of us if we decide to tune you out. The best of us will wait for you to stop complaining, and then we’ll try to get you to participate. 

But look, you can’t be mad at those of us who call you all kinds of names and say you are disgracing your ancestors. You may think you aren’t, but you are. If you are American-African then your ancestors died in numbers so you could exercise the franchise. Make no mistake, you are disgracing them. However, this is America, you are free to do so. 

A final note on the flaw in my logic. I always ask that you start the voting process by considering yourself. My failure in that logic is my propensity to engage in the platinum rule as I consider myself and expand my perspective to my fellow Americans. 

The platinum rule supersedes the golden rule in that it demands that you treat others how THEY want to be treated over how you want to be treated. What does this mean? This means if I am a white voter I have to take a pause and even if I’m afraid that black and brown people are overrunning my country I should let go of the negative emotions that FOX news creates in me. 

I should think about what I really may know, or even look it up, that people of color have and continue to suffer in vast numbers and they just want to be treated fairly. I have to think that the health care I derided because somehow it just didn’t feel right, maybe because of where I thought the idea came from, is now actually helping my friend’s mother survive cancer. 

If I’m a voter of color I should think very carefully about my desire to want to be part of a class that I consider above my station, that my desire to so strongly be seen by others as on their side can possibly cloud my thinking and my perspective, that my desire to get off of a perceived plantation will result in an outcome, but is it the one I and my family truly need? I must consider it critically. 

As we vote, and hopefully vote with a critical thinking mind, once we begin the activity of vetting the candidate, perhaps we start first with what that candidate’s policy positions will mean for our fellow citizens of different ethnicities, gender, and sexual orientation. Indeed, given my belief in doing good, I would ask what would Jesus truly do? 

Consider all this critically, and truly be good to yourselves, and each other. 

Jay Alan’s Article: http://bit.ly/JayAlanArticle

CRITICAL THINKER'S VOTE

I have a ballot. I have the will. I have the right. I will exercise the franchise. However, before I vote, I absolutely must do my critical thinker’s exercise. I will use 3FE, The Tool For Motivational Empowerment in order to effectively validate the decisions I make, who I will vote for, and why. 

Listen, many of you have no time, none at all; none for dinner with children, none for activities that enhance your life as well as your kids’ lives, none for community celebration, none for life enrichment. Many of you have time to live, and that’s about it. That … is a real problem. Why does this matter? It matters because public policy, laws and statutes determine how tax dollars are spent where you live, and whether or not those dollars will allow you to improve your situation, find the time to better yourself like so many ideological folks say you must, and thereby grow to not just live, but live appropriately, live well, thrive, and contribute to the society in which you live. 

How? By having the time to come home and sit with your children, love on them, and inspire them to be more, whether it is you and your spouse, or just you. It all matters. Is the person you’re voting for in your community truly committed to uplifting you and yours? If the person says yes, then what is the plan, where is the proof? 

Before I go into my 3FE example of how to vote, let me give you the lay of the land in Georgia. By percentage an estimate of the Georgia population is 59% White or various American-European, 30% Black or American-African, or various African-American, 8% Hispanic or various American-Latino, 3% American-Asian, 4% other. Take that 59% American-European and acknowledge that a percentage of them will vote Democrat. 

Now, pause and think about the gerrymandering process. If you don’t know, this is the process where the party in power gets to define the borders of a given voting district. The winning party usually uses this process to maximize their ability to retain power. It was a horribly stupid and asinine idea that has persisted to the advantage of both parties, and to the detriment of American citizens. When you consider how the population is shifting, you can begin to understand why elections matter so much to both sides of the ideological divide. However, we can still cut through the ideology if we stick to critical thinking and no small amount of compassion.

If you would vote Democrat, then the possibility should be as plain as the nose on your face. That the state of Georgia is not Red, it’s not even Purple. No, to be quite honest it’s actually Blue. And in this understanding you find the truth of gerrymandering and voter suppression laws. It’s all about power and identity politics. 

Know the truth and then shut it down. Be about the business of voting. 

In our 3FE voting exercise for the sake of simplicity I’m only going to use one position, two candidates, a proposed Georgia Constitutional Amendment, and a Special Election Item. However, please bear in mind you should do this exercise for every item listed on the ballot. Know that critical thinking is more fundamental than just reading, and we all know reading is fundamental. 

Find: Candidates for Governor of Georgia – Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp, Ted Metz.

Focus:

Stacey Abrams 

·       Documentation of stated Platform 

Brian Kemp

·       No documentation of stated Platform – bullets, talking points, and quotes

Ted Metz

·       In my study of Libertarianism I have found it antithetical to an expansive and divergent society so therefore must rule Ted Metz out as humans in the aggregate cannot behave as libertarians. This is my opinion.   

Fundamentals:In assessing the two remaining candidates Kemp has violated one of my primary principles as a critical thinker. In general he has a 4-point plan of bullets and talking points. He has no real stated plan. At least he has not posted it, again a violation. In particular I believe in Health Care as a human right. The core of Abrams’s plan includes the expansion of Medicaid, ending the decision to leave millions of federal dollars for healthcare on the table because of ideology. Kemp states no way to pay for his bullets. When it comes to support in healthcare let me just say I make a lot of money and still cannot take care of my special needs sister without the help of government. This is not an evil thing. It’s what happens in a society where we are committed to caring for one another. For this point alone … the plan is to vote for Stacey Abrams.

Honorable mention on the Fundamentals is the fact that Kemp has played fast and loose with the politics of our state and voting rights. He remains in charge of voting as the Secretary of State and legally if not immorally pushed voter suppression by exercising laws that were passed specifically to disenfranchise people who may vote democrat. In particular he disenfranchised people who look like me, Black people.  This isn’t business, this isn’t just politics. This is personal.

Execute:Vote for Stacey Abrams on November 6th. 

Find:Proposed Constitutional Amendments – Provides rights for victims of crime in the judicial process. 

Focus:The amendment is called Marcy’s law. Apprarently this law is being promoted by a billionaire who lost his sister to violence. His money is why from state to state the law has seen success and been passed. The commercials in Georgia are powerfully compelling and have the touch of master marketers doing what they do best, convincing you to do something with little or no thought, just like you constantly purchase things you don’t need because of a hot commercial. The commercials do not tell you that victim laws are already on the books that do exactly what Marcy’s law seeks to address. If I consider that it might be good to have some overload on laws that already exist I have to consider the power of an amendment change, and what that means. A constitutional amendment is expensive, though when it comes to victims money is not core to the equation. However, any change to the amendment would require a special election. The same applies if we would want to remove it. The best information we can find to gauge the law is what has happened in other states. The truth is sobering. Some states have spent millions to implement the redundant law. However, my major concern and fear is the accused right to due process, emphasized NOT at the expense of the victim. As a person of color the thought that one may be accused of a crime and held in jail for an extended amount of time as guilty until proven innocent is terrifying and can have devastating effects on a person’s life should he/she be proven innocent.  This in no way diminishes my compassion and concern for the victims. What it does In my personal opinion is clarify that the origin of this effort was borne of hurt and pain and in many instances some redress must be established. However, there are still too many issues with the proposal for me to vote for such an amendment with confidence. I need more. However, I am certain that powerful marketing will accomplish its goal and Marcy’s law will become a Georgia Constitutional Amendment. Both candidates for governor support the law. My hope is that my concerns will amount to nothing, and that the amendment will do what it truly intends, and that’s protect victims. 

Fundamentals:In assessing Marcy’s Law I cannot vote yes on something as essential as a Constitutional Amendment. The plan is to vote no.

Execute:Vote No on Marcy’s law on November 6th. 

Find:Special Election – Earlier Sunday Sales Referendum. 

Focus:Basically this is about allowing us good folks in Georgia who enjoy a nice cocktail or a straight shot of rye or even moonshine on a Sunday to do what we please. This is something I know many of us can agree on. It don’t take a lot of critical thinking. 

Fundamentals:I like a good drink so the plan is to vote yes. 

Execute:Vote yes on the referendum on November 6th so I can have a drink earlier on Sunday and no law will curtail my ability to purchase alcohol I so choose on Sunday.

Something you will note if you take the time to go through this exercise, even at a cursory level, you will find a great deal of common ground, areas where the parties should be able to compromise if not for the destructive nature of identity politics and scorched Earth partisanship. Consider this, and share it with your elected officials. Those of us that are reasonable, on either side of the ideological divide must force our officials back to the table of compromise. 

The best solutions are always derived from diversity. Yes, diversity, diversity of thought, which is borne of experience, which can mean country of origin, education, any number of things, which when utilized in positive conflict in the confluence of ideas most often produces a superior solution, refined in the crucible of perspective, different ideas and different points of view in a powerful give and take dialogue, providing the best outcome. Consider all this critically.

 And of course, be good to yourselves, and each other. 

YES, IN NOVEMBER 2018, WE MUST REMEMBER THE VOTE

Have you already started voting? Have you waited in line? Have you stood as constituents, arrayed as a solid force of Red or Blue, molded in your gerrymandered district? Have you stood brave amongst your ideological opposite, the lone blue in a sea of red, the brave red in a sea of blue? Have you voted? If you have, congratulations on exercising the franchise. I can only hope you have done what’s right given the candidate running and the prevailing issues of today’s America. 

If you have voted I hope you voted with a critical thinking mind and a compassionate heart. I say be compassionate as you vote because it matters. Compassion elevates our humanity, and makes us considerate as our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. There is far too little compassion in our national discourse. I say think with a critical thinking mind because I have said critical thinking is the balm for what ails us. We must all strive to be critical thinkers. We must all strive to elevate our politics. We must all strive to build a more cohesive polity, which realize the power of us all being together, being in it to build better, together. 

If you haven’t voted, then I will show you an example of how I believe it must be done. It takes time. It requires some work. However, now more than ever before I think we must truly again treat the franchise at the powerful and highly valued commodity that it is. The franchise is the root of American freedom. The franchise drives the soul of our nation. The franchise defines the course of the generation. The franchise informs the era, and highlights who we are, what we believe, and how we behave. Yes, it is just that important. That is why women marched for it. That is why women were jailed for it. That is why women were tortured for it. That’s why people of color hung for it. That’s why people of color were beaten for it. That is why people of color were shot down in the street for it, cold and compassionless as less-than beings more akin to beasts of property than beings of dignity, upright and deserving as any white man lacking melanin. 

Please take a moment to review the post on how to use 3FE to vote tomorrow I think you will find it illuminating, at least I hope you do. Consider it critically. And remember, be kind to yourselves, and each other. 

AMERICANS MUST VOTE

I was asked why I don’t post on politics anymore. The thought was that I did have an impact. My response was that it is entirely too time consuming with no real ROI, Return On Investment. Despite any impact my words may have had I found it fruitless to dive deep into the ideological divide and the swamp of identity politics with facts, point and perspective, going back and forth with people who choose their sides and speak loudly from their own echo chambers. People choose their sides and then choose to not listen.

Plus, the bottom line as that the mediums on which we post are profit centers specifically engineered to consume our time, hold our attention, and drive us to consumption, while locking us endlessly into the platform. We lose our ability to engage in the real world when we spend an inordinate amount of time engaging in the virtual, such that it is. 

So, the discussion pivoted to what could I do, what would I do, if there were still a few people who might listen? That answer through introspection and focus became simple. There is value in engaging on online platforms, from using them for fun, social responsibility, profit making, to education. All these apply in the aggregate as well as for the individual. I believe my value can be found in sharing what I’ve learned and how I have decided to proceed in all my endeavors, including my politics.  

With that in mind, with regard to the upcoming election I would say each of you spread the word that there is a day of responsibility fast approaching. I would ask that you think deeply about the responsibility of the franchise, and how in all the world the experiment that is the American right to vote is perhaps the best, most stable example of the voting process. 

I would say you are not living up to your responsibility as a citizen of this country if you do not exercise the franchise. I would say that in America you are free, though that freedom is complex, fraught with flaws and failures, it is still yours, and if you would protect it, seek to correct it, evolve it for the better, then it is demanded of you that you act, that you exercise the franchise. You must vote.  

And finally, in keeping with all that I am pushing, more so with focus than I have before, I would ask that we embrace critical thinking, for it is the balm for that which ails us. Only critical thinking can free us from our echo chambers. Only real critical thinking can allow us to overcome our hardwiring for ideology and identity politics, only the questions of the critical thinking mind can drive us to see each other as human, that we are all Americans, and that we must take a breath, and realize that when we start by seeing each other as evil with no hope of redemption, then the prospect of all of us living free as we see fit is doomed from the start. 

In voting, I would ask that you use 3FE: Find, Focus, establish your Fundamental Plan, and Execute. Find the details about your candidates. Who are you voting for? Why are you voting for them? What have they done to earn your vote? When have they earned your vote, on what issues, and are they consistent? How have they earned your vote? Where are they active in what they do? Ask the critical questions. 

Focus on the questions freeing yourself from the identity politics as you ask. Let go of group-think. Cast it out. Toss it away. The critical thinkers voting process is thus:

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for you. 

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for your family. 

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for your community. 

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for your town or city.

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for your state. 

-       Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for your country. 

-      Consider the candidate in terms of what they have done and what they say they can do for the world. 

Have you been to the candidate’s website? Have you read their platform? Do you know what a platform is? Again, an informed electorate is a powerful electorate. Each of us must hold each other up and support each other on the facts. Does the candidate note have a platform? Do they just have videos and no written words? If they do not write, or cannot write, or won’t make time to write what they have done and what they will do then as a critical thinker you must question their ability to lead.  What role are they seeking to fill? Think about that role and apply it to the questions above. 

Even if the candidate is running for a local council seat, ask those questions. Think about what the future might be like if the candidate seeks higher office. Consider their intelligence, their temperament, their character. DON’T CONSIDER THE PARTY, consider the person. In these times most candidates will fall in line with their party, but it is incumbent upon you as the critical thinker that asks the right questions to demand that your candidate only embrace and follow the party when it will help their constituency and buck the party when it will not, BE A MAVERICK WHEN IT IS REQUIRED, no matter the threats they may receive from party leadership. These are the kind of politicians we need. 

 Consider those questions before you vote. Look at the ballot in your precinct. Then, plan who you are going to vote for in each position. Then, on election day, execute.  Vote, and be proud of having voted, with the consideration and understanding of why you voted the way did. 

Georgia Sample Ballot: http://bit.ly/GAsampleballot

And always, always remember the hallmark of the critical thinker as you exercise the franchise. It will help you disavow the pervasive power of identity politics that clouds all of our minds and prevents us from thinking for ourselves.  The hallmark of the critical thinker is the sincere ability to seek to understand and internalize the perspectives of others, most especially when that perspective is diametrically, or even violently opposed to our own. 

Consider it critically. Vote! 

WE NEED YOU TO BE A CRITICAL THINKING LEADER

Every person a leader. 

Yes, every person must be a leader.  I firmly believe this must be true.  It is a question of accountability, trust, efficiency, passion, achieving the objective, and even life.  Yes, all these things are tied together under leadership.  Now, some of you think I’m wrong.  Some people must be followers.  Let me dispel you of this and clarify how every person is a leader and we must all learn to be better leaders.

Followers must decide to be led.  It is a matter of choice.  This is powerful and goes straight to the heart of my supposition.  If you choose to allow someone to be your leader then you are exercising personal leadership over yourself.  This is no trite thing.  It is real.  It is serious.  Even in the most dire of circumstances, we have the power to choose.  Know this to be true.

And choice, the power it represents, and how it is wielded is core to the premise of a critical thinking leader.  

With choice we decide whether or not we will be a leader of others.  With choice we decide whether or not we will be led.  If we do actively choose then by embracing the power of critical thinking we harness this ability to choose and learn to use it more effectively. 

What we choose, when we choose, how we choose, where we choose, who we choose, and why we choose are critically important facets in exercising the critical thinking mind in order to make more informed, better choices. The critical thinking leader understands this implicitly, is always aware of it, and uses it effectively.

What does the critical thinking leader look like?

First let us remember that the hallmark of a critical thinker is the sincere ability to consider and internalize the perspectives of others, most especially when that perspective is diametrically or even violently opposed to their own.

The hallmark is the testament of a powerful mind, someone that may be passionate but has the ability to channel passion and regulate rampant emotion, to leverage feelings and drive them as opposed to being driven by them.  In order to be a critical thinking leader a person must stand ready to feel outrageous anger in the face of desperate failure, but manage that anger.  They must know how to effectively manage failure, and grow from it.  Do they choose to fail up or fail flat, or even worse fail to a fall, and eventual surrender. 

And there’s that word again, choice, exercising the power to choose, the power of choice.

If you would be on a high performance team, exercising innovation and choose to lead others or/and be led in turn, given the context of the situation, then if you would be the best you could be you must commit to being a critical thinking leader either of others, or yourself.  You must be able to question without rancor or intimidation.  You must not use your power of choice as a weapon, or tool to do damage, but rather as an enabler, empowering you to better collaborate, integrate, discern, resolve, and of course most importantly choose.  You must be a person that can choose to build, to create, to innovate, motivate, inspire, a person that uses the incredible power of a critical thinking mind in order to elevate and leverage the opportunities that will arise as a result of being able to choose effectively.

Consider this critically.

The Aspiring Critical Thinker/Writer/Innovator,
D.S. Brown

WELCOME TO MY WORLD

Let’s Get Started

I’ve done a number of things, engaged in a multitude of opportunities.  I’ve wanted, desired, coveted, reached for aggressively, or planned methodically.  I have time again met with success, and lots and lots of failure.

However, if there is one thing of which I can be sure, it is that this is simply the state of being.  Success and failure comes with trying. If you do not try, you cannot succeed.  And though you may experience so much failure, failure that runs so deep as to cut you low, drown you with despair, force you to the quitting line, I say to you now that if you truly believe you were meant to do something more, something different, something better, then you cannot quit.  You must dust yourself off, pick yourself up, and get started … again.

This is where I find myself, and I know I am not alone. What makes it different this time? Nothing, I honestly don’t know if it’s going to be different.  What I do know is that I have tried, and tried again, and that with each success I have grown, and learned to not celebrate too much, or rest on my laurels.  With each failure (and I have had ALOT more failures) I have learned, and learned, and learned, and grown wiser in the failing.

As I launch out again I am taking the total sum of all I have attempted, all I have learned, all my failures and all my success, combining them in a concise set of projects designed to make 2016 a year of pivotal change.  I am actually using what I have taught for years to the best of my ability, pushing to expand my limits by extensively utilizing my capabilities.

I always tell my teams we do the best we can within the parameters provided.  This year, we push out the parameters and break them down.

So, with that understanding I get started.  However, my hope is I will not get started alone.  What I have produced is meant to be shared.  What I have invented is meant to foster hope, energy, fun.  What I have written is meant to elevate, inspire, motivate. 

I love people, and my sincerest desire is to be for everyone I meet, a PRIME MOTIVATOR; that in so doing I realize my own critical success, fulfilling a little something in others and seeing it reflected in myself. 

Onward and upward in 2016 my fellow aspiring critical thinkers!

The Aspiring Critical Thinker/Writer/Innovator,
D.S. Brown