Monday, August 25, 2008
Letters to God 6
Before you strike me down for writing the Devil, please hear me out. I apologize; I turned my back on you when I should have talked to you in the beginning. I thought about some of the things that I said to the Devil concerning you and realized that I am the reason why my life is what it is. Everyone gets one life, and its up to us what we do with it. God, its just that I sometimes get so caught up in living that I neglect the beauty of life. I woke up the other day I realized something so majestic, so sublime, that I almost broke into tears. I realized that it was a new day. As long as I am I living, there will always be a new day. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know it’s not predetermined. Nothing is the same; everything is new.
I realized that my new day may be similar to my old day, but there will always be something new and different about it. I woke up this morning and realized that I didn’t get up the exact way I got up the day before. The day before I woke up and yawned, but today I woke up and begin to sneeze. The day before I went directly to the bathroom after leaving my bed, but today I had to go outside because I needed close the window on my car since it was about to rain. The day before, I took my normal route to work because there was little traffic, but today I had to take an alternative route because there was a major accident on the freeway. Now these events may seem minor to most people, but they truly made realize that life is never the same. One minute you are up and the next minute you are down. That’s just the name of the game. Who’s to say that you will not go up again?
God, I have many questions for you concerning life, but if you answered them all what would be the point of living. I guess it is not always a bad thing not knowing an answer to a question. I guess that’s why illusionists and magicians are so popular in this world; they are able to perform an activity that leaves us questioning how it was done. Once we understand how an illusion was accomplished, the trick is no longer of any interest to us. Maybe if we understood everything of this world, and everything about you, we would lose interest in you too. God, there is a lot about you and this world that I may never understand, but I think life will continue to be interesting trying to figure it out.
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Letters to God 5
What up son? My name is Robert. This is my first time writing to you. I usually write to God when I have a question but I decided to write to you to get your take on a couple of things. For starters, what the hell is going on down there—no pun intended? Is it as hot as people say it is? Are you as bad as people say you are? What’s up with you and God; are you just the biggest hater of all-time, or just really, really misunderstood? My true reason for writing you today is because some humans believe that life on earth is just as bad life where you live—the funny thing about it is that I may agree with them.
Up here on earth, people go through all kinds of shit. People are dying, starving, homeless, hungry, poor, depressed, sick, being murdered, being raped, sad, lonely, etc, etc, etc. Most people blame you. They say that it is your fault why the world is the way it is today. Are you responsible for all this shit? If you are responsible, why do you have to be such an evil son-of-a-bitch? Why do you have to ruin people’s lives? Are you that damn bored that you have to mess up the only life that we get on this planet? According to the Christians, you were such a great guy. They said that you were one of God’s favorite angels, but then you did something stupid and was sent to hell for it. Now, other religions may have different views on how you got to hell, but I think everyone blames you for all of their misfortunes.
Why do you have to be so damn cruel? Why did you have to do what you did to Whitney Houston? Come on Devil, of all the people in the world, you had to ruin the life of one of our generations greatest singers. Was Macy Gray busy or something? I don’t think anyone cares if she thinks, “crack is wack”.
I know that you are responsible for the Jheri curl. Only an evil being could have invented a product so terrible. It plagued this country like a disease throughout the 1980’s. People were forced to sleep with shower caps on their heads, streets were cleaned more frequently due to the increased levels of oil, and most couches were usually destroyed due to Jheri curl activator stains. And while I’m on the subject of hair, I know you were the one behind the mullet. Come on, that one was just cruel. Oh, don’t think that I forgot about “Soul Plane”. Wow, if that movie didn’t set black people back 400 years I don’t know what did. Only a sick, twisted, individual would be inspired to create such a horrible movie. You are such an evil bastard to force people to make such a grotesque movie. It’s OK, because I saw it on bootleg and I didn’t spend a dime to see it. HAHAHA. I guess I won that time.
Seriously, life is hell and I’m getting rather tired of it. I think I want to kill myself. I would have talked to God about this situation, but I already know how he feels about suicide. I truly want to do it and I don’t want him to change my mind. If I kill myself, I am going to Hell anyways so I just wanted to know if it is as bad as my life here on earth. I may lose my job soon due to budget cuts, and I believe that my position is in jeopardy of being the first eliminated. My girlfriend just informed me that she was leaving me for my best friend—aint that some shit. Maybe I deserve that for all of the things I have put her through during our relationship. I recently found out that my father has been diagnosed with cancer and he will be undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
I hate this shit. What am I thinking? I am not about to kill myself. Who cares about my job? After all the time and effort I put in that company and now they want to get rid of me. Maybe I will go up there with my friends Smith and Wesson and give them a real reason to fire me. As for my girlfriend, I hope her and my former best friend die in a horrible car accident together. I admit it, I haven’t been the best boyfriend of all time, but she did not have to do me the way she did. And why should I give a damn about my father? He never gave a damn about his family or me. He is the reason why my mother left us to be with another man. He treated her like a dog. Now that I think about it, you are not the reason for my life being this way, it’s God’s fault. He created you, me and everything else in this world. I don’t need to talk to you anymore. I know whom I need to talk to.
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
P.S.
Tell Biggie and 2pac I said “What up niggas”.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Letters to God 4
Hello God,
All right, I have a question for you. Is it wrong for me to assume a black male, between the ages of twenty-five and thirty, who is wearing a watch and a necklace permeated with diamonds, wearing a white T-shirt and baggy pants, driving a Rolls Royce Phantom with twenty-four inch rims, that he is either a rapper, drug dealer, or an athlete? Better question, is it wrong for me to become angry with a group of white people for feeling the same way I do? God, he could have easily been a high profile attorney who was hungry on his day off from work right? That makes perfect sense. Oh hell, let me stop fooling myself, that nigga was a rapper, drug dealer or an athlete.
OK, let me explain why I asked the question. The other day I went to McDonald’s to get a bite to eat. I parked right next to this beautiful Rolls Royce Phantom. It was gorgeous. As I entered the restaurant, I saw a family of white people and a young black man waiting in line to place their orders. As I got in line to order, I could overhear the white family’s conversation; they were talking about the Phantom. I heard one of the children say, “ Dad, it’s beautiful, do you know how much it costs?” The father responded, “ I’m not sure, maybe about $400,000”. Based on their conversation, I could clearly see that the car did not belong to them. The only other customer in the restaurant, besides myself, was the young black man at the register. He was kind of husky and was wearing enough diamonds to blind a blind man. He had to be the owner of the car. The first thing that came to my mind was “This guy is either a rapper, drug dealer, or an athlete.” I felt bad for thinking that way but I knew it was true. After the man got his food, he exited the restaurant, got in the Phantom and drove off.
As he left the restaurant, I clearly overheard the father of the family say, “I think he is a football player”. One of the children responded, “No, I think he is a rapper”. I couldn’t believe what the hell I was hearing. I thought to myself “You racist assholes! How can you just assume he is a football player or a rapper? If he was a white man, you wouldn’t assume that shit”. But then I realized that I was just as guilty as they were since that was my assumption the minute I laid my eyes on him. Now God, that’s why I am writing you today; is it wrong to make an assumption about a person based on how they look or how they act?
God, in this country, everyone acts and looks a certain way based on where they are from and who they are. God, I’m from the hood and I grew up a certain way. My family is loud as hell; we cannot have a normal conversation. We like to act goofy all the time. Some would label us as “ghetto”. Ghetto is usually used to describe how a person looks, acts, or lives as it relates to poor black neighborhoods. For example, if a person wore a stocking cap on their head while wearing a baggy white T-shirt and jeans, this person would be considered “ghetto”. Also, if a person drove a 1987 Ford Pinto with twenty-inch rims, this person and car would be considered “ghetto”. Last, but not least, if a group of individuals were being extremely loud in public, this would also be considered “ghetto”. These examples are usually bestowed upon black people and have a negative connotation behind them. I guess it must be wrong to dress the way you would like to, accessorize your car the way you would like to, and to express yourself in the way you would like.
It’s funny God, because the people who use this term the most are “black” people. One black person will tell another black person, “Why are you so ghetto? Do you have to be ghetto all the time?” What the hell does that mean, God? I guess it means “Why are you so black? Do you have to be black all the time?” Well, hell yea, I have to be black all-the-time. Dammit! Now, this same black person will respond by saying “Being black is not being loud all the time, or acting a fool in public, or wearing a stocking cap on your head.” That same black person cannot give a clear definition of what being “black” truly is? Why? It is because the black individual in this country has no true culture. Everything about us only goes back 400 years. We don’t have a true history. We don’t have our own language, our own culture—we don’t even have our own food.
Blacks in this country started with nothing and did the best we could. Blacks are a passionate people. We put our soul into everything we do—that is something innate that some try to suppress by labeling it “ghetto”. The bad thing about it is that native Africans don’t teach us about our culture when they move to this country. They also label American blacks as ghetto, or lazy, or ignorant. I can’t stand bougey ass, white talking blacks that try to be white and those marathon-running fools who come this country. The only people they care about are themselves. It just makes me so upset that they don’t know shit about me, but have the nerve to label me as ghetto. Oh my bad God, I guess I also make assumptions about people that could be incorrect. I guess that’s not fair to do since you really can’t know too much about a person based on how they look and what they do.
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
P.S. Please respond soon because there are four big black dudes with hoodies on walking this way.
Letters to God 3
Hello Mr. God,
I stay fly, no lie, and you know it…BAAAAAAALIN!!!. God, Take that, take that, take that, take that, take that. Just kidding. What’s up God? It’s your boy Robert again. I know you’re wondering what ballin is, right? I don’t truly know the exact definition, but I can give you some examples. A person is probably ballin if they have lots of money. I don’t mean your average rich guy, but the individual who has so much money that they don’t know what to do with it—these people are usually awarded the title of a “Baller.” Ballers include people like rappers, singers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. These individuals make some serious cheese, God; they got it made. All my life I have been told that if I work hard and make lots of money, I can have the good life—a happy life.
The reason for me writing you today is because I don’t truly know that I am happy. God, I have a good job and I make a decent living, but I’m certainly not ballin. I own a house, drive a nice car, and I have a little extra money to spend but I’m not sure if I am happy. God, what the hell is happiness anyways? I actually decided to look the word up in the dictionary. Happiness is defined as a state of well-being or contentment. That definition really didn’t help me so I decided to look up the word contentment; contentment is defined as to limit oneself in requirements or actions. Wow, I thought that was very interesting so decided to look up the word limit. A limit is something that restrains or confines; a boundary. Now God, I could have looked up words indefinitely, but I got tired and didn’t feel like looking up any more words.
What do you think God? I guess those definitions must have some validity to them. God, am I limiting myself by settling for happiness? Am I putting boundaries in my life, which are preventing me from doing better things besides making money? I work very hard to make the amount of money I earn, but I have to put up with a lot of bullshit in order to do it. For example, my boss asked me if I wanted to go surfing with him and some coworkers the other day and I politely said no. He responded by saying “Come on Bob, be a team player and come surfing with us”. I wanted to say “For starters, my name aint Bob, its Robert bitch. And second, I don’t want to go surfing with you guys. What sane black man wants to put his ass on a board in the middle of the ocean so some shark can make a two-piece dinner out of him”? Instead, I went and damn near drowned. I had to go God. I didn’t attend four of the last events that I was invited to and this new “kiss ass” employee had become attached to my boss’ ass. I just didn’t want to lose my promotion, but unfortunately Mr. “Kiss Ass” got the promotion over me anyways.
God I was devastated; I didn’t get my promotion, I had succumbed to my boss’ demands, and I damn near lost a lung in the process. God, I want to do more with my life but I have to survive right? And I need money to do it. Survival is the name of the game down here —particularly for the misplaced natives of African. Blacks have been surviving since they boarded those infamous ships that landed on the coast of
Now God, I have never been a slave and I have not even been on a ship before, so I am not comparing my life to that of a slave, but I do think the black slave was a happier person than us blacks today. Is that crazy to say? God, do you think I lost it with that last statement? The reason I feel this way is because the black slave wanted something better than what he or she had at that time. I know there were slaves who were comfortable with their condition, but I truly think that most wanted something different. The proof is in the pudding. Slaves fought, killed, and died for their freedom. Some were even willing and some did leave
It seems to me that us blacks today are content with our present conditions. I think this started with the ending of segregation. During segregation, all blacks lived and functioned together. On one block, you would have a lawyer who lived next to a janitor, who lived next to a doctor, who lived next to a garbage man, who lived next to a thief, etc, etc, etc. The son of garbage man was able to see four black men all doing different jobs and was able to choose his future accordingly. When segregation ended, that same lawyer and doctor bounced like a bad check; they moved as close to the white man as possible and left the garbage man and the thief back in the neighborhood. As time went on, more and more lawyers and doctors moved out of the neighborhood and the number of thieves grew. Now, the son of the garbage man did not have too many choices to choose from and usually chose the life of a thief. He did this because he did not believe that he could live next to the white man working as a garbage man—I guess a garbage man wasn’t BAAAAAAALLLIN enough.
Now God, I know I’m just as guilty as the lawyer and the doctor. I went to a predominately black high school, but I graduated and attended a predominately white university. I just wanted to get a really good education and I didn’t feel that a black school could offer me that. In addition, as soon as I graduated, I moved up out of the hood to a predominately white suburban part of town. Shit, God, but I was tired of dodging bullets, having my shit stolen, and dealing with stupid ass niggas. Am I wrong for wanting better for myself? I worked hard to get where I am at and I was tired of niggas. Every time you try to have something nice, here come niggas to mess it up
How long are blacks going to use slavery as excuse for their behavior, God? Everyone has the ability to change his or her life for the better. I mean, how long will we continue to function in survival mode? God, I don’t know how blacks can settle for living in the hood. Don’t they want to be happy? Oh, my bad, that’s why I was writing you in the first place. I did everything that I was supposed to do and I’m not happy. Now I truly don’t know what being happy is. Is it striving for your best while suffering along the way, or is accepting life the way it is and being content with it?
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
P.S. Please respond soon because my boss wants me to go to a Bar Mitzvah. God, what is a Bar Mitzvah?
Letters to God 2
Hello Mr. God,
What it do baby? It’s your boy Robert again. How are things up there? How’s your Old Lady? Wait! Do you have an Old Lady? I hope not because they are a driving me crazy down here on Earth. God, you broke the mold when you made woman—especially when you made the Black woman. A black woman’s elegance and grace is beyond comparison—their eyes, their smile, their legs, and their hips are a sight to see. But God, these bitches got me going crazy down here. Oh snap, I have to stop calling these hoes bitches. Oh crap, I did it again. My bad, son. I guess I’m not supposed to call women hoes and bitches but that’s what most of my friends call them so I don’t see the big deal.
The reason for me writing you today is because I am ardently in love with women; I can’t get enough of them. Why is this God? Maybe it’s biological—it must be since us men would rather watch the game then listen to the superfluous information that oozes from their lips. God, I don’t currently have a girlfriend but a do date quite frequently. I have dated many different women: tall ones, short ones, thick ones, skinny ones, funny ones, boring ones; you name it and I’ve probably dated it. God, do you think that I have a problem since I cannot commit to a monogamous relationship? OK, I’ll stop lying to you since you know everything. I kinda have a girlfriend right now—OK, OK, OK I do have a girlfriend right now. I said it. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!!!
The reason why I lied earlier about not having a girlfriend is because I date other people while I am with her. I mean, I’m not married or anything so what’s the big deal God? I tried to be faithful, but being with one woman is difficult for me. God, I tried. I really, really, tried to be faithful, but things have changed since I have been in this relationship. In the beginning, everything was great, and I thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. As time went on, everything changed and our relationship suffered. I can’t believe that I’m about to admit this but she didn’t make me feel like a man anymore. Does that sound gay to you because it seems really gay to me?
Nothing made me feel better than knowing the fact that she couldn’t function without me. I think that she truly idolized me. I guess that made me feel like a man. Now, everything is different. It seems like she doesn’t even need me anymore. She is always running to her stank-ass girlfriends who couldn’t get or keep a man if they tried. My bad God, I am sounding kinda punkish right now. But God, what makes a man a man?
I began to cheat on my girlfriend because those girls would make me feel like a man for the time that I was with them. They actually showed interest in me again. They actually wanted ME God. I didn’t have to trick them into having sex—they actually wanted to. Oh snap, you weren’t supposed to know that I was having sex before marriage. Oh hell, you already know. I guess sleeping with different women made me feel more like a man. Oh yeah God, what makes a man a man?
Is a man defined by what he looks like? Or, is a man defined by what he does? Do I need to be feared in order to be a man, or do I need to be loved. Is a man defined by how big or how small his penis is? God I’m so confused. Wait, women know what defines a man. They are always insisting that they need a real man and they will know him when they find him. Maybe being popular defines a man because all the women at my college always went after those popular fraternity guys and those dumb athletes. Those same women at my college never gave your average Joe like me the time of day. I was smart and had a very good grade point average, but women never noticed me. Maybe having lots of money defines a man because women usually flock like sheep when they spot a man with money.
I don’t know what defines a man, but I do know that it is hard being one—especially a black one. The black man is feared in American. Everyday that I go to work I feel less and less like a man. For starters, I have to be very careful about what I say or do. I am always under the watchful eye of the overseer—I mean boss—and everything that I do is magnified. Usually, it’s just based on the fact that I’m the only black male in the office. God, it reminds me of my college days. I took a class my sophomore year that had nearly 200 students in it. People would be absent all the time and no one would even notice. I missed one day of class and the next day it seemed like everyone asked me why I didn’t attend class the previous day—even my damn professor. Aint that ‘bout a bitch. It just seems to me that everyone in this country is mindful of the black man.
Even the black man is mindful of the black man. God we have this thing called “being hard”. Being hard is basically showing little emotion—if any—while making others feel inferior to you in anyway you can. We tend to idolize individuals who are hard. These individuals usually include gang members, dope dealers, pimps, and others. They acquire their reputations by displaying their physical power over weaker individuals. Is this what a man is God? Do I need to make others feel inferior to me in order to feel like a man? I’m not sure because individuals in gangs acquire their power based on sheer numbers. Dope dealers acquire their power based on the physical and psychological affects their products have on people. And pimps usually acquire their power by preying on individuals who have been physically and psychologically abused. Check this out God, gang members, dope dealers and pimps are some of the most popular music stars of today—go figure.
I don’t know God, is this all just a product of my ego? Do I do things to satiate my ego? Please let me know.
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
P.S.
Thank you for listening to me. I truly appreciate—oh snap, that girl got a fat booty. God, I’ll talk to you later. Holla!!!
Letters to God 1
Hello Mr. God,
What’s the damn deal son? I’m sorry; I’m not allowed to use that type of language when I am speaking to you, right? How are you? I hope all is well up there. Tell Biggie and 2Pac I said “What up niggas.” Is it ok for me to say nigga? I mean, it’s not a curse word. By the way, what is a curse word? I'll get back to that later. The reason for me writing you today is because it’s time for me to choose my religion. I knew this day was coming but I did not realize how soon this day would arrive.
Before I begin, maybe I should tell you a little about myself. I am a twenty-five year old black male from
I live in America God, and this country is the
I mean this Christian religion is everywhere in this country and they love this Jesus guy. Families have pictures of him in their homes—this Jesus guy must be off the chain because I have seen him pictured as a white man, black man and a Hispanic man. One of the more popular fashions in this country is to wear a necklace with a small statue of him hanging from it. Oh snap, I forgot, “WWJD”. What is that you ask? God, it means “What Would Jesus Do” Its one their biggest catch phrases. Apparently, if you are about to do something you should ask yourself “What Would Jesus Do”. Tight huh? I thought so too.
God, I am really liking this Christian religion but it’s really confusing. First off, they have two main divisions: Catholics and Protestants. I don’t know too much about the Catholics but I do know that their leader is called a Pope. He wears this big hat—between you and me God, I think they need to rethink that hat thing because I think it’s going to hurt him. Supposedly, the Catholic Church is a direct descendent of one of Jesus’ homeboys named Paul. I think that’s what happened but I could be wrong.
Next, you have the Protestants. God, these guys thought the Catholics were crazy with all their rules and decided to worship your man Jesus under their own terms. They also have many different names: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and others. God, this is where you come in. I was crunk about these Christian guys until I heard how some of them used Christianity to justify enslaving the African in
Now God, I’m not stupid, I know that this Jesus guy wasn’t the only way slavery was justified and continued, but it was a big part. Today, these former slaves continue to join the same religion that helped to enslave them nearly 300 years ago. As a black man I find that disturbing. God, I have been told that Africans were worshiping Jesus long before they came to
Next up God is Islam. Now what do I know about Islam? Well, the followers of Islam are called Muslims. Their leader or Jesus-like person is called Muhammad. I don’t think they worship him like the Christians worship Jesus. Now, the crazy thing about Islam is that I think it’s like a cousin religion to Christianity. Supposedly, this guy named Abraham was tight with God. So, I guess he was tight with you or the other you--whatever the case may be he had these two sons. One named Ishmael and the other Isaac. The story goes that Islam was derived from the lineage of Ishmael and Christianity was derived from the lineage of Isaac. Crazy huh? So I think they worship the same god, but Muslims call him Allah. Anyways, back to my story.
Islam is cool. They have a holy city in the
How about Islam God? I don’t know because I don’t know much about it and it’s not a popular religion here in
Judaism, supposedly, this is God’s original people. God, I just thought about something, I have a lot of religions to evaluate. I haven’t evaluated Buddhism, Hinduism, and the countless other religions in the world past and present. God what should I do? Maybe, I should just be a Christian. Most people that I know are Christians and the Jesus dude is pretty cool. Maybe I should just be different and be down with your homeboy Muhammad and Allah. I don’t know God. You’re the omniscient one. I just want something better after I leave this hellhole. Oh yea, I’m not supposed to use those words. Why not? Who is this committee who decided that certain words are “bad” or “cursed”.
I'm sorry God, but this is some bullshit. This decision shouldn’t be this damn hard. You created me and everything else in this earth: love, hate, sin, life and death. What if my crazy ass chooses the wrong one and I still go to hell? That would be some shit. I’m just so tired of people and their religions. They try to make me feel bad for not attending their churches but they have never even questioned why they attend those churches. I guess its tradition. What the hell is tradition anyways? I guess one fool decided to do something and a bunch of fools decided to follow him. God, I’m sorry that I am becoming emotional but life is a bitch and then you die.
Sincerely,
Robert Harwin
P.S.
Please respond soon because there are some people knocking on my door who call themselves “Jehovah’s Witnesses”.