Hello again, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of Freedom's Creed. Summer has arrived, and I listened actually to a clip the other day of an older gentleman who is a comedian, and he said to his audience, It's been hot every summer since I've been alive. I thought that was really funny because it's true. And take that for how you will, but in the climate that we live in today, some will look at that and think that there is something there. Well, sometimes there is, and sometimes well, it's just summer. This episode marks the 100th episode of the podcast, so I'm excited to have gotten to this point. And in reality, I don't know that I ever thought about what it would be like to get to that 100 episode plateau. But like all plateaus, it's meant to be shattered. So here's to episode 101. Now, when I started the podcast way back when, I wanted to always be a voice that was positive, a voice of encouragement. My whole goal is to be a force for good, not a voice of pessimism. Who wants that? I get it though, life's hard and we have challenges. Things aren't always what they appear to be. They're not as rosy sometimes as we'd like them to be. We see people on social media and we think, wow, their life must be fabulous. But like we all know, that's not the case. That's not their life day in and day out. You don't see them the other 23 hours of the day and what's going on in their lives. You just see the wonderful things that they're posting. They have this magical life and everything seems to be perfect. Well, we all know that's false. It's not true. I don't know anyone who can say that they have a perfect life. They might say that things are going well, but it's not a hundred percent of the time. We all have those days where we feel like, man, what have I got to do to get ahead? It's like that. That's life. I have a strong desire to encourage others to be the best that they can be, not looking for someone to blame or making excuses for themselves and why they're not where they should be or where they think they should be in life. One thing I can't stand is when people want to play both sides of the fence. On the one side, they're the motivator, they encourage people, they're positive, but on the other side, they dredge up past experiences. They dredge up past historical events and say, see, because this happened, you can't do that. You shouldn't do that. You won't be able to do that. And unfortunately, too many people listen to those kinds of voices, and it's a shame. Here is what I have always advocated on the podcast and will forever advocate on this podcast so long as I choose to do it. And that is because of liberty and freedom in America, there's nothing stopping you but you. That's it. If you want to do something, even if it's completely out of the box, unthinkable, but you have a desire to do it, and it's going to be something that's going to not only benefit you, but potentially other people, then do it. Don't listen to the naysayers who say you can't do it. Just do it. Find a way to make it happen. Even if it's something that is completely opposite of what you think your inclination would be to do something like that. Do it. Start a business. Do something to help other people. Start a nonprofit. Heck, just go volunteer your time to help somebody who's less fortunate than you are. It'll help you to realize that your life's pretty good. And though you have challenges and trouble, life is really good. And if you have your health and loved ones around you, then there's absolutely nothing that you cannot do if you put your mind to it. If you have the ability to project your voice for the betterment of others, then do it. We never know if we are going to be that one person who encourages someone who's having a really crappy day. Maybe even to the point where they don't want to be around anymore. But because we care enough about other people and we have a desire to be able to help them in any way that we can, even if it's just a smile or a kind word, then we should do it. We shouldn't hold back. Like I said, we never know if something that we say or an action that we take is going to be the one thing that might indeed change the trajectory of another person's life who's maybe not having a very good day. To me, one of the best things that any one of us can be is genuine. My wife will tell you the one thing I can't stand in society is phony behavior. I don't want to be phony. I don't want to be around phony people. I want to be around people who are genuine, people who are honest and open with me because that's what I try to do with other people. And I expect that I would receive the same treatment that I'm giving to other people, that I'd receive that in return. I know that that's not the case. I'm not naive. I realize we live in a very harsh world, a very hate-filled world, unfortunately. But if you're going to be phony and if you're going to pretend to be somebody that you're not, then no offense, but I don't really want to be around you. I want to be around people who look me in the eye and who are genuine with their words and behavior. Again, none of us are perfect, but we can at least strive to be genuine and authentic with the people that we interact with. We owe ourselves that, we owe them that for sure. Now you may be wondering where all of this is leading up to, considering the title of this episode is to be an inspiration. Well, I believe that each of us can be an inspiration, and I believe that the larger the bully pulpit that you have or that you possess, then the more inspirational, the more authentic, the more genuine you should be. Back in May of this year, the President of the United States gave the commencement speech at historically black and all male Morehouse College. I think it's great that he went there. Actually, the beginning of his speech was pretty good. The ending of his speech was also pretty good too, I thought, having looked at it and tried to be as objective as I could. But there are a few things that I would like to highlight in his address to the graduates of Morehouse College of 2024. And this is the part of the speech that I would look at as nothing more than campaign rhetoric. But here it is. He said this It's natural to wonder if democracy you hear about actually works for you. What is democracy if black men are being killed in the street? What is democracy if a trail of broken promises still leave black communities behind? What is democracy if you have to be ten times better than anyone else to get a fair shot? And most of all, what does it mean to be a black man who loves his country even if it doesn't love him back in equal measure? End of quote. There is certainly a lot to unpack from that short little quote, but I'll do my best to do so. Now, first of all, we can debate the definition of democracy here in the United States all day long, but I ask you, do we have self-government? Do we have literal self-rule in the United States of America today? My contention is we do not. Yes, we have supposedly free and fair elections, but that's about the extent of it anymore. I don't think we live in a place in a country or society where we can self-rule. Because if we do try to self-rule or to self-govern, we're always being told by someone in government. And the worst part about that is that we are often told by bureaucrats, people who are unelected, people who are appointed or hired to work for the government, and once they get tenure, they're there. They're there for the rest of the time that they want to work, and they'd have to do something really super egregious to get fired. But that rarely happens. So the elected representatives that we have, in theory, represent us, but how much do they actually help us? How much do they really advocate for us, for the desires that we have to be free, to have liberty, to be able to not have the heavy hand of government exacting all that they want in our lives to include the very fortunes that we are trying to build for our own families. Those are questions you need to ask yourself. And if you're like me, you probably ask yourself that question, those types of questions very often. But when you're the president of the United States, and look, I get it, we live in such a polarizing climate. We have two old men who are running for president in 2024. Is that the best that America can offer choosing between two nearly 80-year-old men, the best option that we have? Honestly? That does seem like the only two options that we have. Of course, you can throw in another Kennedy and vote for that guy if you want to. I don't care. I don't care who you vote for. I honestly don't. Because I think that nowadays it really doesn't matter who you vote for because all of the parties seem to have been meshed together. And when you throw the media into the mix, it's even worse. And one thing that politicians love to do, they love to throw out reckless rhetoric, like the president talking about is it democracy if black men are being killed in the street? As if this isn't happening every single hour of every single day of our lives. Yeah, people are getting killed every day. Black people, white people, and every other race of people. But is it the most inspirational thing you can do at a graduation commencement, a celebration of a new beginning to harp on people being killed in the street? Is that the best way to motivate people? I don't think so. And with respect to this idea of a trail of broken promises that leaves black communities behind, I don't know about you, but the only people that I see making idiotic promises are politicians, making promises that they cannot keep. Now, I don't know about you, but when I was younger, my parents taught me that if you make a promise, you'd best follow through on that promise, and you'd best do what you said you were going to do. Well, in politics, you can make a promise and you should, now I'm saying this from the perspective of the politician, you should make that promise because it sounds good. It's good political rhetoric, it's good political speech to make a promise because when people hear that they say, Wow, this person is going to promise to do something to help me. I think I'm going to vote for them. Nonsense. These kinds of words from a politician often do nothing but stir up the pot. They drive a wedge between people. And I distinctly remember this president on his inauguration saying that he was going to unite America. He was going to bring America together. Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. It certainly hasn't come together any better than it necessarily did in the four years prior to this president. But I can tell you one thing, the previous president, there were no wars that were started. No countries invaded another country. We have Russia invading Ukraine. We have the whole Israeli Hamas conflict. That didn't happen in the previous four years. Why does that kind of thing happen? Well, I think it happens oftentimes because of the ineffectiveness of the leader of the free world, so-called. Let me pose this question in response to his question about what is democracy if you have to be ten times better than anyone else to get a fair shot. Well, I pose this question. Where is the analytical data? Where are the numbers? Where's the math? Where's the supportive evidence to show that a person who is black has to be ten times better than anyone else just to get a fair shot? Are you kidding me? What kind of inspiration is this? What kind of encouragement is this to a class of graduates who are starting off anew, who are in a position where they can do whatever they want. They can be what they want to be in America. They can be as successful as they choose, as they define. I don't believe that anyone who's giving a commencement address should say something like that, that just for a person to get a head, they have to be ten times better than anyone else just to get a fair shot? What kind of inspiration is that? It's not inspiration. In fact, I think it's designed to do only one thing, and that's to splinter relations between the races. That's it. There's no reason to say that. Why not be positive? Why not say, you know what? Maybe you have been dealt a crappy hand. Maybe that's true. But guess what? You came to college, you succeeded, you received a degree through your own work and toil. Now go out and make something happen. Do something with your life that will not only benefit you, but that will benefit other people as well. Why not use that kind of language in the most genuine terms possible? That's my question. And well he then said this. What does it mean to be a black man who loves his country even if it doesn't love him back in equal measure? What what is the reason? What is the motivation? What is the objective for saying something like this other than to keep this idea of the races being divided? What is the reason for it? I see no other. You can call me naive, but I don't care. I don't see a reason why any politician, let alone the president of the United States, making a comment like this at an all black college or any other university for that matter. Why do you pose a question to someone by saying that I know you love your country, but your country doesn't love you back in equal measure. Pathetic. It's absolutely pathetic. Now he went on to talk about tough moments in life and the challenges that people have, and that's I think that that's okay. It's okay to talk to people and be real with them and say, you know what? Just because you graduated college doesn't mean that life's gonna be a bed of roses. Doesn't mean you're gonna have immediate success. That's not what that means at all. What it means is maybe you have a leg up on other people, possibly, who knows? But maybe if you don't work hard, regardless of a degree or not, you're not going to be able to achieve what you want to achieve without some hard work. Then he said this, quote, but let's be clear what happens to you and your family when old ghosts in new garments seize power. Extremists come for the freedom you thought belonged to you and everyone. End of quote. This is nothing more than political rhetoric. It's designed to make him look good, make the other candidate or candidates look bad. That's that's all it's designed to do. There's no other purpose for that. And then also to say this, which he did say, quote, today in Georgia, they won't allow water to be available to you while you wait in line to vote in an election. End of quote. And then he had the gall to talk about the constant attack on black election workers who count your vote. What what attack or attacks could he possibly be talking about? There are none. There were none. That's all hyperbole. It's all nonsense to get people fired up about the election to hopefully garner votes for him. And then after the election, like many a politician does today, it's back to business as usual. I think people are starting to see through this business as usual politics in America, and there needs to definitely be something done about it, because right now, it's the least kind of inspiration that you could even possibly imagine. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope I've given you something to think about and to consider as you move forward with your day-to-day life. I'd like to leave you with this quote from the Old Testament. It's in the Proverbs, and it says this quote Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. End of quote. If you can plan it, you can do it.