Guest Speaker - Dr. Aguilar

WOW!  I really enjoyed Dr. Aguilar's presentation yesterday.  He was really encouraging with all he had to say, and it's very refreshing to me whenever people are willing to be that open about their own trials that were overcome to obtain success.  Many times, people want to act like there were no valleys during their journeys.  Oh, well ........ anyway, when we were exploring the topic of "Empowerment", the quote that I'd referenced came from a Chinese Proverb:  "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."  To me, that's what empowerment is all about.  In the process of teaching someone to "fish" (self sufficiency), you are also increasing that person's self esteem.  For, once he/she learns how to fish, there's no longer an excuse for being hungry (or, otherwise providing for his/her own or family's needs).  It feels much better to me when I can do things on my own instead of having to depend on someone else all the time.  When I was growing up, our family didn't always have a car, so my parents taught us how to ride the bus.  And, I still depend on public transportation for the most part to get me where I need to go, even though my husband and son have cars (but, I can't drive either).  It's usually no big deal to me, unless there are extreme weather conditions, or some other situation keeps me from riding the bus at a particular time.

Another big thing that I appreciate about Dr. Aguilar's talk was that he'd mentioned how people can manipulate certain situations in order to be able to participate in events which they may not otherwise be able to do, due to some type of challenge.  I remember in the movie "Ray" (about the singer/musician, Ray Charles), starring Jamie Fox, how his socks had certain stitchings added to them so that he'd know which color to choose to match his clothes.  Now, that's creative.  It's amazing what types of creative things we can do to make our lives easier if put in the position to really need to do so.  That's enough for now.  Later! :-)

I've received an alarming e-mail about a Social Injustice issue, reported in the Naples News.  Please check out the link below to read the entire article. 
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/jan/22/still_no_answers_about_men_last_seen_deputy/ 

I'm very much a first time blogger.  But, it's done now (I think).  Anyway, I was thinking about our class discussion today, and was reminded of two things.  First, a movie that's coming out Feb. 24, 2012 called "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds".  If you're a fan of Tyler Perry's, this one is a little different (no appearances by Madea nor Mr. Brown). But, it looks like it'll be a good one.  You may view the trailer at http://www.gooddeedsmoview.com/.  The other thing is an article on white privilege from more than one of my past classes entitled "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" (by Peggy McIntosh).