What Inspires Me? (Athletic Figures)

So I just realized I forgot to finish this list. Inspiration strikes and you end up forgetting the plan you're on. Here's Part 6 of the Inspiration Series coming live from San Diego

The athletes who inspire me don't do it because of on-the-court accomplishments. It's because they transcend the playing field with their causes, character and how they lived their lives. Anybody can throw, run with, pass or hit a ball and there's plenty of folks who do it well enough. But to be an athlete bigger than your sport is what matters to me.

As I've said before - heroes aren't made on the field, they live off it.

Jackie Robinson - What can you say about him that hasn't been said. He inspires me to live with conviction and walk with dignity. He forced America to see skill but after his career, he became a tireless advocate for minorities as coaches, general managers and movers in baseball besides the Civil Rights Movement.

Curt Flood - I've said it all here. A man of principle who sacrificed his career so his fellow athletes have the right to play wherever they want. He continue Jackie's legacy by fighting for the right to play where he wanted.

Arthur Ashe - The first Black male tennis star. But his legacy will be for his fight for civil rights, ending apartheid in South Africa and being a face of AIDS in his final days. How many men would be arrested so close to death to spark interest for Haitian refugees. A man of passion, integrity, quiet strength I wrote about last year.

John Carlos/Tommie Smith - Stand up for your rights. Don't give up the fight. They were demonized for their Black Power salute but that picture symbolizes how oppressed people were not afraid to show the whole world their struggle. They took a chance and silver medalist Peter Norman deserves to be recognized for his solidarity.

John Wooden - Coach was a teacher. A philosopher. A leader of men. It's more than a game.

AC Green - Not many athletes can admit being virgins. Not many will openly promote and help kids remain pure before marriage. Growing up, AC was one of the few athletes I looked up to because of his Christianity and he's a reminder that you can be a famous athlete with integrity.

Satchel Paige - He was a character and the ultimate showman years before Chad Ochocinco, Muhammad Ali and others followed his blueprint. He was a pioneer for Black players getting into baseball by proving his worth against any and all competition. Ever since I was a kid, he always fascinated me with his quotes and incredible skill. After reading his bio, he knew how to be accepted by the mainstream without compromising who he was. Not just one of the greatest pitchers of all time, one of the most fascinating characters of all time

What Inspires Me? (People)

Apologies for the hiatus, I'm always jumping around from idea to idea and I didn't want to run this theme into the ground at the expense of other great topics. But I'm not done yet. These are people who inspire me.

I don't call them heroes because as I explained last year, they only exist in comic books. Growing up I was told that heroes will fail you. Instead these are inspirations, people I learn from besides my wonderful family. People who lived with a purpose and a cause they believed in, its an extension of my authors/writers post.

Malcolm X - Showed me how being a leader means relating to all people. He cared for his people no matter what and it's a crime he was cut down so soon after Mecca. Bold, daring, unafraid yet committed - the blueprint for any leader that so few lack.

Martin Luther King Jr. - Non violence be darned, what I love about King is his gift for words, his passion for standing up for what's right and how's he so much more than the civil rights movement. Speak with conviction and speak the truth. He inspires me because he showed how a man of peace could make a difference in so many areas.

Billy Graham - Arguably the greatest missionary to ever live, I had the privilege to see one of his last crusades in San Diego. Despite his age and frailty, he spoke the simple Gospel plainly and powerfully. He defines what it means to not just live being a Christian but to do it around the world. Unlike most preachers, he wasn't on the Far Right and the Moral Majority but he believes in reaching as many people as he can. Impacting lives - thats what every Christian should aspire to.

W.E.B. DuBois - The most influential Black thinker/writer/historian after slavery, it was he who helped shape how history viewed Blacks during Reconstruction and the early 20th century. He was ahead of his time and every great Black leader of the 20th century owes him a debt of gratitude and so do I (Souls of Black Folk sits proudly in my library)

Archbishop Oscar Romero - A martyr for justice, Romero was chosen as Archbishop because he was non-threatening. When his friend was murdered, he took up his mantle as a champion against poverty, political assassinations, social injustice and the El Salvadoran government being supported by foreign countries. Rare is the priest who takes a noble stand and he moved me when I read about him in college.

Stephen Biko - I've said plenty on Biko before. A 20 year old who was supposed to be a doctor turned into a 30 year old martyr against apartheid in South Africa. Accomplished more in 10 years than most do in their whole lives. "I Write What I Like" is a brilliant collection of his works and the theme is an inspiration for this blog. A reminder that age is nothing but a number.

Jesus Christ - Before you say anything, there was indeed a man who lived named Jesus of Nazareth. You can debate all you want about his real name (like Ras Kass did on his brilliant, if not factually inaccurate "Nature of the Threat") but his message is real. Following God goes beyond legalism and into genuine relationships with all people regardless of societal barriers. Love your neighbor as yourself. There's a reason 2,000 years later people still are inspired by His words.

(For obvious reasons, I didn't include a picture. His features are not as important as his message. The only picture we need of Christ is the good works and lives inspired in his name.)

Next up: Media Figures and Finally Athletes.

What Inspires Me? (Places)

Of all the writers I grew up admiring, they had something in common: They were inspired by the times and the cities around them. Hawthorne had New England, Baldwin had Harlem and France, Dickens had London and Raymond Chandler had my city.

I used to hate traveling. Then in like 2003, I started going to Seattle almost every summer for a weekend. Then I took more trips around the country visiting family and now I wish I could afford to do it more. I made a mental list of four or five cities I want to visit by next year, it's just too bad my bank account didn't go along with my plan. The downside of working part-time now (although I might have some news to tell y'all about some recent developments).

These are the places that inspire me. Something about them makes me want to be there just to feel revitalized or they encourage me. The first and 3rd shots are from my last extended trip to San Diego.

San Diego

My 2nd home. My college town. I've already written about how much I love this city before. Something hits me when I see the city limits on the freeway. When I went down there in January, I was reminded why.

The city revolves around the beach so everything is laid-back. It's a perfect place to get away, relax and just reflect - a calmer pace from Los Angeles and I've written some great poetry there. When I feel like life is getting too insane, I drive down there and just let Saint Daygo do his work.

New York

I went here five years ago for a conference on race and ethnicity as part of a group of student leaders from my school. The trip had its share of highs and lows but I'll remember walking around the city and just soaking in the vibes.

Nothing beats walking through Central Park and taking a nap. Or taking in the different vibes of Spanish Harlem/Harlem/SoHo/Manhattan. Eating Italian food in Little Italy or embracing jaywalking along with the subways.

It was a fast-paced city but it had plenty of culture that was distinct yet shared. Like San Diego, it inspired me to find something similar in L.A. - you can feel the sense of what being a New Yorker is about. That sense of identity spurs me on today.

The Beach

I love sitting by the water and just listen or watch. See what comes next. Hear the waves play with the sand. Standing at the edge of the world and seeing life as it was meant to be. I've written quite a few poems and journal entries here.

This is my place of peace. My sanctuary. My escape from reality where I can just admire God's beauty and reflect.

Los Angeles

Gotta admit, I have a love/hate relationship with my city. It's something I've been meaning to explain on here but for the last 4 years I realized I had no idea what it meant to be an Angeleno. I tried to come back inspired from San Diego and yet carving my life out here has been harder than it looked.

I love my city because there's pride in being from here. I hate it because it's hard to find its soul and a common identity. Hollywood gets all the love and the Valley gets attention too what about the Westside (Santa Monica, Culver City), South Central or South Bay. Maybe that's why I love Quentin Tarantino's movies so much since they usually have L.A. tied in to them but I digress.

Despite all that, I'm still inspired to find a life here. I'm inspired to fully understand what makes my city tick and find the soul of it. Raymond Chandler might be my city's official scribe with his detective noir tales but I still believe in finding my own stories about here. Love/hate, she's mine.

Next Up, People

What Inspires Me? (Music)

"Music is the air I breathe, the prayer I leave" - Talib Kweli said one of the best lyrics describing how people love music. Good music sticks to your rib and reminds you of the moment when you heard it.

But before this goes into a deep love affair, let's get to Part 3 of my inspirations. These are the artists that have inspired me the most because they resonate with me and speak to me.

(Note: These aren't all my favorite artists and I left some out intentionally. These are just the ones who left a mark on me in the most way)

(A Tribe Called Quest - A reminder to be yourself and "never follow someone else because opinions are like voices we all have a different kind")

(Little Brother - No group impacted me more this decade. "Dope rhymes, dope beats, what more could they want?" Saw them twice and were reminded why I love hip-hop.)

(Public Enemy - Thanks for teaching me to fight the power and not believe the hype. )

(Red Hot Chili Peppers - Thanks for reppin the City I live in, The City of Angels. )

(Prince - doing it all and doing it oh so well. A creative genius who remains a purist)

(Nas - "It aint hard to tell, I excel and prevail." Simple reason why he's the best.)

(Rage Against the Machine - They remind me never to be comfortable and always fight for my beliefs along with injustice.)

(Kirk Franklin - For updating gospel music in my era without watering down its message, he's a reason I believe gospel music will always stays fresh musically. )

(Jimi Hendrix - A reminder that creativity knows no bounds)

(Incubus - Lyrically beautiful/thought provoking, musically challenging. California goodness)

(Ice Cube - You Know How He Does It. One of the best writers/storytellers in hip-hop and a reminder that being real means speaking your mind. Favorite album of his.)

(dc Talk - Showed me Christian music isn't soft and poppy as well never being afraid to evolve without compromise. Christian music needs to challenge its audience while uplifting them.)

(Kanye West - I hate what he's become but every now and then, he reminds me why his songs relate to me like they did on this album.)

(The Clash - Working Class Heroes who inspire me to stay vigilant)

(OutKast - Thank you for reminding me that the South always has something to say)

Next up: Places.

What Inspires Me? (Ideals/Things)

This is Part 2 of letting you the readers discover what makes me tick. Sometimes we are inspired not by someone but by ideals we hold dear to our heart. These are mine.

Passion - My last semester of college, I took a leadership class that was designed to help us seniors discover what made us passionate in order to refine our goals for being in the real world. No matter what we did, we had to find what we cared about and not let go of it.

This drives me everyday. The passion to be a great writer. Not just about sports but about myself, my times and those around me. Everything I do in life has to be something I care about and occasionally my heart is on my sleeve.

Every time I discover something new, I jump full steam into it. History, video games, music, schoolwork, whatever. I'm passionate about the things and friends who matter to me and that passion will one day drive me once again into a beautiful relationship with someone.

Dreams - I'm no Sigmund Freud but I believe dreams say a lot about us. I love analyzing them when friends tell me about them and it's no surprise that one of my favorite Bible characters is Daniel, a man who saw visions.

Before anyone can see anything for me, I have to follow my own dreams. I used to live in a world of ideals, dreaming of what a girlfriend, college, journalism and growing up would be. When I got to college, I realized that reality doesn't go according to plan and I had to mesh my dreams with what I saw and experienced.

That's why Inception has such a big effect on me - I'm fascinated by the psychology of a dream state as well as the ideas that come to us there.

Now I believe that meshing dreams with reality is the best way to be. But I still dream on, reflecting on my past, wondering about my future while living in my present.

Nature - Something about in God's Grandeur is peaceful. The trees, the birds, the sky. The world mostly untampered by us. If you ever get to take a retreat in the woods, do it.

The Journey/The Process - Too often we celebrate the goal instead of appreciate the process to get somewhere. If school taught me anything, you don't enjoy graduation until you look at how you got there. Even when I was little, I liked challenges and if I couldn't figure it out right away, I'd keep trying after some time.

Embrace the struggle and the potential for growth. That's what I've learned/applied all my life. Like the Ataris said, "Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up"

History - Those who fail to know their past are doomed to repeat it. I've been a fan of history since I was a kid just wanting to know all of the Presidents and state capitals. Maybe it was reading those encyclopedias but I got started early and often. I had a 5th grade teacher who helped develop that love and it blossomed in high school and college.

If you don't know your past, you won't understand your present or help change your future

Satisfaction - I once wrote about how I chase this instead of perfection. Instead of chasing an ideal that you will never reach, search to be satisfied in accomplishing your best and finding imperfect people who will be your closest friends. This is different than settling - settling mean happy with getting by. Satisfied means striving for perfection and accepting that although you won't reach it, you still accomplish a lot.

Sunsets - You haven't lived until you've seen a sunset in San Diego. And you really haven't lived til you stood on the shore of a beach and watched it up close with the waves crashing at your feet. I've been inspired by many a poem because of it.

It's interesting. In New York, the sun sets and you can still see it setting nearly an hour as it makes it way around the country. In Seattle, the sun doesn't set til almost 10 in the summer. Blows my mind.

Faith - It's my inspiration that I try to tap into more every day. Without faith or hope, I feel like my life is meaningless.

Next up, Music.

What Inspires Me? (Literature)

As I said in my last post, I'm devoting this week to sharing with you what inspires me. When I talked with my buddy Jesus about his album collage that inspired me, I realized that I have a chance to show what makes me tick. Here goes nothing.

I graduated with an English degree so it's no surprise that classic literature and books have been a big part of my life. As long as I can remember, I've always read books. I read the 1992 Encyclopedia Brittanica for fun and when I switched schools in 94, I always checked out like 10 books from the library at a time whenever we went.

Here's the authors and books that inspired me as a writer and had an effect on me.

Almost a given for anyone who reads this. Malcolm X is the most misunderstood figure of the 20th century and this book lets you know exactly what he was thinking. It made me realize that true leadership is relating to as many people as you can behind the common good. It awakened my consciousness.

There's a reason why Malcolm is still a compelling figure 45 years after his death. He was a self-made leader who didn't run from his flaws but rose above his situation to be an advocate for his people. This book made me appreciate him and inspired me to see the struggle differently.

That summer before 5th grade, my summer camp read the book and performed the music from "Oliver!" - I love every minute of it and today, it's one of the few musicals I will admit to liking. But I loved reading about Oliver's adventures and as I got older, his honesty, love and desire to find a home is something anyone can enjoy.

It's also Charles Dickens' first masterpiece. A novel that exposed the dark London underworld, child labor and the class disparity that reigned during Victorian England. At the time, it was unlike few novels in that it sympathized criminals along with the nobility and had a child as its main character. It set the stage for Dickens' gift of storytelling, empathy (esp. for kids) and expanded his knack for complex characters and social critique. My favorite book by one of my favorite authors.

Along with Oliver Twist, this is my favorite book. I read it in high school after I wrote a paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne and I fell in love with it right away. The imagery, the symbolism, the secrets and the dark nature mixed with hope drew me in and I haven't let it go nearly 10 years later.

I foolishly said that Hawthorne was the greatest writer ever back then. He wrote about his times and their past so well with such powerful imagery that I didn't believe anyone could master him. Of course now, I stick to the idea that Hawthorne is one of the greatest American writers ever.

The message of guilt and redemption have stuck with me as well. It reminds me that no matter what someone does, they can redeem their identity. The first American Gothic novel, it is Hawthorne's masterpiece and makes me ponder my faith and philosophy in so many ways.

Hawthorne believed very much in the Gothic ideal of the past being alive with us. It's also in his other book "House of 7 Gables" and as someone who believes history is always teaching us, it reminds me never to forget the past.

The past three shaped me in my elementary and high school years. Perhaps no author shaped me in my college years than James Baldwin and even though I had a teacher quote him repeatedly my freshman year, I didn't get to know him until the spring of my junior year. I got the chance to study and analyze his writing style and loved his crisp, passionate language where every word seemed to matter.

His wisdom coupled with a preacher's delivery had an impact on the 1960's and The Fire Next Time not only inspired a poem of mine, it's a constant reminder of how unchecked hate will lead to problems. One of the greatest American writers and perhaps the greatest Black writer.

No writer influences me more than this Harlem prophet. His passion for being a witness who wrote what he saw, write with strong urgency and was able to hold a big mirror to society inspires my writing (and inspired my journey to the Jena 6 rally). He challenged his readers to look at themselves and the world around them.

If you look at the quote underneath my blog name, it's inspired by this book. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."

My introduction to the genius of William Blake, one of my favorite poets of the 18th century. I had a great teacher tell me about how Blake was involved with the Romantic movement of Poetry and his philosophy of two ideals to create a third place nobody had considered going.

This book is one of those. A satirical, diabolical yet intriguing work that questions religion like many of the Enlightment thinkers before him in the 17th century. Don't worry, I didn't give up my faith but it was a fascinating read that showed Blake's genius and took you to another train of thought.

It blew my mind because I thought this book was sacrilege. Instead, I was fascinated by the Proverbs of Hell and the Memorable Fancys as well as Blake's genius at work. No wonder Aldous Huxley (and eventually Jim Morrison + Co.) were inspired as well.

Ralph Emerson said that poetry is man speaking to other men with insight. Simple yet potent. His essay "The Poet" defined my philosophy on poetry just being something from the soul but also unique.

Next up: Abstract Ideals.

What Inspires You? This is Me (Intro)

I saw my buddy Jesus' photo album on Facebook on what inspired him. A collage of people, cities and paintings that let you see who he is. I wanted to do the same thing on here.

When I started making my list, I realized I could make a few posts out of this. So next week, I'm gonna play it out slowly. It's gonna cover a wide range of influences from sports, literature, music, life, abstract ideals and whatever I think about.

Even if you don't like sports, the athletes I'll pick inspire me for reasons beyond the game. For me, life is about drawing from another source to add to our unique ability. We're all created for a purpose and we all benefit from being around other parts of God's creation and man's creativity.

I did this last year when I talked about what I became a writer. Here's Part 1 and Part 2. So be on the lookout next week. I hope this lets you take a look at what inspires you.