The Dangers of Texting: Smart usages of your cell phone.

You remember back in those days we would actually get on the phone to call our girlfriend, boyfriend, or even crush? Back when we had to wait a certain time to call, ask permission, and even spent long long hours on the phone? Yep, those were the good old days before Texting, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat came into play. The old ways of communication when we had AOL, MSN, Yahoo, or regular Instant messaging. See in the early days of texting and calling, things seemed very simple. We were respectful, carried on long conversations, and even signed cute messages to responses. But then again, as we move forward in this generation, we come to a point in which society and technology can play a negative affect on relationships. Here I’m going to list a few dangers of texting.

Sexting: Trust me, many people have done it, and though many get caught up in the act of sending pictures to another person, we can’t always trust that person. You never know who could end up exposing what you sent and have it posted on social media for everyone to see. Does that person who exposed you care? Absolutely not.

Risky Messages: You ever texted someone but didn’t know that there was another person pretending to be someone they’re not? In other words, when you text other people, sometimes you will never know who exactly is on the other line with holding or reading that person’s phone. So here’s what you do, if you have something very important to say… Call them up. You never know what a person is feeling on the other line unless you physically hear their voice. Words can say one thing, but reactions can mean a whole lot more.

Story time: You could be texting someone, but on the other line, the stuff you text is being shared out loud to a group of friends. Don’t take the risk of texting something you don’t want to get exposed about. That other person on the other line could be passing that phone around.

Everyone knows that a phone is like a computer. Your phone contains information that is necessarily classified for your benefit. Absolutely nobody should be going through your phone to find something, but everyone knows nobody obeys that rule…So when other people find things on your phone that they don’t want to see, you better do right with your phone, and secure things that are for your private matter. There’s a reason why I don’t text as much as I used to unless it’s business oriented, emergency oriented, or it’s someone who I actually trust whole heartedly. There’s millions of ways in which a small simple device can play a huge affect. Be smart about texting, be smart about sharing information, and also be smart about….Oh I almost forgot.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Everyone has a smart phone. With that said, everything that you do on your phone is tracked just with the accident of a touch. For example, you’re scrolling down Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and you accidentally “Like, Favorite, Retweet, or Shared” something that perhaps was like very old…. People will find that because they will get a simple icon message telling them what you did. Yep, they caught you slipping and creeping "laughing out loud". Auto correct is another thing....One small mess up in a message can change the entire mood of a text message. This includes grammar, and words. Well I think that’s it for now. But the moral of the story is this, practice safe text. If you have to say something real important, call or leave a message. Don’t be brainwashed with texting, so at least let’s go back into the good old days of speaking voice to voice.

I can tell you this, it's cute that you can text someone a good morning message to brighten up their day, or if you're thinking about someone during the night but don't want to wake them up, you can always shoot them a text message saying "Babe, I know you're sleep but...." See where it goes from there.  Become more direct with your lover by talking and calling. Be sweet when you're texting something cute and less direct. 

Happy Calling

@RonaldAtkinson9 

Faith of a Friend: The Value of Friendship, Confidants, Comrades, and Constituents

This specific topic in which I’m about to write is one of the few things that has been heavy on my heart. We all sit down only to figure out what our purpose in life is, and who is truly in our lives. Those who truly care, and those who truly love you even when they accept the advice, gifts, and other things that you have to offer. I can tell you that I know there are times I may not appear to be a good friend, and with that I feel like sometimes I have failed many. To be honest 2013-2014 as been a year of ups and downs when it came Friendships, and with that I’ve slowly had to think about the value of friendship. A true friendship is like family. If a friend is ever in the need of help, then help and assist them. As a Christian, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are also told to love, help, and pray for our neighbors and enemies even when they least deserve it. Many of my friends realize that it’s something I truly care about, especially when working on building it up. Whether you’re my friend from my hometown, school, fraternity brother, line brother, someone, I invest and value you very well.  One day I sat down watching television and suddenly turned to Bishop T.D. Jakes speaking on this subject. He describes the types of friends we will all come in contact in which I think it’s necessary that we should all read. In life you will have three types of friends-Confidants, Constituents, and Comrades.

Confidants- They’re very few of them. Those people who are in your life love you unconditionally. Whether you are up, down, right, or wrong, they are into you. They are there where you can share anything with them. A confidant is your David to your Jonathan. A Confidant is the key to your kingdom in which they mentor you and you mentor them through the power of God.  Those are the few in your life that will be with you, for you, and will forever be in your life so that you will reach your destiny. You are a blessed person if you have at least 2 or 3 of those selected people in your life. These are the people who will be forever in your business but will NOT betray your word. These friends will not harm you, disrespect you, or let anyone else do you the same. They may be arguing with you, yet you will come in agreement. They will not talk behind your back in a negative way or in your face.

Constituents- This right here is perhaps the one where we all seem to fail with friendship the most. These are the people who are with you, and stand with you because they only are there for what you are for.  Throughout your life, if you’re ever broken, you may mistake your constituents for your confidants, and you will think that they are for you when in reality they’re not for you, they are just for what you are for. Once they leave you to someone else, they will truly break your heart. The only reason why they leave you is because they will truly see someone else better than you are (With or without Fame, Money, and Wealth) who will extend to what they have to do in life. This is the one category where we will have many of those but fail to realize their character, and how they really perceive you.

Comrades- These people are not for you, or for what you are for, but they are the people who are against of what you’re against. These people will team up with you to fight the battle until the mission is complete, and the victory is accomplished. It’s just like two soldiers who aren’t friends, go after the enemy, but one decides to leave after the mission is accomplished. It’s like they are there but just not 100%.

In your life, expect your constituents and comrades to leave you. Don’t be ashamed or upset if those people don’t react to your dream the way you expected them to do because they weren’t for you in the first place. Neither folks in both of the last two categories will support what you do, and how you’re doing something. Even though we are blind to see who falls into the constituents category vs. the confidant category, you have to focus not only on their character, but actions and words. Who exactly loves you unconditionally even to the point that they are always there for you? Your confidants. Your confidants are a select few(and sometimes more) in which no matter what happens in life, they will never desert you. Confidants will weep when you weep, and rejoice when you rejoice. A confidant is someone who is happy for you when you share your life. Those are the people who are connected with you through the heart and physical world. Constituents and Comrades can be considered “The Haters”. You don’t want your haters to pray for you because secretly they do not want to see you doing better than them. You want someone who will pray for you that really wants to see you be Blessed in life. Focus on who God has placed in your life. Forget who he took away from your life, focus on those who will be in your life as a blessing.

It really opened my eyes after hearing this. Life is very short and it’s the reason why now I’m working on re-building, reconnecting, and making bonds stronger than ever. Although I may feel like I have failed, the key thing that I realize is that I’m trying. Even though many don’t see it, I’m doing it. No matter who I meet in life, I always make sure that I pray for them, love them, and accept them for who they are.  All I want is to see you succeed in what’s best for you so that someday you will have the opportunity to become the next big shot. Nowadays we see so much hate with not only just friends, but family. We’re all different, but Christ also said love everyone even your enemies. I always tell people that God will place the right ones in your life and take away the wrong ones. But no matter what you do to stand your ground, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, LOVE THEM, PRAY FOR THEM, SUPPORT THEM, AND NEGLECT THEM FOR GOOD. If it happens to one, it may happen back at you. So know the three C’s, but strive to be within that first category.

            Be a listener when others are speaking.

            Be accepting when others are giving.

            Be forgiving when others persecute you.

Love Always 

@RonaldAtkinson9

Music of The Midnight Hour: Slow Jams, The Quiet Storm, and Setting Mood.

It’s interesting how music can set the mood up for any occasion. When I was growing up, I listened to music that I rarely even knew what exactly what they were talking about until I realized the meaning the moment I started to listen and got older. If you’re ever somewhere near a big city, almost every African-American station will have a Quiet Storm. The Quiet Storm is a syndicated radio show targeted to adults in which they play music that sets the mood for the night. Music that adults like to listen to is R&B, Soul, and today’s slow jams. I love the quiet storm so much I’m actually listening to it as I’m writing this blog. When we listen to the music, keep in mind that every slow jam you hear is not just about being romantic, but each slow jam has its own meaning. Let me give some examples…

            *Nobody wants to see us together by Akon was the slow jam for the relationship haters.

            *Please Don't Go by Tank and TGT was the slow jam if your girl caught YOU cheating, but you try to beg her forgiveness.

            *Down low, Contagious, and Busted by Ronald Isley was the slow jam if your girl was caught cheating and lying at the same time.

Slow jams were not only about romance, but they were also stories…. Hence Break-Up Slow Jams that always had people in tears depending on your story connecting with the song and how close you was to that person. Why is it that we can connect so much with this music? It always have had a tendency to set us in the mood of love. R&B slow jams are not only love songs but some of them came from the blues. Now let’s go ahead and cut to the chase. These are songs that our parents have grown up with. We’ve all heard the saying “You don’t know nothing about this music”, but to be honest if you listen to the messages that they say, you can listen to what exactly they are saying. Alright now for some bed room action. Use this music to brighten up the mood a little bit. Set candles up, rose bud pedals all over the place, Men put on that good cologne while ladies put on the lingerie. Turn on the passionate slow jam music, and start to do your magic. Message each other, kiss each other, and let the music excite your moment. I always think that music like this is what's missing during intimacy. If you're playlist isn't no where near this, something is wrong. 

Love Always

@RonaldAtkinson9

Seeking Peace: Living Nobly while striving to do what's morally right.

Regardless of who you are as a person, you will forever be lied on, cheated, talked about, or mistreated. If you ever find yourself in those emotions, seek peace in prayer. You can be the nicest person in the world and not everyone is going to respect you. You can be the most respectable person in the world, and not everyone is going to respect you. When you come in contact with those who mistreat you, talk about you, and so on, understand that it’s not your fault because others don’t see you in God’s image. Many people want to see you living a life based on how they live and how you should live according to society. You can impact the world in so many ways and there’s always at least someone trying to rip you apart. Keep in mind that there will always be someone who will talk about you, ignore you, and look more at the bad stuff to talk about you and not have anything positive to say. Those people….They don’t appreciate you at all neither as in accepting you for who you are. The only time many people will ever accept you on your character is only when you have three things, and throughout my time here in college, it’s one of the few things I realized. As a person, you will never be fully appreciated unless it involves wealth, money, or fame. Let’s say there are two people, a rich man and a poor man. The rich man is wealthy with fame and money. Everyone respected him. The poor man worked most of his time even when he doesn’t want to or have to. People often went to the poor man for help, guidance, wisdom, and even offered him food and shelter. There were times when the rich man was often celebrating his success while the poor man was still getting unequal treatment by his own people. One day, the poor man died, and what many people failed to realize is that his morals, love, obedience, and contributions kept him going at living life even more even when he was treated badly as we treat those who are lower than us bad. The one time when the poor man got his respect gained was after he had died. Now we realize that he wasn’t famous, but remembered with a great contribution. As you all seek the wisdom and spread the love throughout your life, I encourage you to contribute in every way beyond those three (Money, Wealth, and Fame)- “Live nobly as a Poor Samaritan who is striving to do what’s morally right”.  In other words, live your life accordingly on how YOU want to live with the help of God guiding your life. Understand that it’s going to take time to get your reward. God will place the right people in your life at different times. He also will take away, and bring back people constantly just to see how well you do on your journey. Forgive others for what they don’t know much about you. Forgive others for that they don’t understand your heart when you’re being lied on, cheated, talked about, and mistreated. Just think how Jesus felt when He was living his final hours. Respect others, don’t get jealous of others, Live accordingly to how you want to live and do things that is morally acceptable, and above all, seek common peace within yourself. Your contribution and rewards are a much greater asset to the outcome of anything that is important other than money. Be Humble and Remembered versus Greedy, Popular, and Wealthy. You are a seed that can help change the world.

Love Always

@RonaldAtkinson9 : 

Life, Love, and Expression: Expressing Love before time is too late.

            Life is very short, and Tomorrow isn’t always promising. Our lives that we live are very sudden in which we forget that we can be called to see The Lord in a blink of an eye. One of the things I feel I miss out on is connecting with those who I may have lost touched with, or those who I love dearly even though I often don’t show it as much on the outside, or those who I care for but they don’t see the full picture.  Bonding, Communicating, expressing gratitude towards another person is the way of life. Often times, we don’t see how one can impact and love someone until AFTER their life is gone.  Another thing we have to look at is Love works differently.  Everyone of us get so wrapped up when people say “I Love You” due to the fact on how they take the meaning. It doesn’t always mean in a “dating” way, but in society that’s what people think. Yes Love is a strong word, but we also forget to express it to others, and also forget to accept it from others. When one shows you what Love is, why is it so hard to accept it? You see we always shrug someone off, but we sure hate it once it back fires on us. In what ways can we say "I Love You" without setting someone off? How do we show it? Sometimes it's not always big things, but the small. Depending on what the other person has been through in their past, people will always confuse the meaning of Love. So how do we know what is Love?  How do we react?  If I say I Love You, it doesn't necessarily mean I want you. But it DOES Mean I care about you to a full extent. No matter who you love or how you express it, there will always be some who will not accept it just as much as you shown them. Always show others that you care about them. It's the reason why I say tell, text, or call someone because one day it might be too late. If someone has simply crossed your mind at the slightest moment, ring them up. If your spirit doesn’t feel right, hit them up. Do your best show love even if they don’t deserve it. Make peace and leave the stuff in the past, and always show someone that you love and care for them.

            So whatever you’re doing right now, always have the time to text, call, or tell someone that you love and miss them. You never know when your time is coming, or when their time is coming. Do it now or else it’s too late. This is something that I’m trying to accomplish as the days move ahead because when you’re connecting with other people, it’s all about fellowship for your enjoyment of the soul. Even when people has had a negative affect on your life in the past, keep that stuff in the past and find ways to come agreement on things. We all have things we want to say to get off our chest, so why hold back and keep it bottled up? This is one of the reasons why I have had so many chat sessions with friends, family, adults, and other random people so that not only there’s a love, but a way to communicate to make the bond stronger. Another thing I have learned from these chat sessions is this, anyone you meet in life will always have an impact on you. What you can take from that person, you can give back to that person, or apply what you learn from them and give it to others.

You may not think anyone loves you, but keep in mind that there is ALWAYS at least one person who does.  Loving someone is more than just affection, hugs, and cuddling….It’s the way on how you express it with many positive things. To ALL of my friends, you’re always considered my family, and I will forever cherish you in my hearts.

Love Always,

@RonaldAtkinson9