Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO
 MARINO HARDY 

     Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world. Cheerfulness is a very great help in fostering the virtue of charity. Cheerfulness itself is a virtue. A gentleman has his eyes on all those present; he is tender toward the bashful, gentle toward the distant, and merciful toward the absent.
 Lawrence G. Lovasik

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORD - CULPABILITY

     Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It's something you have to find out for yourself. The general population doesn't know what's happening, and it doesn't even know that it doesn't know. He who controls the media controls the minds of the public. It takes one minute to tell a lie, and an hour to refute it. How it is we have so much information, but know so little? The press is owned by wealthy men who only want certain things to reach the public. As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome.

     The indoctrination is so deep that educated people think they’re being objective. The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all the people.
If something is repeated over and over as obvious, the chances are that it is obviously false. There's a good reason why nobody studies history, it just teaches you too much. Jingoism, racism, fear, religious fundamentalism: these are the ways of appealing to people if you're trying to organize a mass base of support for policies that are really intended to crush them. The goal is to keep the bewildered herd bewildered. It's unnecessary for them to trouble themselves with what's happening in the world. In fact, it's undesirable - if they see too much of reality they may set themselves to change it.

     The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by political and economic elites, through the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information. The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.

     Suppose that I see a hungry child in the street, and I am able to offer the child some food. Am I morally culpable if I refuse to do so? Am I morally culpable if I choose not to do what I easily can about the fact that 1000 children die every hour from easily preventable disease, according to UNICEF? Or the fact that the government of my own "free and open society" is engaged in monstrous crimes that can easily be mitigated or terminated? Is it even possible to debate these questions? There is a social responsibility to take care of vulnerable people. It seems that a sensible social responsibility is obligatory education, but also decent education, and that is not happening.

     Avram Noam Chomsky is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is a laureate professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and an institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

What You Should Eat First Thing in the Morning to Help You Lose Weight
Emily DiNuzzoElisabetta Politi, CDE, MPH, RD
Medically reviewed by Elisabetta Politi, CDE, MPH, RD
Updated: May 01, 2024
https://www.thehealthy.com/

     Researchers and dietitians agree that starting your day with a healthy breakfast that includes this single source of protein could set you up for weight-loss success. It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—especially if you are watching your weight. But not all breakfasts are created equal. Loading your plate with these not-so-healthy breakfast foods can ruin your diet and derail your goals, dietitians say.
     Research suggests that one source of protein could be the ideal breakfast for weight loss—eggs. At least in studies funded by the American Egg Board, people who eat eggs for breakfasts can drop as much as 65 percent more weight over eight weeks compared to a control group that wasn’t restricting calories. (The research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the International Journal of Obesity.) And a study published in Nutrition Research suggests that eggs can stabilize blood sugar and suppress hunger, too.
     Alyssa Pike, RD, Manager of Nutrition Communications for the International Food Information Council, suggests that for a nutritionally sound breakfast that is both nourishing and satisfying, people should focus on high-protein and fiber foods, because they can help you feel full longer. Think egg and avocado or egg on whole-wheat bread, she says. Caroline Apovian, MD, director of nutrition and weight management at Boston Medical Center, says that this feeling of fullness after breakfast helps cut down on grazing during the day. Grazing is one of the 13 reasons you probably aren’t losing weight.
     Part of the reason eggs make a great morning meal is because they’re a satisfying protein source, according to Dr. Apovian: Two eggs deliver 180 calories and 14 grams of filling protein, she says. They also offer vitamins like B12, riboflavin, selenium, and vitamin A, Pike says. In addition, they’re cheap and easy to prepare. If you’re looking for more egg and breakfast inspiration, check out these 12 healthy breakfast ideas for any weight loss plan.

     This is for information purpose only and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Kenneth Davis

      T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - TRYING TIMES

     Like sheep that get lost nibbling away at the grass because they never look up, we often focus so much on ourselves and our problems that we get lost.  I contend that not only can you laugh at adversity, but it is essential to do so if you are to deal with setbacks without defeat. When times get tough, at some point, people instinctively know they need to lighten up in order to get through it. In every job, relationship, or life situation there is inevitably some turbulence. Learn to laugh at it. It is part of what you do and who you are.
     Humor can be one of our best survival tools. Humor can help you cope with the unbearable so that you can stay on the bright side of things until the bright side actually comes along. The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery. A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way. No matter what has happened, you too have the power to enjoy yourself.
     Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up. When you do find humor in trying times, one of the first and most important changes you experience is that you see your perplexing problems in a new way - you suddenly have a new perspective on them. In looking for humor, keep in mind this guideline: Sometimes it takes a little time to see the humor in your upsets; you may not find something to laugh about immediately. Children remind us to treasure the smallest of gifts, even in the most difficult times.

     Allen Klein, MA, CSP* (aka "Mr. Jollytologist®") is an award-winning professional keynote speaker and best-selling author who shows audiences worldwide how humor can help them deal with everyday trials and tribulations as well as triumphing over tragedy. 

Kenneth Davis

TIME FOR ANOTHER 
THROWBACK
 THURSDAY

Kenneth Davis

  THOUGHT FOR CONSIDERATION  
TODAYS WORDS - FIND SOLUTIONS 

     No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot. Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason. Our lives, our liberty, and our property are never in greater danger than when Congress is in session. Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Don't wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it. It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right.
     Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation. Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions. If you want to change the future, you must change what you're doing in the present. If you have no will to change it, you have no right to criticize it. The ability to find solutions to life's challenges is what makes us grow as a person. Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there. Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.

MARK TWAIN

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  THOUGHT FOR CONSIDERATION  
TODAYS WORD - ENCOURAGEMENT

     We need to realize that our path to transformation is through our mistakes. We're meant to make mistakes, recognize them, and move on to become unlimited. On one hand, we know that everything happens for a reason, and there are no mistakes or coincidences. On the other hand, we learn that we can never give up, knowing that with the right tools and energy, we can reverse any decree or karma. So, which is it? Let the Light decide, or never give up? The answer is: both.
    Unfortunately, we can never truly know if we're making the right decision. What we do know is that wherever we are, that's where the Light wants us to be. It's the best place for us to be now. And as long as we don't try to control the situation, then we won't end up in the place we shouldn't be. Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.
     Personal responsibility is not only recognizing the errors of our ways. Personal responsibility lies in our willingness and ability to correct those errors individually and collectively. If we can soften our hearts, and if we can access the pure and simple aspect of our nature, then we can regain the realization that everything we need is already inside us and anything is attainable.

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO 
OLIVIA JOHNSON KIMBLE
&
ALVIN HOWLETT

     No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another. What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. The greatest sweetener of human life is friendship.

Joseph Addison

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

      July 28, 2024: There are challenges that you must work your way through, but it is My desire that you confront those issues without getting into conflict. Refuse to play the blame game, but rather seek to find what it is in yourself that needs to be brought into divine order. Only through maintaining peace will you gain the understanding necessary to overcome. Titus 3:9-11 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and striving about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning being self-condemned.

   THOUGHT FOR CONSIDERATION   
TODAYS WORD - CHALLENGES

      Let's be very clear: Strong men - men who are truly role models - don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together. You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. One of the things I realized is that if you do not take control over your time and your life, other people will gobble it up. If you don't prioritize yourself, you constantly start falling lower and lower on your list, your kids fall lower and lower on your list.
     Our greatness has always come from people who expect nothing and take nothing for granted - folks who work hard for what they have, then reach back and help others after them. One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am. I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values - and follow my own moral compass - then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list.
     As we've seen time and again, women and girls who are out there working, they are truly force multipliers, spreading opportunity through their families and communities - and not just by creating programs and nonprofit organizations, not just by hiring other women, but also by serving as role models themselves. I always tell young girls, surround yourself with goodness. I learned early on how to get the haters out of my life. You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.

Michelle Obama

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAYS WORD - SUPERSEDE

     When I'm onstage doing standup, no one yells "Cut!" or tells me what to do. I'm DeRay, and I use my own words. With acting, you're portraying a character with someone else's words. Still, you definitely want to inject a little of yourself into every role.
     I'd like the world to know that I would do what I do for no money. If I could trade my comedy for food, I'd walk into a grocery store and give them 15 minutes for $100 worth of groceries. My passion is beyond the financial. I don't think people are aware of that about me. I'm not a flashy guy, and I want people to know that whatever they do is just as important as my craft.
     I think the role of comedy in your life should supersede anything and everything negative. Just by virtue of the fact that you have to be funny, you can't afford to focus on the negative. As a comedian, your challenge is to turn negative stuff into positive energy. You should be able to hear anything that sounds bad, that people normally wouldn't laugh at, and make it feel funny to you. No one should be able to deter you, once you have your mind set on comedy. Your survival as a comedian should be as natural as breathing. I need to breathe and I consider my career my air.

DeRay Davis

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

• Why does the military plant trees every year?
  To grow the infant-tree.

• What’s the easiest way to get to be a five-star general?
  Great reviews on Yelp.

• What do you call a shipment full of military-issued T. Rexes?
  Small arms.

• Why did the optometrist set his clock to military time?
  To see 20:20.

• Why didn’t the officer respond when asked how he got his start in the military?
  It was private.

• What do you call a soldier who loves to hang out?
  Company commander.

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     July 30, 2024: You must stand firm, endure and press on. There are still mountains to climb and hurdles to jump, but I have given you the will and the ability to keep going, says the Lord. Let the truth of My Word give you the strength to overcome. Never doubt My presence in your life and circumstances. I am with you. Psalm 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

    T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N

TODAY'S WORDS - STAND FIRM

     The strength of a tree, the old ones say, comes not from growing thicker in the good years when there is water, but from staying alive in the bad, dry times. Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next. What you are, comes from the blood of those who set you on this journey. That is likewise unchangeable. What you see in the reflecting pool of truth is who you are. You cannot change that, so it is wise not to curse it. The wiser choice is to embrace it and make it your strength. Success is rarely the result of one swell swoop, but more often the culmination of many, many small victories.

     We are all afraid of something. But that shouldn't stop us from going on every day. We should not always walk in fear of the shadow while we are in the light. It is certain we will not know when or how the difficult and bad times will come, but if we accept that they will come, then they are easier to face when they do. And always remember that anything that causes the shadow is smaller than the source of light.

     Weakness and strength are necessary for balance. No one or nothing is only weak or only strong. But some of us overlook our weaknesses, and even deny that we have them. That can be dangerous, because denying there is a weakness is in itself a weakness. Likewise, accepting that we have weaknesses becomes a strength. And by the same token, overestimating strength is a weakness. You should not be blinded by your strengths. The feeling of strength is not the same as having strength. Neither should you ignore your weaknesses. Know them well, too.

     Life can give you strength. Strength can come from facing the storms of life, from knowing loss, feeling sadness and heartache, from falling into the depths of grief. You must stand up in the storm. You must face the wind and the cold and the darkness. When the storm blows hard you must stand firm, for it is not trying to knock you down, it is really trying to teach you to be strong.

     Joseph M. Marshall III (born c. 1946, Brulé Lakota, Sicangu Oyate) son of Joseph Nelson Marshall Sr. and Hazel Lorraine Two Hawk-Marshall, is a historian, writer, teacher, craftsman, administrator, actor, and public speaker. He was a founding board member in 1971 of Sinte Gleska University, the tribal college at the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

    T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAY'S WORDS - ALWAYS PREVAIL

     Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear; The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. Being brave is when you have to do something because you know it is right, but at the same time, you are afraid to do it, because it might hurt or whatever. But you do it anyway. Sometimes in life, you fall down holes you can't climb out of by yourself. That's what friends and family are for-to help. They can't help, however, unless you let them know you're down there.
     You know. Life's short. If you don't try new things, you'll never know what you're best at. And you can only make time for new things by quitting the things you know don't work for you. Sometimes what you want is right in front of you. All you have to do is open your eyes and see it. I realized that life is so short: Why waste one minute of it worrying what other people think or say about you, or what score you got on some test? Why not believe what you want to believe, and do what you love? To achieve self-actualization, do good things for other people that you would want to be done onto yourself. Always be true to your friends, just as you are to yourself.
     It just goes to show that what one person considers a "bad attitude" might actually just be total frustration over being pushed beyond the brink of one's mental and physical endurance. See? Anger can be healthy. When the time comes–and it will come–remember that. And what I said. Embrace your powers–love yourself the way Nature made you, and you will prevail. Always. The peace sign is with two fingers not one.... even in the cruelest human being there can exist a flower of good. Maybe just the tiniest blossom, in need of water and sunlight, but a flower just the same.

 
Meg Cabot

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Why Your Eyes Could Be Key to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
By Emily Cappiello Updated: Jul. 30, 2024
https://www.rd.com/

     Your eyes aren’t just the windows to your soul. New research confirms growing evidence that Alzheimer's can be detected with a common eye scan. Could a trip to the eye doctor also provide a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease? New research suggests that the first signs of Alzheimer’s can be found in the eyes’ retina at an early stage, long before the cognitive effects can be seen. This study backs up earlier ones that showed small blood vessels in the back of the eye may reveal the disease progression in your brain. A common eye scan can spot these changes before much damage has been done. This link between the eyes and Alzheimer’s disease follow recent major news of breakthrough treatments, as well as a new blood test that detects Alzheimer’s with 96% accuracy.
Alzheimer’s and Your Eyes: What We Know
     The study, published in February in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, found significant increases in a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid, in people with Alzheimer’s. The study collected retinal and brain tissue samples from 86 human donors with Alzheimer’s disease with cognitive impairment over 14 years. This was the largest group of retinal samples ever studied. Researchers then compared samples from donors with normal cognitive function to those with mild cognitive impairment and those with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
     The latest study builds on previous studies reported by the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggesting that a type of imaging known as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) could help medical professionals spot signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the small veins in the back of the eye. Although neurologists can use brain scans to spot the damage of Alzheimer’s, Ygal Rotenstreich, MD, an ophthalmologist at the Goldschleger Eye Institute at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, and lead researcher of one study, said in a press release, at that point “the disease is well beyond a treatable phase.” The goal of the research was to find an accurate, inexpensive test that can spot Alzheimer’s before too much damage has occurred.
     In the first study, researchers at Duke University used OCTA to study retinas of Alzheimer’s patients and then compared them with those of people with mild cognitive impairment, as well as healthy people. The theory is that the blood vessels in the back of the eye may mirror changes happening within the brain. The researchers found that members of the Alzheimer’s group were losing small retinal blood vessels at the back of the eye; they also found that a specific layer of the retina was thinner.
     In Dr. Rotenstreich’s study, researchers did OCTA and brain scans on more than 400 people who had a family history of Alzheimer’s—but had not yet developed symptoms. They compared the images with those from people with no family history of the disease. As in the first study, Dr. Rotenstreich also found that the inner layer of the retina was thinner in people with a history of Alzheimer’s. The study also noted that the hippocampus, an area of the brain that’s first affected by the disease, had already begun to shrink. While researchers are still looking for effective ways to manage Alzheimer’s, the tools that exist now work better when the disease is in earlier stages. “We need treatment intervention sooner,” Dr. Rotenstreich said. “These patients are at such high risk.”
Why Is Early Alzheimer’s Detection Important?
     “Alzheimer’s disease begins in the brain decades before the first symptoms of memory loss,” Dr. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, told CBS News. Catching the sign of the disease early can help people make healthier choices and address risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes.

     This is for information purpose only and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
GWENDOLYN JOHNSON THOMAS 
&
ORVA WALLS

     The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Marcus Aurelius

Kenneth Davis

Words of comfort, skillfully administered,

are the oldest therapy known to man. 

Louis Nizer

     Warriors, information was recently received and validated, concerning our classmate, Tyrone Mosley. He has suffered a debilitating physical impairment and was omitted to the facility listed below. Let us continue to keep him and his family, uplifted in prayer, for an immediate recovery.

Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab
36 Bazeberry Road
Cordova, TN 38018
Phone: 901-758-0036

Visitations, cards and flowers are welcomed.

Kenneth Davis

        T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS -  REMIND YOURSELF 

     Achievement does not require extraordinary ability. Achievement comes from ordinary abilities applied with extraordinary persistence. Be someone who listens, and you will be heard. Be someone who cares, and you will be loved. Be someone who gives, and you will be blessed. Be someone who comforts, and you will know peace. Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.
     Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open. You're able to benefit from the unique viewpoints of others, without being crippled by your own judgment. There is no limit to what you can imagine. And with commitment, with effort, what you can imagine you can become. Put your mind to work for you. Believe that you can do it. The world will tell you that you can't. Yet, in your belief you'll find the strength, you'll find the ability, to do it anyway. Every positive thing in your life represents a single unique blessing. Every negative thing in your life has the opportunity to become a double blessing. For when you turn a negative into a positive, you gain twice. You are no longer burdened with the negative situation, and in addition to that you are strengthened by a new positive force.
     Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort, and patient about seeing the results. Every day is a day to be thankful. Life's abundance has no limit, and gratitude is what keeps that abundance flowing. In every circumstance there is something for which to be thankful. Even when there seems to be nothing else, there is hope. Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings.

Ralph Marston

Kenneth Davis

TIME FOR ANOTHER 

     A. Maceo Walker, chairman of Universal Life Insurance Co., listens to songs, poetry and narration about his contributions to the civil rights movement and the arts. He was honored with a program on March 6, 1983, at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. "I feel so humble to have received all of these accolades," Walker said. "I have never perceived myself as being great." Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal

     February 4, 1989 - Elliot Perry is shown in a game against Louisville. Dave Darnell

     Rufus Thomas, Albert King and Luther Ingram (From Left) shared a musical moment at The Peabody's Skyway in April 1984 where artists from the Stax recording company got together for a reunion dinner. The black-tie dinner was a prelude to a reunion concert at the Mid-South Coliseum, with more than 15 former Stax artists invited to perform. Thomas Busler/The Commercial Appeal

     Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway, of Treadwell High School, leads the unbeaten team to an 89-64 win over Mitchell High School, December 16, 1988. Hardaway scored 40 points in the game, including eight three-pointers. Teammate Michael Pierce added 20 more. Thomas Busler, The Commercial Appeal

     November 30, 1983 - Keith Lee gets a high five from teammate Andre Turner (right) following a scored by Lee on a turnover. David Smart, The Commercial Appeal

     This January 1986 photo reflects the poor condition of the Lorraine Motel prior to the building of the National Civil Rights Museum at the site where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. (Richard Gardner/The Commercial Appeal)

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - RESTORATION

     I'm not a Christian. My participation in music is so full blast, 24 hours a day. And that's my religion. I think I'm as spiritual as the pope, because I spend as much time in my spirituality as he does. I don't think any musician ever thinks about making a statement. I think everybody goes into music loving it. I lived for music since I could think. I got possessed by music as an infant. I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old 'cause my folks tried to get me away from the gramophone. And I just - I lived for music since I could think. And they got me piano lessons. So, by the time I was 13, I was quite an accomplished piano player and musician.
     Watching a Kirk Douglas movie, 'Young Man With A Horn,' made me want to be a trumpet player. For me to want to play the trumpet was a very, very odd thing for my clan as a whole. I had to run away from home in order to be a musician. Because I came from a family of... my father was a health inspector; my mother was a social worker. And I was pretty smart in school. So, they expected me to be some kind of academic - schoolteacher, or doctor, lawyer - and they were very disappointed when I told them I wanted to be a musician. One of my uncles was a high school principal, and he referred to my trumpet as a bugle, which really hurt me.
     When I left South Africa in 1960 I was 20 years old. I wanted to try to get an education, and music education was not available for me in South Africa. When I left South Africa there were 10 million people - when I came back there were more than 40 million. I had to learn how to get to the highways because when I left where there were no highways. It's obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture - African culture, period. The Afro-American experience is the only real culture that America has. Basically, every American tries to walk, talk, dress and behave like African Americans. I am a forward-looking person and live in the moment to build for the future. I'm very interested in heritage restoration, and I'm working with a group of people to create a number of academies and performance spaces to encourage native arts and crafts and to explore African history. I don't think what I do is influenced by suffering. I come from a talented people who are prolific in music and dance.

 Hugh Masekela