Time – Hamp's Corner of America

Jordan, Tiger…or Another Individual?

This morning I am laying in the bed watching Sports Center. Charles Barkley made a statement that Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods commanding the stage of being the best athlete he has known in his life. I understand that Charles Barkley speaking about the most exceptional athletes were those from his era. But then there is no excuse for his ignorance of black history. Then again, we are talking about something said by Barkley.

You may or may not know that people are going on and on in the sports world today. The subject is the greatness of Michael Jordan in the game of basketball. They are talking about the Chicago Bulls documentary film, “The Last Dance.” It is about the drive to the Bulls last NBA Championship.

So many people are heaping praise and rightly so on the GOAT, Michael Jordan. I will agree that he was one of the best, coldest, most fierce competitors of the game of all time. That has stood the test of time up though Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Everybody wanted to be like Mike. All basketball players wanted the talent, etc. of a Michael Jordan.

Charles, let me clarify one major point. Jordan nor Tiger Woods are not the most charismatic in sports. Do they cause wonderment, envy? Can they probably work in a social environment room like no other? I’ve never been in an environment of sports celebrities to feel the electricity as those two walking into a room. I am a product of the hood. I can tell you what is said about all those individuals in the barbershop, pool halls, and all local social gatherings. Are they, as you said, the best individual athletes of all time?

No, they are not. That title is reserved for another individual. Just so you know, there is no one more respected, revered as an athlete, or an all-around person than Muhammad Ali. You don’t believe me, google his name.

Go back in time a few years before those individuals, Jordan, and Tiger. Check out the life story of Ali. Then come back and correct your statement.

I think it would be good for both of those gentlemen named by Barkley to remember as they accept the accolades showered on them from others. There is a greater one whose name is known for not only what he accomplished in his sport. His legacy as a man far exceeds any other since the journalism of words written about sports stars. After all, Muhammad Ali coined the words, “Greatest of all Time.” Do you feel me?

Peace & Blessing, stay healthy, vigilant for our American rights. Make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

Join us for the live broadcast of our bi-monthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica

We present the republication of the Authors’ tour of South Korea as a 17-year-old GI with Unchon-ni. Check out the details at https://outskirtspress.com/Unchonni

We are in a continuing effort to publicize, Gracie Hall-Hampton, the Arkansas Years 1917-1953. Based on the life of the Authors Grandmother. The Novel examines an era of Jim Crow that many in our society may have forgotten occurred against people of color. Meanwhile, we celebrate the publication of his fifth book, Misguided Intentions. A book where family relationships questioned to the core. Read MI’s review at https://redheadedbooklover.com/gracie-hall-hampton-codis-hampton-ii/ Click on the publisher-Authors page at https://outskirtspress.com/MisguidedIntentions

Get any of his books by visiting my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Look for new books, updates of current titles, and submission of short articles to significant magazines upcoming in 2020. We love to pass on our written word. – Hamp

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at http://hcoa.net/ and http://www.chiia.com/home.html. Our Retail Site is https://frostyltd.com/frosty-ltd-com

Here’s 2018, or…

…Down is up, up is down and sideways is running around in circles

We are approaching or in a brand-new year. Yet we are still dragging along a bunch of crap from the old year. Stuff that hasn’t been worked out or a federal investigation that hasn’t reached a conclusion. Everybody knows the Russians interfered in our elections except the President of our country. My guess is he knows but just doesn’t want most Americans to delegitimize the December 2016, Electoral College declaration of the November 8 official winner. If you are not careful, you will become dizzy from the twist and turns of the daily behavior from the current occupants of the White House.
Words like conspiracy and obstruction of justice are flying around Washington DC like a noose tightening around the Grand Marshall of the KKK’s neck. The current administration is ducking, dogging while trying to counter punch as if boxing was in their DNA. No one knows where the real buck is going to land or if an indictment is just around the corner. Yes, these are tense times at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Stay tuned for more fallout reported daily by the very institutions designated by the president as Fake News Outlets.
Stay tuned for more sexual harassments charges from men who can’t seem to keep it in their pants when it comes to business associates or woman they casually meet at some affair or another. For that matter, I bet you some relationship that we never dreamed would occur is about to come to light in 2018. But then…yes…women have found their voice and its about time.
Look out for more saber-rattling from North Korea and the like. They all know now that as America continues to isolate itself against the rest of the world. That provides cover for their inhuman acts. Our allies now trust us less as they don’t know if their discussions with the US will be in the next tweet from the Donald. Senate and House Republicans will continue to act as if they don’t know why they were sent to Washington in the first place.
Look for Democrats to pin a lot of hopes in the 2018 elections. The problem is they better put in the work, or the November-December headlines will be how the Democrats blew it.
All that is just a distraction from how we as individuals can make it an outstanding New Year. First loose as many pounds as you can, which is my goal. You will note I didn’t say how many. That guarantees I will be successful in that venture. Do something you and your main squeeze like to do at least twice a month in 2018. Do something that may be costly during the year but save for it. Or you can still do something that is not pricey. Realize it doesn’t cost anything to be helpful to one another. Or for that matter to people, you meet during your daily rounds.
Take an interest in your children’s world, including play and school. Ensure that they know the values of life and not just the commercial entities. Make an example of yourself by reading books, magazines, or computer blogs. But let them know that your family is a reader of words from many different but trusted sources. Along with your religious preference which should be practiced on a daily schedule. Another fascinating subject that I believe should be discussed within the family is the theory of Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. In short, it’s Abraham Maslow’s psychology theory dating back to his 1943 paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation.” It is the ideal vehicle in which to show others why we crave specific needs. Look it up on the internet for details. Having taken the subject of Psychology in school. I found it to be a roadmap for life’s achievements.
Take steps in planning for your independence from your job one day. Whether that is in retirement, resigning or being downsized. Be aware of your peak earning timeframe and always plan on moving on to something else. It will keep you financially stable and able to pivot to another direction. Don’t ever think you are going to work until you are old and gray in any employment.
Finally, as you know, this is a time when we take note of where we are at, going, and how to get there. Some of us select the person we want to ride with us to wherever we’re headed. Nevertheless, it is a time for reflection. If it isn’t, then make it such a time as it should be for your own best interest. Happy New Year from my little corner of the world and enjoy the coming seasons. As you know time moves on with or without you so hang on and enjoy the ride.
If you are thinking of what’s next in Washington DC, don’t get confused or buy into the rhetoric. Heed the words of my Grandma Gracie, “One monkey don’t stop the show.” She may have not been grammatically correct, but you get the point.
Peace & Blessings…stay vigilant for our American rights. Make it a 2018 day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II
Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo
Subscribe to this blog at https://wp.me/p65rCa-jf

Join us for the live broadcast of our bi-monthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica
We are in a continuing effort to publicize my book, Gracie Hall-Hampton, the Arkansas Years 1917-1953. It examines an era of Jim Crow that many in our society may have forgotten occurred against people of color. Meanwhile, we celebrate the publication of my latest and fifth book, Misguided Intentions. Click on the publisher-Authors page at https://outskirtspress.com/MisguidedIntentions
Get any of my books by visiting my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at http://hcoa.net/ and http://www.chiia.com/home.html. Our Retail Site is https://frostyltd.com/frosty-ltd-com

Has Common Sense Left The Building?

I’ve told my wife and friends several times in the recent past. I no longer have my cool stroll. Some, not me, would call it a pimp walk. But most dudes from my era (the sixties) had the stroll walk. For that matter, it goes beyond the sixties. A perfect example of that was the Obama Stroll. Yes, the president had his version. Well today, my stroll is more like a penguin’s walk. The reason is I’ve got arthritic knees. It’s also a case of both knee joints not having much cartilage.

Yeah, it’s a trip growing older, but then the alternative, hold your breath…is death. My wife uses a cane to help her walk, for she has the same problem. Socially, our knees hamper us both from climbing steps, dancing as we once did, or participating during the fellowship period after church services.

With age, as anyone over fifty will tell you, come wisdom. I use to tell my kids as they reached the teenage years. Always, keep in mind that someone twice your age has learned by accident more than you know right now.

This morning I watch a football player on Sportscenter using his cell phone to film a live selfie of himself. The problem, this was at the same time his coach was giving a short speech and instructions after the team had won a playoff game. He posted the live film on Facebook.

Old school people would look at that as disrespecting the game and coach. They would think that player is exhibiting a selfish attitude. It’s a practice that is the exact opposite of teamwork. Most people around his age, especially boys or young men, would ask where is the problem. We leave women out because they mature faster than young men.

As far back as high school, friends would categorize me as a serious dude. “Man you need to relax.” My answer then and now is it’s a serious world. When I partied, which was often, they said I relaxed too much. Well, unapologetic I am my daddy’s child. As he did, I love, work and play hard. But I never, ever forget who I am, or from whence I came.

I heard Pharrell “Happy” Williams complain during a recent interview that old people and traditions are insignificant. I’m sure he doesn’t mean any and everything as in all subject matter. It does show that a lot of people in his age group are insensitive and uneducated about certain society issues. I love the song “Happy” as does everyone. But being Happy 24-7 is an unrealistic goal for most adults. Being content 24-7, a few steps lower than happy is possible.

In fact, I can tell you that my wife and I are content. We are comfortable with ourselves, life and most of our family and friends. Oh, now and then something always come up, family members who think they been disrespected. Some younger, a few older folks don’t like something I’ve done at some time or the other. In that respect, I always feel if we can’t talk it out, then they have the problem, not me.

I’ve said almost all my life. You don’t have to be brilliant to understand life, but you do have to be living in a world of reality. Lying to one’s self doesn’t help you mature; it only confuses your judgment. Think about it. There is enough confusion pushed by people from all walks and corners of society. It’s hard enough keeping an honest perspective from what’s shown on television, propaganda pushed by certain political groups in this country without adding personal misjudgments or lies to the equation. One has to stay in the world of society’s reality, not one you’ve created for yourself. You know the kind, where you are always right, and everybody else is wrong. So your attempt to hang with people who believe as you do is not conducive or contributing to your growth as a person.

Common sense must accompany maturity and growth. It always seems to boil down to I am living free, being me and having fun. I’m here to tell you that both are possible, but it requires personal sacrifice. It requires hard work, accepting responsibility, determination and being honest with you and yours. The question, how bad do you want it? Or is it too tough a road for you to travel to reach that particular goal?

That is what separates the OG’s, so to speak from the younger ones. The OG has learned from actually participating in life. The youngster only dreams of what could be and has yet to see that dream become a reality. Instead of taking steps to make it a reality they talk about it. They put it in songs; they write poems about it. They get high and think an idea realized at that time is original. When they find someone else has thought of it, they think the person stole their idea. They interpret it as something that is needed in society but never puts in the work to make it happen. If only I would have, etc., etc. Yes, that is when you wonder what if I had? Well, youngster, you can, but you have to get off your behind and do it, not just talk about it. That is where the saying talks the talk and walks the walk take place.

Education is a must, but common sense is a place where we all need to reside. With both, the sky is the limit. If you have to choose, basic education and good common sense are great ingredients for happiness and contentment. A person’s word is all they have to give you. If you can’t count on that, well, shame on them. Respect your fellow human beings need to be themselves. Your expectations of who a person is or can don’t count unless it’s a politician. They work for us. A lesson in how to live is available from those who have already lived a longer life. However, that older individual must be the teller of truth. Common sense should be a priority in any politician’s character.

And yes there is a higher power for man did got here by walking from the sea evolving into an ape, etc., etc. Your answer to life, peace, and happiness is within you. No human can make your day. It starts and ends with you. If you cannot understand that, then you, my friend will have a problem until you do.

Peace, yet stay vigilant for our American rights. Make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

Subscribe to this blog at http://wp.me/p65rCa-fK

Join us for the live broadcast of our bimonthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica

“In my latest book, Remember Moz, Gracie & John Hampton’s First-Born, I wanted to tell the world about a unique individual. Not because he happened to be my father but to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he evolved into the man he became up until his death. In doing so, I wrote of his ancestor’s roots back to and through the Civil War. The inclusion of his birth and upbringing in the heart of Arkansas, or Jim Crow country, add southern reluctance to learn why our country involved itself in a bloodthirsty four-year exercise in the first place? Then you begin to understand why our parents behaved the way that they did. See if I captured the essence of this paragraph.” Get the book via the Authors Page at http://outskirtspress.com/webPage/isbn/9781478766056

Or visit my Amazon.com Authors page at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B017TYFKBI?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at http://hcoa.net/ and http://www.chiia.com/home.html .

Whose Time’s More Valuable, Yours or Mine?

Here is a question for you…whose time is more important, yours or mine? I ask because the answer is obvious. Most people who answer truthfully will, of course, say their time. We all think our time is a premium possession in which, often we don’t have a spare minute.

Some people, who have shortcomings in a particular area of entrepreneurial expertise, have no problem in asking for your help on their project. This is especially true for those who may not possess good business person skills. They often ask you to give your time and effort for free, without any type of compensation. They appeal to your sense of pride in your race, community or country. They want to reap the benefits of monetary reward or prestige for their pet project. But as far as your contribution to the same, they want something for nothing.

I have found the perfect solution to those types of situations. It is no secret, for I learned this lesson in my thirty’s. There is nothing like putting words in a contractual or agreement format to ensure that all involve understand what is required and expected from any type of collaboration. Presenting this type of document to others has a way of weeding out those who want something for nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, the document is not asking for some outrageous fee. You are just putting together stipulations of a working agreement between business persons. Both of you are going to agree on whatever is included in the document. Most Entrepreneurs will understand, except those who wanted something for nothing. They suddenly have second thoughts. For me, I just laugh to myself and thank God I saved a lot of time by weeding these type folks out of my life. Because…in the end, time is of the essence with me.

There is that word…time. Let’s go a little deeper into that thought. Young folks…say eighteen to thirty don’t have any time for anyone. At least that is the way it seems. We rush from thought process to the thought process, relationship to relationship, maybe even one career to a completely different type. How we make, our living is of the utmost importance at this stage of life. Indeed, how much we are paid for our services is the primary reason we choose a particular profession.

By the time we reach the thirty to the forty-year-old range, there is a gradual or sometimes sharp turn in one’s priorities. Here we began to seriously look at where we are in life. We look at our current social and intimate contacts as well as our financial status. If we have children, or maybe grandchildren, we begin thinking of their well-being for the future. Bottom line, at this age bracket, most have gotten real serious about life. Time is becoming a premium that is not to be wasted as we did at a younger age.

Fifty to sixty is another age range where people look at time differently. It’s like you began to hear Rod Sterling’s “Twilight Zone” theme music. You know that you are about to enter a time zone of no return. It’s not too late to prepare yourself for old age. Make no mistake about it, some may figure that fifty is the new forty. That really makes no difference to how young you feel, the fact is you are still dealing with irreplaceable time.

For those of us over sixty, time for all practical purpose, indeed for any purpose is what we are now trying to measure. The primary being how much more time do we have on this earth. By the time one reaches this age bracket, you began to look back and see what you have or have not accomplished. We believe it’s too late for some things and not too late for others, depending upon your perspective and previous ambitious. Some of us find other careers later on in life.

From a social perspective, you no longer have the patience you once had with trivial matters. You have no time for rude people. You have reached a heightened understanding of people’s motivation that causes them to act in a certain manner.

From that special relationship with a spouse you value the time you have spent together. If the person is still around, you laugh and reminisce at the crazy times you two had or marvel at the things you accomplished. You wonder what might have been had you went in this or that direction in your life. Overall, you are thankful you can sit back and think about how it was at that time. Most of all, you appreciate the now.

And finally from a business perspective you might have things you want to accomplish, or to be more exact, unfinished business. We are trying to make a difference by leaving something of ourselves behind for others to know that we were here on earth at a specific time. No matter what age group you fall in, think about that a minute.

That is the primary reason for me to refer to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Without going into Maslow’s entire theory, all one need to understand is to look at his pyramid of needs pictured in this article. For those who are not familiar study it a minute. And then think about the fact that any age bracket in your life you may had reached a certain level in this pyramid. Maybe it was just one of the sub-titles at a particular level. Then, for whatever reason, you fell back down to the “Basic Need” level. The point being and the primary idea of Maslow’s need is that it is rare for one to have reached the pinnacle level of “Self-fulfillment Needs.” Why? Because most of us spend a lifetime of running up and down this entire pyramid.

There is no doubt that each rung on the ladder of this design takes time to get, solidify, and maintain throughout a lifetime. Most believe the time is really controlled by God. For that atheist out there, let me put it another way. You do not control the length of time you will be on this earth. And that is why each and everybody’s time is most valuable to them.

So the next time you ask someone in the over sixty age bracket if they have a minute, an hour, or anytime, realize you are asking for their most precious commodity. If you are coming at them from a real place of need or help, they most likely will find the time to give you. If not, don’t be surprised if they look at you like you are crazy, shake their head and just walk away without a word. You feel me?

Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

Subscribe to this blog at http://wp.me/p436aY-68

Join us at the live broadcast of our bimonthly BTR Shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hampscornerofamerica

Get my latest book, a collection of my blogs from 1999 through 2014. It’s entitled The Episodic Thoughts of Hamp. Go to the following Authors page link for details. http://www.outskirtspress.com/webPage/isbn/9781478746232

Our Parent Company and sponsor is CHIIA Group, online at https://hampscofa.net/