And if thy right eye offend thee...

Typically when I put out one of my mix CDs, the title goes without explanation, but for this one I felt that it might be necessary to offer more of an explanation. So the question of the minute is to whom or what am I declaring war?

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Holy Bible (King James Version) - Matthew: Chapter 5, Verse 29

I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that you’ve got people who are like these “offending eyes” in your life. But for some reason, be it guilt or obligation, you keep them around; them and their continual drain on your emotional, financial, and/or spiritual resources. They are easily spotted by any or all of the following identifying characteristics:

1. Always looking on the negative side of things
2. Bad-mouthing people who are doing better than they are
3. Offering excuse after excuse (or “reasons” as they like to call them) about their lack of progress toward their goals, usually taking the form of casting themselves as a victim
4. Bossiness about what everyone else should be doing to the point of bordering on bullying
5. Continually being the center of drama, no matter the setting
6. Exclusionary tendencies toward newcomers or those attempting to enter new arenas
7. Etc., etc.
   

You get the point. The list goes on for these people who seem to have the gift of bringing negativity everywhere they seem to go. For some, it is not even a conscious act or can be traced to key incidents in their own lives. That however does not change the fact that their tendency to act as emotional vampires make life harder than it has any right to be. You spend enough time attending to their idiosyncrasies then look around at your life and realize you are not where you are supposed to be, some of which may be directly attributed to their influence. Do not blame them. Blame yourself for keeping them around. Everything has an expiration date.

This CD is the soundtrack to keeping your head up in the presence of such people. Many potentially great men and women are held down by the company they keep. And though I am loathe to use this term, it should be a personal responsibility to shake them “haters” off and go for what you know! While I do not expect to hear a peep from anyone who might need to hear a CD that captures the struggle to persevere in the face of such opposition, I bet there will be severe backlash from the actual offenders. In the words of one of my old home boys, “a hit dog will holler”…it’s just some will be louder than others.

Keep getting it…and I’m out like Shout…

Author’s Note:

The hardest thing about writing, is coming to grips with the fact that you probably come off like a self-righteous prick and being fine with it. While I have dealt with the type of person described above, I also have been one as well. That fact does not, and should not prevent one from thinking about the words presented and determining one’s own opinion.

What has been a surprise thus far is the number of people who share strikingly similar thoughts but for whatever reason choose not to speak in opposition of popular opinion. To those, you have made The Year of the Pig an awesome project. I had always envisioned a one year, ten CD examination of life in hip-hop form but never had the courage to attempt it. Thanks for all your support. Now, for my Busta Rhymes impression…

“There’s only 5 months left!!!”