The picture shown below is of a shelf full of trophies
and awards in sports, music and theater that I had won
or earned for my achievements and accomplishments.
I am showing this picture of them, not to blow my horn
or try to win over respect or admiration, but to make a
very important point.
Like with many in my time, I had worked very hard for
everything that I did. I worked hard to become a good
guitar player and singer. I practiced very hard in in
sports to be a good athlete. I prepared vigorously for all
the plays I had performed in. And when it came to
academics, I had followed my grandfather’s advice,
when he said to me, “Kenny, don’t be afraid to work
twice as hard as the next student if that what you need
to do to get to the same distance”.
I had never used my legal-blindness or learning
disability as a crutch or excuse for advantage over
others. I would never have seen the sense getting
extra privileges just because of any physical attributes I
may have. Merit is how I measure my character. When
it came to sports, if given the opportunity, I would never
cheapen my goals by lying about my gender or saying
that I identify as a woman or black. I was a boy, I
competed with other boys. When I got older, I had
become a man, and so I competed with other men.
When it came to music, I learned to play the guitar and
took voice lessons. I never resorted to playing air-guitar
or relying on auto-tune and lip-syncing. After I had
graduated from school, I made it a point to work and
keep on working. Good or bad, I can only feel good
about myself.
Often, I wonder if so, many young people today can
feel good about themselves sitting at home and
collecting government stimulus, or by using techniques
or technology just to make people believe that they are
something they are not. I know that I surely would not
feel proud or confident of myself if I were given a job or
a task based on my race, ethnicity or deceit. People
who believe in equity over equality are people who
don’t feel good about themselves, or just never learned
good morals. I see many young socialists walk around
today and waste their time feeling sorry for themselves
or angry at the world. I think to myself, “I’m glad I was
never like that”. Such people don’t want to learn, so
they would rather redesign their world to fit their limited
knowledge. That’s the whole idea behind equity,
political correctness, and social justice. I intend to have
as little of a part of it as possible.
Everyone is good at something. Some people are good
at several things. Either way, people who chose to let
their only lives go by doing destructive things or
clouding their minds with drama all day, each day
oversee the reality that it’s all a waste. I have spoken
about greed and laziness before, but in truth, greed
and laziness can kill you.
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