LYMLIFE is.......

 

Every once in a while we take the time out to remind our followers and fam what LYMLIFE is. Between the blog and the Tumblr and the clothing line we are really only tipping the ice berg. LYMLIFE is a lot of things to a lot of people. To me its a catch all for any one making moves and forcing change in their everyday life. LYMLIFE is a movement and a lifestyle for the progressive minds of tomorrow. LYMLIFE is an idea that we branched across many mediums. We do clothing, art, and many other things. Our clothing line is the marketing of the ultimate idea. Many people buy clothing they like but, we believe you should wear something you can stand behind. It should be fashionable but also make the proper statement. Why buy LYMLIFE because by following up with our blog you know what we stand for. LYMLIFE starts with the acronym LYM which stands for Leave Your Mark. That is exactly what we and all our supporters are striving to do. Life at the end of the word only lets you know its a lifestyle not a fad or trend. We have no competition except ourselves. No clothing line out right now is in our lane. We are not saying we are better than any other clothing line we just travel a lonely road that will take us to where we are trying to go.
LYMLIFE is a venture that became a cause that became a reason to live to fight and to die for what you believe in. One our main symbols our wings is a symbol of the freedom to dream. I believe a man without dreams is a man dead to the world. As a child we all had dreams of being something spectacular and over time society grinds those dreams to dust. LYMLIFE is the ability to hold your dreams sacred throughout the course of life. If you can do that then you are LYMLIFE. We refuse to let dreams die. Now just holding a dream is one thing but putting in the work to make it reality now that is something amazing. Why should another human be allowed to tell you that you can't do something? LYMLIFE is the struggle to achieve your personal potential. LYMLIFE is my reason for rising in the morning. I wake up get ready and step out the door to attack the world in a productive manner. Whatever your hustle I personally am always willing to assist. What can LYMLIFE do for you? That is the real question. We represent the working class, the laborers, the backbone of the world. The working class is where we came from and regardless how far this goes we will always embrace them. Corporate America would be nothing without the laborers. These are the hardworking people making ends meet and providing for their families. They are the parents who teach their kids to dream. A dream is the key to true happiness. Over time the world has stepped away from the concept of dreaming and LYMLIFE seeks to reinstate that. LYMLIFE is here to bring back values, morals, and traditions. The very things that make us who we are. The meek will inherit the earth and LYMLIFE will assist in bringing them to their rightful place. We fight for your dreams because our dream is to see you succeed. So stand behind us, support us, and believe in us because we will fight for you. Until next time keep it LYM.....

Music Video Monday

In honor of an exceptional and absolutely out of this world Ultra Music Festival. Here is Swedish House Mafia's song greyhound made for Absolute Vodka.

DC Rally for Trayvon Martin 3/24/12

Wisdom Wednesdays

"There are seven things that will destroy us: Wealth without work; Pleasure without conscience; Knowledge without character; Religion without sacrifice; Politics without principle; Science without humanity; Business without ethics."

— Mahatma Gandhi

Embrace a new sunset and examine where you stand on these things. LYM in ways that represent what you want others to remember. Wealth for my house is abundant good  health and the ability to show love to the ones you value. Pleasure balanced with conscience will avoid multiple regrets. Regrets, remember, eat valuable energy that should be spent on opportunity. The informed understand that each sunrise presents infinite opportunity. Information without character as a backdrop, may as well not be gained. Ah, religion... if we truly understand sacrifice we become aware of all the forms it can take.  Don't be alarmed if payment is taken by time, money, energy and heartache. Politics coupled with principle may sound like an oxymoron because of history. We are challenged to fix this marriage which would represent societal gains in ways that would benefit the good of all. Be a part of the process, which represents eventual solution.  VOTE. Humanity is the key to not only scientific study, but to all that we do. The base is human and we are the source that will define how we respond in these times, which will determine what we face in the future. It is truly our responsibility to conduct all our "business" both private and public with ethics of standard of which we can be proud. Ponder these if only for awhile as YOU leave your mark. Until, seven sunsets, live fully, love abundantly and most of all positively LYM.

On Trayvon Martin, Social Injustice, and Civic Ambivelence

By now, many of us have heard the tragic story of the heinous killing of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. Trayvon, a Miami native, went to visit his father one weekend in Sanford, a suburb north of Orlando, FL. While watching the NBA All-Star Game, he decided to walk over to a local 7-Eleven to pick up snacks for him and his younger brother. On his way back, he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain. Zimmerman, called in to 911 reporting that he saw someone who looks “up to no good or, or on drugs” walking in his neighborhood. After the boy began to run from him Zimmerman chased him, against instruction of the dispatcher. After an apparent scuffle between the two, some local residents called the police reporting the sound of someone screaming for help then a gun shot. When the police arrived, Trayvon was found dead, armed with a bag of skittles, an Arizona Iced Tea, and his cell phone. The Sanford Police, known to have a history of questionable practices, let Zimmerman walk away with his hands clean and did not even notify Trayvon’s family after the incident.

This has resulted in a huge public outcry from outraged citizens across the nation. Many are under the impression that if Zimmerman had been black, he would have been cuffed and booked with no questions asked. Or if Trayvon had been white, this whole thing would never have happened in the first place. There have been rallies all over calling for Zimmerman’s arrest, and that he be put to trial. Recent demonstrations have shined the spot light back onto the long ignored racial tensions that still exist in our society and especially in Florida, one of the most racist states in terms of its legislative record.

This is one of those few moments where a large amount of people are voicing their anger at the institutions in place that allowed this heinous tragedy to occur, and those that turned a blind eye.

So who should we be mad at? Should we point the finger at Zimmerman, who pulled the trigger? Should we blame the Sanford Police department who not only allowed this to happen but also tried to change eyewitness testimonials? What about the extremely loose, stand-your-ground gun laws in Florida, that set a precedent for other states to follow, which enabled Zimmerman to carry a concealed weapon and use it in “Self-Defense” against an unarmed teen? We might even blame the state legislators who enacted this law, and others that have targeted and disenfranchised our communities of color. But I think that there is a much deper cause to all of this, one that has allowed the this and many other similar incidents before it to occur.

I blame you.

I blame you who don’t know the name of you district’s state or national representative, or where they stand on important issues. I blame you who don’t even know what district you live in. I blame you who doesn’t inform and arm yourself with the proper knowledge to make sure these things never happen. I blame you who is outraged, demonstrating, and demanding justice, yet did not care to be just as passionate, if not more, when elections season came and put the people who allowed this to happen in office.

The stark reality here is that we love to get outraged and react to atrocities like this and hundreds of others that happen here and across the world with consent of our politicians; “react” being the key word here. You, who demands justice, what did you do to preempt this incident. Where was your anger when Jeb Bush signed the Stand Your Ground law which allowed “self-defense” to be synonymous aggression?

As people of color, we love to rush to the front lines when an injustice has occurred to one of our own. Yet we rarely gather the same enthusiasm when it comes to the civic engagement necessary to avoid these injustices. What we need to realize is that decisions are being made for us, about us, and we are not at the table to have our input. If the opposite were true, politicians like Rick Scott would never even have had the chance to attempt to silence the votes of ex-convicts in Florida who overwhelmingly (and conveniently for old Ricky) belong to a certain melanin enriched, demographic minority. We are comfortably uncomfortable with our social climate to the point where we can voice our discomfort when convenient, but not care enough to go out of our way to change the reality of our circumstance.

So yes I blame you, and anyone else outraged, who never thought it important that the person representing them in government never gave a damn about what happens to them or their community. Justice will never come to us as easily as a click of a facebook status, retweet, or tumblr re-blog. If you think you did your part by sharing a link are your page you’re sadly mistaken. If you think you’re doing your part by demonstrating and rallying, you’ve only done the last half the job you should have started during the 2010 and 2008 elections. I’m not saying that expressing our outrage about this incident is wrong but, in the grand scheme of things, it is too little too late in terms of preventing the situation from occurring. Our only hope now is to move forward, learn from our past negligence and make sure nobody will ever have to become a martyr for justice like Trayvon did. Zimmerman should be put to justice, but so should our law enforcement officials who seem to not being doing their jobs as well as our politicians who allow laws that enable these things to happen.

So where does this mean for us? It is ultimately up to you to decide. You see the injustices that plague our society. You see the law makers who allow them to occur repeatedly. You see what little has been done to stop this.

Its 2012 and November elections are is just around the corner. So ask yourself what will YOU do to preempt these injustices so that you never have to react against them? How will YOU leave your mark on society?

Music Video Monday

One of my favorite track off of Ambition. That LYMLIFE soundtrack to the struggle music...enjoy

Wisdom Wednesdays

Wisdom Wednesdays

"To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things everyday."   

                                                                                                                         Lao Tzu

 The noun wisdom is defined as the quality of  having experience, knowledge and good judgement. Few among us would argue that this  is an asset. Our challenge in this time is to extract some sense from  the nonsense we encounter in our  daily journey.  When we incorporate the learning from our experiences to our skill  set, our world view is broadened. Humans big and small make hundreds if not thousands of decisions between every sunrise. When we strive to expand our view , we deepen the quality of our decisions, our reflections and ultimately our actions. Actions are how you LYM (Leave Your Mark). Lao Tzu referred to wisdom as "removing things everyday". Remove doubt and replace it with confidence, remove fear and replace it with courage , remove obstacle and replace it with opportunity. Contemplate these things as you live your life and leave your mark. Until, seven sunsets, live fully, love abundantly and most of all positively LYM.

Music Video Monday

One of my Favorite covers....Check it out!

Kid Cudi's Top 25 Albums

Click here for his picks and answers why, in a sit down with Complex Mag.

Kobe VII- Poison Dart Frogs - Easter Release

Here is the latest installment in the Kobe VII series. They look too sick...

Release Date: 4/06/12

Click here for more info and pics

AUTISM SPEAKS pt 1

     Sspring break has begun and work continues. Yesterday, I attended the "Walk For Autism" at JC Bermudez Park in Doral. All I can say is "awesome event for an even more awesome cause." The event was filled with entertainment, food, and plenty of awareness booths and lots of free gifts advertising related services . Awareness booths covered many subjects from autism brochures, to  forms of therapy, to barbershops and nail salons that warmly welcome customers with Autism. My favorite had to be booths in which they were advertising the hiring and assimilation into a work environment for autistic adults. All this coupled with bounce houses and entertainment aplenty for the young and old. Of course the walk followed the morning events, but was truly was a great event to be a part of.YThe city of Miami officials and administrative figures showed support and good face which was appreciated by attendees and was hopefully for the cause and not for the photo ops. Most importantly, the day was for the cause and it truly speaks volumes about our responsibility to all in our society.
     For the unaware, Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life and affects the brain's development of social and communication skills. Now I am not an expert on autism but I have my fair share of experiences from my mother working with autistic children, as well as my educational encounters with autism. Autism is categorized as a disorder and it is known to be a challenging path for both child and parent. In my eyes, I see autism as almost that " nerdy, quirky, unique" feature to the personalities of these amazing children. Its always eyeopening to view the human mind at work in everyday life but autistic children are absolutely intriguing to me. I don't see it as much as a disorder as I see it as unique and different perspective and way of interpreting life . I say that to say I understand people are searching for a cure, but I am not sure we are looking in the right direction or even asking the right questions. In my mind, and from what I know I believe advancements in behavior and interactions is much more important than a cure. If a cure involves interfering with genes and anything neurological I believe that its wrong. You may end up with a normal child but who defines normal. If you're dying to fit in I'm sorry for you because at LYMLIFE we love to stand out. People with Autism stand out and should be celebrated for their point of view of this world.  Who knows? Their worldview may be the telescope some of us need to look in. Your challenge is to support something for someone with unique needs.

     Autism is a challenge but shortcuts may cost  losing something special. Every child is special, some more than others but its that hint of originality that drives parents to love their children. Life is a struggle and by design, we struggle to appreciate our achievements true worth. I am no better than any individual with Autism. In my eyes, we are equal regardless of our condition. We are capable all of reaching our dreams with the right supports in place. Some need assistance, but who of us can say our journey would not be smoother with an extra push some time. Some officials spoke and made autism sound like leprosy. I heard a man say we do for these children because its humane. I'm sorry, that is the wrong way to go about things. We shouldn't do things because they are humane, we should do them to show  love and consideration. Do not exclude these children because they are different. Take your normal and their difference and find that ground which you can level on. Just a conversation with them might teach you something. They are just children ,they just need the extra push. They will struggle more than the average but in my eyes they are capable. The beauty is, when these children achieve, they don't take it for granted.The struggle is appreciated. Its the "normal" children who are overlooking their potential and being satisfied with the norm. So regardless of your condition or disorder, know that all of you have the right to LYM (leave your mark) and the right to dream. Don't let anyone take that from you! Through unity will come strength. We must unify. Autism doesn't only speak, it walks, and it breathes. So recognize it, and welcome it for we are all children of god and no one man is better than another.