What do you absolutely believe in?

POSEURS.

The world is full of them. No not the cute, peace-sign, head tilting variety. Those are POSERS. But those who pretend to be somebody they are not.

We all know the type.

The wanna-be gangsta… with the fake chains and cubic zirconia earrings.Yeah, the one who think that tattoos makes them all hard and shit. The ones that think if they talk tough, they are tough. That if they shave their heads and dress the part…wooo they are soooooooo macho. Sad thing is, some girls people buy into it. I don’t know who the bigger loser is.

Or how ‘bout them chicks who think they know everything? I was in this focus group and we were in a room being asked questions, and this girl who claims she was a fashion stylist (but was dressed like a supermarket bum), in her stupid desire to brag that her boyfriend is a CFO of Sony, claims that Sony paid him a million dollars to not divulge information in a court of law, under oath. Soooo dumb coz the proceedings were being videotaped. True story.

If common sense was available as a pill… most people still will not take it.

Anyway, back to poseurs.

I remember when Fast and the Furious first came out, the import car racing scene was just about at its peak. It was not uncommon to see bone stock Honda Civics with the huge-ass spoilers running on OEM tires and rims. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. There is a special place in hell for poseurs. All show and no go. I wonder how they feel everytime a real car with power is right next to them on a traffic light? Then again, maybe they have no shame.

Now let us talk about those who are real. Imagine all those people who stood up against what was popular. Those who got ridiculed and laughed at for standing up to what they believed in. Jesus Christ. Gandhi. MLK. They all went against the grain. They all got flak for not conforming. For espousing something that was different from the accepted norm. But they were real. They knew it. And soon multitudes of people knew it. They emerged victorious because they were real. Not a facsimile. Not a caricature. Not a fake. Not a poseur. They are real because they knew they knew something that most people have not seen. They have seen truth.

KEEPING IT REAL VS. TRUTH

We all know, heroes are often ridiculed, shot, crucified. That is just how it plays out. The definition of a pioneer is the guy/gal with a target on his back. Knowing the truth is not easy. Because then, one needs to stand up for the truth. But it seems, knowing the truth gives them power…or at least the resolve to keep fighting.

But for many of us, there is nothing to stand up for. How many of us really, absolutely believe in something. To begin with, how many of us are really honest with ourselves? How many times have we lied to ourselves? If we are not true to oneself…how much more of a liar are we to the world?

Everybody has heard somebody say with bravado, “I’m keeping it real” No. That’s not what it’s about. It’s not about “I’ll get up on your face and tell you what I want because I’m real.” It is “This is what I believe. You can do and say all you want, but I am firm in what I believe in because I have proven it.”

The wannabe gangsta likes the mystique of being a cholo.. but doesn’t really want to live in la vida loca. The wannabe fashionista, wants to play the part of a chic celebrity, but really does not have the personality, the style, the cash or the looks to pull it off. They are not being true to themselves. They may fool some of the stupid people some time. But deep inside, they know they are as fake as a 2 dollar bill.

ABSOLUTE

People are searching for something to believe in…

I am sure there is someone or something in this world we would consider trading our life for. But let us not confuse sacrifice for Belief.

It would be a good exercise to start a list. A list of things WE absolutely believe in. I wonder how long that list will be? Probably, not very long.