HowTheyChangedMyWorld

I bet you are wondering who Jack Utz is. A little backstory will clear some things up for you. Born in 1933, Jack grew up in Buffalo, New York along with his two brothers. Later in life, he met the love of his life, Mary Lou Lynch. They fell in love, got married, and had a few kids. One of those kids ended up being Katherine Umberger or who I like to call… mom. Yep. Jack Utz is my loving grandfather. The reason I gave you that whole talk about his backstory is to show that he found love. Which in turn, leads to the lesson that he taught me about love and what it means to find true happiness in someone.

Growing up, I remember arriving to my grandparent’s house and being excited to spend another day with them. Every day was different, but the same in many ways as well. My grandfather would always ask me, “How beautiful does your grandmother look today?’. Everyday he would ask me this. She told him to do something, he did it. No questions asked. She wanted to be somewhere, he would be more than happy to tag along. So, each year I embark on a new journey and as I fell into the middle and high school years as well as college, I begin to understand relationships a bit more and understand what love is. Love is putting someone else’s happiness before yours. Love is wanting to see them smile. Love is wanting to be around someone, not always, but whenever you get the chance you do not hesitate to be with them. My grandparent’s love was so blind and effortless, that I realized something. That there is someone for everyone. That the missing piece that you’re looking for will show itself one day. But more importantly, my grandfather taught me, to love with endless passion and never lose the spark. So when the time comes when I find that someone, I cherish the moment and never let the spark die.

Friendship. As you go through the labyrinth of college and the trials that it throws at you, the word seems to gain a new meaning. In one school, one home, there is over 40,000 students to make friends with and blossom relationships in ways never before. In high school, it seemed that everyone in the school had their cliques and tight-knit groups that they never strayed away from for the most part. But to be honest, there was always the feeling that you wanted more. That everyone in the school needed to like you or you wouldn’t be accepted. But in college I realized. The number doesn’t matter. I’d rather sit here, hang out with my group and let everyone else live their lives. I’d rather kick back and laugh with people that bring me happiness and make their life better, rather than look for the acceptance of people that don’t matter. Getting older it’s easier to realize the lessons that were right in front of you, your whole life. That the people you are with in the here and now, are the most important thing that matters. Taking in every moment you have with them and recognizing that life is about the simplest moments. From laughing until you pee your pants with a best friend from home or making terrible yet extraordinary decisions with people you just met that grow to be the best friends your looking for, life is about realizing what you have when you have it. I realize that. I’m glad I have because now I can focus my energy and love on the family and friends that mean the most to me. A good word of advice that I received in my short life is as follows, “At the end of the day, who is there for you when you reached out? Who would you sit down for dinner with? Who do you want to be around when the world crashes in around you?”, and those questions make me realize who I want when times are getting tough. The answer is clear as day…my friends.

Mac Miller took his life at the age of 26 on September 7, 2018.

Now, growing up I listened to a wide range of music. From The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Eric Clapton with my father. To Lil Wayne, Kanye West, All American Rejects, Maroon 5, and even Drake with my friends. Growing up, music meant a lot to me.  It allowed me to express myself. It allowed me to make memories. It allowed me to turn a frown into a smile. But an artist that allowed me to understand myself and my passion for music was Mac Miller.

I could go through the hundreds of songs that he has made and point out the deeper context of all of them that pertain to me. But I’d rather talk about Mac Miller in a way that I looked at him. Rap has and always will belong to the black community. I mean, guys like Tupac, Biggie, NWA, NAS, the Wu-Tang clan, and the list goes on, paved the way for this genre to take a firm grasp on the music world and run with it. I for one, love all types of music. But rap. Rap was the genre that even as a young kid would sit in my room and jam to. My brother is a bit older than me, and he brought me on to the scene. One day he showed me a kid from Pittsburgh who was an upcoming star. His name: Mac Miller.

Now Eminem had already ran through and paved the chance for Mac to become who he was. Still. A white man trying to rap, will always be a bit weird. I mean, let’s be honest. But Mac had this vibe and wave to him. He had this rhythm and this way of making you sing along. Which leads to me to the first thing that he taught me. He taught me to always have a smile on my face. He directly never said anything or had any real ideologies that expressed this, but whenever his music came on I had to smile. He broguht me happiness. However, beyond that he taught me a deeper lesson on September 7, 2018.

Mac Miller taught me that life is precious. Life is so pure and wonderful. But there is darkness in all of us. All the money and fame in the world, the people that we look up to, are still fighting demons. That it is OK to not be ok. That life is tough and everyone goes through tough times. That everyone is human. And even though someone can make you smile and realize happiness, them theirselves can be lost. Always be kind, because you never know how someone is feeling.

Structure. Discipline. Toughness. All words echoed into my ears throughout my time playing football for one of the greatest coaches to ever step foot into a high school program. But what does it mean to me. Well, the lessons I learned from being apart of the program and the lessons he taught me allow me to be who I am today.

Let’s start with structure. By structure, it means to have a plan. To make a plan and to carry that plan through is what keeps the wheels on the train moving. Every day in the summer we would wake up at 7, lift until 9, then practice until 12. We continued this structure until the season came along, where would continued to stick to a practice schedule and stayed focused on our goals. By following the structure of the program we became the best versions of ourselves and as football players. But to follow structure, there must be discipline.

Discipline is mental as much as it is physical. He would often say, “If you’re on time, you’re late”. Be the first one to show up and the last to leave. Out work the competition. Everyone wants to reach goals, most of the time those goals are the same. Everyone is working toward those goals, but if you spend that much more time putting in the work. Showing the discipline to make sure that you are doing that much more than the person next to you, then you can be great. Not letting your teammates down by skipping a rep. Not only letting them down, but your self for that matter. Greatness takes discipline and to be great means to out work and continue to outwork your competition. Being there for the people that are there for you. But to have this structure and discipline, it takes toughness.

“Everyone has a plan, until you get punched in the mouth”. A quote from Mike Tyson, Coach Matta would tell us this before a game. It embodies who you should be in any situation. In football, it may mean taking on a player that is larger then you and getting after it. Or going down at halftime, but working to end up with the win. Or even pushing out the last reps of a set in order to outwork your competition. But in life, that means rolling with the punches. Because, for the short time I’ve been on this earth, I have noticed that life is going to hit you. And hit you hard. But to have the toughness to look your problems and the things that happen to you dead in the eyes, and conquer whatever is thrown at you is true toughness. Coach Matta may be simple in his teachings, but the three words that he would continue to echo in my head have led me to heights I never thought possible. Gotten me through times where the world seemed to cave in. And has allowed me to prosper through the hardships in my life, with my head high and my eyes locked on what I want. Structure. Discipline. Toughness.

Who is there for you at your lowest? Who stands by you when the world seems to be crumbling at your feet? Who would burden all your pain just so you could have an ounce of happiness for just a moment? All those questions for me lead to one absolutely amazing woman named Katherine Umberger. My mother. Now I could sit her behind the computer and type about how she put food on my plate, woke up every morning for 30 years to make sure I could have anything I asked for, or made every sacrifice so that my life was the best that it could be. But I’m not. Let me explain to you that beyond all that, my mother has taught me strength deeper than I could ever imagine.

My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014. Not just any type of cancer, but stage 3. I was 15, beginning my freshmen year of high school. The biggest time in my life, a time where I could find myself and grow as an individual. However, she never told me the severity of the disease and the depth of the problems that it can bring so that I could lead a normal life without worry. She simply told me she had cancer, and that she was going to beat it. I believed her. No one could stop my mom, but what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, for my mom it meant she was going to make that object move. Despite being faced with a year of chemotherapy, several surgeries, and constant tiredness my mom never wavered. Always with a smile on her face, always asking what she could do for me. What she could do for me? You have cancer… what can I do for you. But no, that isn’t who she is. She defeated cancer in late 2015, the battle was won, but not the war. She then was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016. What more do you want from her I used to ask. She could of rolled over. She could of let her hardships break her. Break her soul and her passion for life. But like I said, she had strength deeper than I could ever imagine. She once again, my hero, defeated cancer for the second time. Not once during this entire battle did she ever ask for help but continued to prosper. She taught me a lesson that I will hold on to forever. True strength is not physical or mental, but the strength in will is more than anything. If you want something, if you refuse to lose, then you can do things thought impossible. The love that she gives and continues to give allows me to live. She refused to let cancer beat her. Because, represented through the sign above our kitchen table reads, cancer can take away your physical abilities but it can never touch your mind, your heart, or your soul. All three things are going to carry on forever. The strongest woman I know.

A story of rags to riches seems to always hit home with an audience. Want to know why? Because being at the absolute bottom of the barrel is a feeling we all have, where you feel like life can’t seem to get any better. A story where a person is in this hole but rises through it all to become more than life, is a story we all love to hear. I mean, I’m a sucker for a great underdog story because it gives me hope. However, I’m not taking about Rocky defeating Ivan Drago or the Mighty Ducks risking it all to win the championship. I’m talking about a story where a single father, raising a son in a homeless shelter, fights through all odds to rise up and get a job. Then prosper and flourish. This story, is the unbelievable life of Chris Gardner.

Chris Gardner, the inspiration for the critically acclaimed movie Pursuit of Happyness”, was simply a 27 year old brokerage trainee who could not afford any living space, considering he spent the little money he had to send his son to a nursery so he could work. Through hard work, he was able to win a chance at an internship. Worked harder than anyone around him, wanted it more, and eventually got the job. Yes. A homeless man, with nothing but a will to succeed, pushed and earned a j0b to change his life. But, that’s not enough. Mr.Gardner proves that there is no ceiling to what you can become. Success to some in his instance would say that a job that puts a roof over his head and food on his table is “good enough”. Good enough? Once again, settling. Chris Gardner would not settle, he would continue to work harder than the competition, rising through the ranks of the firm until he did what others would never dream to do: opened his own firm.

Now, Mr.Gardner taught me, without a doubt, that hard work and perseverance are the tools you need in order to be successful in this world. But, more than that, he taught me so much more. That in times where the world feels like it’s trying to stomp you into the ground. Beat you until you want to give up. There’s no time to wallow in your own sadness. No one is going to stop to pick you up. No. You have to realize that your will do to something is more powerful than the obstacles in front, that are stopping you from rising to who you can become. The energy that you put into thinking about all the moments in your life you would do something different or change, is energy you could be using to rise. Because, no matter how much you want to go back in time, you can’t. Life keeps moving forward. So you have to roll with the punches. Take one on the chin and keep moving, stronger then you were in the past, and get what you deserve. If a man, without a home, money, or job can push forward and become a multi-millionaire, then what can you do. Allow yourself to be great. Keep moving forward.

What does music mean to you? Is it a way for you to let loose and have a good time? An outlet to express your feelings? Does it enable you to bring power to yourself through lyrics that speak to the situation that you’re in and how you want to handle it? For me, music is a way to express my feelings, my desires, my goals, and who I am as a person in a way that is universal and easily relatable. No matter the culture you come from, music is apart of it and it embodies the life that they live and the traditions that you hold dear. As a true fan of rap and how these artists can bring across a message, Jermaine Cole or J.Cole, is someone that I look up to, telling his truth and using his platform to universally tell the world what is going on and opening up about the reality of the society that we live in.

Being famous is not all about the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because it has such a deeper importance to the world. Celebrities and artists alike have the obligation to use their standing and platform to bring to light the problems of this world that need change. “With power comes great responsibility”, and as corny as that sounds (pulling that quote directly from Spiderman) it resonates with artists because they understand that they are blessed to be in the position that they are, and to help others that may not be as blessed, is their duty. J.Cole is someone that recognizes this and implements these ideologies into his work and craft as an artist. Nowadays, it seems as if celebrities sell out, rapping about drugs and the rich lifestyle that they live. Mr.Cole is not one of these rappers. To me, he has taught me lessons about life and the humility that comes with it.

Cole speaks about the indecencies of the world. In his piece, Neighbors, he talks of how his studio was raided by cops, for absolutely no reason except the fact that they believe drugs to be in the house, as this house was in a rich community in a white area. A prospering black man, living in a rich home in a white community should never be raided for no reason and Cole is able to use his music to explain the problems in society where this is able to happen. In another song J.Cole talks about the life of a black man in the ghettos and the life that they are forced to fight through. The fear of death, gang affiliation, among other problems that effect humans from becoming the people that they want to be. Using his influence, he even goes into detail about mental health and the effects that it has on people. By doing this he allows conversations to be started about what needs to change, what celebrities should be striving to do with their platform as I stated before. His humility by being able to open himself up about his own problems allows for people like me to relate to him, despite his fame, so that we can understand that all people go through problems and that we are not alone. By being so outspoken, he teaches to never stay silent when it comes to problems that you feel strongly about. Doing this all through lyrics in a verse, music, the universal language. His art makes me ask myself, what more can I do? What more can I do to make this culture and society better for everyone? So now I ask you, what more can you do? Never be silent. I will shout until the walls that J.Cole strives to break down are destroyed. Will you?

 

When you hear Jackie Robinson what do you think? First thing that comes to mind: first African American professional athlete, played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and led many black athletes to the forefront of their respective sports by breaking the color barrier. Many people know the cover of the book on Jackie Robinson’s life but haven’t read past the first chapter on who he really is. I was one of those people. Quite frankly, I usually would look over Jackie Robinson, I mean good for him he was great at baseball, great enough to even break a social barrier that many thought would stand for decades to come. But I never looked at him as nothing more than a man that played a sport at a high level that was good enough to break the barrier I keep taking about. However, while browsing through Netflix I came upon a movie called “42”. This movie was the story of Jackie Robinson’s journey through the minors and the process that he went through to become a historic figure. Following some research and personal reflection, let me explain to you why Jackie Robinson is a true American hero and legend.

Jackie Robinson started his hard-fought journey in 1946. Now, if you think social injustice in 2018 is terrible, you may want to take some time and look into the mid 1900s to see how far social injustice has come. Jackie Robinson was subjected to segregation, racial slurs, brutality, and death threats but that is just the start of it. Jackie Robinson, in the faith of breaking this color barrier and bringing to the forefront the equality that African Americans as well as other minorities deserve, had to simply take all this hate. He had to fight through the pain, through the belittlement of his character, being treated as a lesser being, and more than anything he had to do this because people looked to him for faith that times were changing. Mr.Robinson took everything that was thrown at him, mentally and physically, and persevered to show that African Americans should and can do anything that a white person could do. Through all this, I looked at myself as a person. Could I take that? Me and my huge mouth, sour attitude, outgoing personality, could I take all that hate without breaking and move through with my head high, even with the stakes so high for a whole culture. No. The answer is no. But what Jackie Robinson has done for me as a hero of my own, is show me that there is no complacency when it comes to equality. He did not just become the first player to break the barrier, he was the first to break the conversation wide open on Civil Rights for the Black community and the fact that they deserve everything that this country promises their citizens as humans of this planet. Jackie Robinson and many other activists did not battle from hell and back to be complacent. Now knowing this, how strong one has to be to power through so much hate and barriers, I ask; how can you not join the fight for equality such as the BlackLivesMatter movement? Is it because you think that the black culture has it well enough. That they can do all the things we can do. They have all the same rights. They are doing as good as they should. Look into yourself, put yourself into someones shoes like Jackie Robinson and realize what it took for society to get to this point. Don’t be complacent, we can always do better.  We must do better. There are so many more barriers in every facet of life that we must break through, lets all step into the shoes of someone like Jackie Robinson and break through the barriers together.

 

 

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