Think about your life. Think about who you are, if we even know. Think about your family and your community. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? How do we even accomplish such a feat? What’s the use anyways? Will it even matter in ten years? This world is already going to shit anyways right? So why even try? Who are you?
Throughout history, and as recently as my lifetime, and yours I’m sure, we have had to dive into a stack of dusty old books- history, Encyclopedias etc. to learn about people. To learn of all the great movers and shakers of our world. We have written book reports, and essays on MLK, Lincoln, Einstein, and Jesus. These people come to mind in this instance because they’re people that I personally consider some of the greatest in human history. But how do we know? Because it was documented. “It is written.” But none of these great people are physically with us today, yet their legacies, their lives, their impacts are very much alive and well. Imagine of Jesus had a social media account. What if Einstein or the great Dr. Martin Luther King had a Twitter? or Facebook? How much greater of an impact might they have had? We’re in an age that is unlike any others before it. In the words of Gary Vaynerchuk, “We have the fucking internet.” Think about that. You wouldn’t even be able to read this without the internet. It is quite possibly Man’s greatest creation. Instant contact. Instant information, and misinformation. Instant influence. The possibilities are endless. Let me step back to something that I noticed I just wrote. INSTANT INFLUENCE. What a concept. Back in the day, Lincoln had what? A telegraph, maybe? I cannot even imagine the work, the travel, and the handwritten letters delivered by horse and buggy that it took to get elected president, or to change the history of the united states and change so many lives the way that he did. Imagine that. Hey I am going to run for president, Let’s write out thousands of letters and organize campaign rallies word of mouth, and with news papers and shit. Crazy. But when you have a dream and a passion, nothing will stop you. When we’re inspired, we use what we have to make it happen. Period. And there are so many other amazing people throughout history who did it. And it was so much harder for them then, than it is for us today. Thanks to the amazing, hardworking generations before us, We’re now very much entitled, spoiled, and ungrateful for the sacrifices our predecessors put in, so much to where we mock them jokingly and say things like “OK Boomer.” That shit makes me laugh. But imagine. And it really isn’t that hard to do- the impacts that each and everyone of us are capable of making today. Probably with the device that you’re reading this on right now. I know it’s another one of my “bleeding heart” ideas, but it’s true. I look at Facebook and the News, Various information outlets and often it makes me very sad. Murder. Bombs. Rape. Guns. Hate. Violence. And the woe is me, passive aggressive, ugliness, gossip, and filth that I see on Facebook almost hourly. And I am not discounting that some people are sick, mentally or emotionally unwell and often times lonely so they use their accounts to reach out for someone to talk to and help them. I am not taking away from that, I am attempting to make another point, so let’s not take things out of context here. Although I’m sure some of you still will. I don’t care. The point I am making here, is that we have such an amazing tool at our fingertips to help shape the course of history for the next generations to come. Have you ever wondered, if when I die, if they were to build a monument for my life, what would it say? What would my obituary say? How many people would come to my funeral? I am not implying that having a bazillion Facebook or Instagram followers is going to ensure they build a statue in your honor and will need to have a massive funeral service for you at a local football stadium. But what I am saying, is that you, I, we have the capabilities today- right here and right now- to make a lasting impact on at least one person. And I think that is why I started writing to begin with. Three years ago today. January 6, 2017 Junkbox Diaries was published. And I started writing for a number of reasons. One was because I believed that in doing so, I could get the harsh and raw realities of drug addiction in front of John Q. Public and hopefully open some eyes and help at least one person. But it became a hobby that I am very passionate about. I believe that we have a responsibility to use what we have to share our experiences, to share our thoughts and beliefs on paper. On the internet, in ink. I believe that we are in an era now, albeit a very fragile one, where we actually have the power to harness either Good or Evil, and help impact people. We have a choice daily. We have a choice in every single moment of every day, to choose goodness. We can constantly reshape ourselves in each passing thought, action, and interaction. It is a supernatural and sub conscience ability that we all posses. And in those moments, and in these days, we can demonstrate and exhibit all the good things about this human experience for generations to come. And not the corny-look-at-me kind either. The genuine, altruistic type. The inspirational type. I mean think about it: and I know people will disagree with this, but in the words of Jurassic 5: “You’re either part of the problem, or part of the solution, what’s your contribution to life?” If you had the power to make the world a better place by inspiring one person a day for the rest of your life, or to make the world a worse place by spreading hate and evil and pessimism to one person each day- what would you pick? I know it’s a very simplistic version of some profound thinking, but isn’t that the best? Keep it simple, right? I think so. Energies are real. They’re psychic and cosmic. We have the power to influence and we don’t even know it or realize it. Because everything we do is so normal and habituated to us these days. So imagine, if Jesus, Or whoever you believe in, and if you don’t believe in anything, imagine having to go through one day- with your grama and Six year child witnessing your every thought, post, action, word, and idea. would you think twice about it? would you change your behavior because now someone you value is watching? Well guess what, someone you value is watching. Our communities, our neighbors, or society. They’re witnessing our life right in front of their eyes. It’s crazy, we are so intertwined with this internet thing that we don’t even take a second to think that we’re watching stranger’s kids grow up right before out eyes. And they, ours. It’s like seeing 3,786 different families photo albums on our phones. The Great, the good, and the bad. And people latch on to shit. They remember it. I look at my phone more than I probably should but we all do. And there is some really ugly shit on there. Violence, Gore, Hate, and negativity. And believe it or not, but there are actually much more vulnerable people out there, who are easily swayed by the things that you post. You may not feel all that important, but look at your accounts. Look at your friends list. Those people FOLLOW you. You. Have. Followers. What are you leading them to? Where are YOU going? Who are you following? Where are they going? All of this technology stuff is so common to use because its our normal. we wake up, we check our phones, and we go to bed watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram stories. Think about that. We have the power right here and right now to leave a lasting mark for years to come. They’re not even really using books in school anymore, and if they are its most likely in colleges, which is just a way for them to make more money, but that’s another topic altogether. They’re using computers. I’d like to tell my 5th grade math teacher a thing or two right now. “You’re not gonna have calculators in your pockets all the time when you grow up” She said. Welp, got that one wrong lady- I’ve got a fucking computer in my pocket. Our Iphones and Androids have as much if not more technology than the first space shuttles. think about that shit. Crazy. And were just gonna waste it? Or we’re just gonna allow it brainwash us and tell us who we’re supposed to be, what we want, what is truth, and how we’re supposed to act? hell no. Not me. There’s a war on free thinkers today. Don’t let beat you. And I know, I know, Fuckin Herb is just some “Do Gooder” who used to shoot heroin and smoke crack and blah blah fucking blah. But it’s so much bigger than that. I have experienced the ugly side of humanity, and now the beautiful side of it, and I want to share it with others in case they need to know that they’re worthy, capable, and amazing. Some people never get to hear that form anyone. I battle the disease of addiction 365 days a year. It’s all I do. And I want people to know that. That’s my skill, that’s my purpose, that’s my place in today. What’s yours? Share it. Do not be ashamed of the gifts and talents that God has blessed you with. Hone them in. Do not worry about getting better at the things and skills that you suck at- you suck at them remember? Strengthen your strengths, and let people see what an asset you can be. I’m a little off topic now, but I just flow. good thing I can type almost as fast as I think, depending on coffee intake for the day. But you get the idea right? I hope this is all making sense because I am not writing this one again. But the basic Idea is this:
We all make ripples. Whether we believe it or not. Don’t be shitty to the gas station lady because you’re running late. Don’t yell at your kids first thing in the morning- You may be sending an ugly snowball to school- ruin their morning and they’ll ruin someone else’s. Don’t flip the old lady behind the wheel ahead of you the bird, you’ll be old someday too, if you’re lucky. These are real world personal interactions that we make, most of the time- one on one. So think about the legacy, the mark, the impression, the impact that YOU can have with the device that you’re reading this on. We are in the midst of an era never seen before. And things are only moving faster and faster. One day, someone will look back on the stuff that were filling the internet with. That is going to be the back ground checks of the future. What will it reveal about you? It will essentially show yourself to you. We all have the opportunity to spread goodness, Humor, joy, positive vibes, etc… to the world. Or we have the power to do the opposite. Which will you choose? What will your legacy be? How will you help make someone’s day brighter? What goodness have you packed into the stream of life today? If someone were to use your internet and social media accounts as intel to write a book about your life, would you want anyone to read it? What’s your purpose, what will your digital footprint be?
Make. Good. Ripples.