#61

God exists. God exists as long as one person believes that God does. God exists as long as the idea of God exists. As long as God is a topic of conversation, debate, or discussion, God will exist. God exists in humanity, as we are the only species that uses audible languages to communicate thoughts. You can see God at work when we see humanity helping itself sustain its very own existence and the existences of hurting members. We are the only species on the planet that can manipulate our natural earthly environment to fit our specific needs, or wants for that matter. From the perspective of the other life forms on our planet, we are like Gods. Through the use of our minds we have conquered so much in our little time span of existence in comparison to the age of the universe. We strive towards perfection. While other life forms on earth only proceed to change when nature forces change upon them or wipes them out completely due to their failure to adapt. Humanity sees God at work in our ability to "see the future", if you will. We can be deliberate in our tendencies to increase or decrease our existence because we know how the effects of infinite causes. From my perspective, God is the future. God is the idea of something greater. God is an idea of humanity. God is humanity.

Music Spotlight: Jamarius Ignont

Hello valued readers! Today, here at The Great Change we have been graced by Jamarius Ignont and wish to share with you all the interview that we conducted about his life and his upcoming music, take a look below!

The Great Change: When did you begin making music?

J. Ignont: I began making music way before I began rapping. I have played piano for churches for many years now. I fell in love with music in my elementary school days and have continue that passion through college. It has always been a part of me since the beginning.

The Great Change: What inspires you to make music?

J. Ignont: My real life situations. What I mean by that is, what I have been through personally or what I have seen people close to me go through. Those things have a large part to play in that. I have had to fight for everything I have had. Even in school I worked my butt off to make sure that I was not a complete financial burden on my parents. I have seen "the struggle" to the fullest. My failures in life, as well as my future hopes and dreams, inspire me to write what I write.

The Great Change: Who is your favorite artist other than yourself?

J. Ignont: My favorite artists would consist of many of the great. Firstly, Eminem because he has an overall beast factor. His reputation has brought the game to a point where no one will diss him if they want their career to progress. Secondly, J. Cole. There is no question that this is the rapper that I identify with the most with. He spits that real. He is one of the rare and few artist that I can personally say has gotten better with each project. I am curious see what is next after Forest Hill Drive. Now, because I am a musician my list must include Stevie Wonder, Rick James and Nina Simone just to name a few oldies. Anything old school gets a few plays in my personal rotation.

The Great Change: What upcoming music are you working on?

J. Ignont: My project that I have been slaving over for about a month and some change now is J.A.M (Just. A. Man) Mixtape. I was able to secure an independent label contract for this project so I am expecting it to do some big things. The goal is to have it out by August 1st and in online stores across The United States of America, my fan page and other various sites for downloading mixtapes

The Great Change: What do you hope your fans get from your music?

J. Ignont: I want the fans to see me for who I am. I am Christian but that does not mean I portray perfection and my music reflects that. I am going talk about some of everything in J.A.M. I talk about my life in detail because that is the story I know how to tell the best. I want fans to connect to any part of my story.

Well that is all that we have for this post! Thanks again valued readers for your time spent here at The Great Change. If you have not ordered a copy of The American Alien, you may purchase a copy from our online bookstore that is accessible from the link to the right!

#60

Life is the experience prior to death. Death is the experience after life. These concepts define each other like yin and yang. I personally have no certain knowledge of what will happen or happens after death occurs. But, I can speak on life. Life is the journey for one to find themselves and realize who they really are. When analyzing life, one must bring in the aspect of growth and change. Although my knowledge of death is limited, I know that if a person is not living to grow in some aspect of their life, they are dying. Life is the chance to make something of the opportunities given to an individual. Opportunity will always exist in life, whether it knocks on your door, or you have to knock on its door. The only question is, will we seize the opportunities when they present themselves? Fear nothing. Fear of failure is pointless because no matter how many failures or accomplishments one person has, death is inevitable. Whether a person fears death or not, it will still take you. When death comes, life will be complete. It will bring something that has been anticipated. It will bring something unknown. So I suggest that our generation break the mold and relish in the opportunity to be alive today and seize the opportunities that we see. I say this because life and death are both a part of the human experience and will be experienced by all, so we should make the most of the most important time of all, which is.....   RIGHT FREAKING NOW!

Professional Athlete Spotlight: Brandon Jefferson

Hello valued readers! Today we would like to share with you the interview we got to have with the point guard of the KTP Basket team that is based in Finland. Brandon Jefferson is a native of the United States of America and is going to enlighten us on his experience playing professional basketball in a foreign country. 

Enjoy!

The Great Change: What were your expectations and goals coming into this season playing in the Korisliiga Basketball League?

B. Jefferson: I always had high expectations. That is because I put in the work to get to this point. I was very excited and blessed to get this opportunity. Our goal as a team was to win the championship and improve each and everyday. Also, I wanted to learn the European style of play. 

The Great Change: How hard or easy was the adjustment to Finland?

B. Jefferson: It was a smooth transition, but like anything you do, there will be ups and downs. The players are more physical overseas than the United States. I was blessed to have players and a coaching staff that believed in me.

The Great Change: Describe your experience playing for KTP Basket?

B. Jefferson: I played for KTP Basket in Kotks, Finland, which is an hour away from Helsinki, Finland, the capital of Finland. The fans were amazing and really supported the club. I had great people around me that helped with my transition. Almost everyone spoke English. I am very blessed to have played with a well known club in Finland.

The Great Change: How is the European game play different than the game play here in the states?

B. Jefferson: The game play is more physical overseas. There are not a lot of isolation moments or one on one situations in the game play overseas. The game is more fluid and everyone is skilled. The fans are crazy as well.

The Great Change: What advice would you give to a young athlete looking to reach the professional level?

B. Jefferson: Keep God first and continue to work hard day in and day out. Do not let anyone tell you what you cannot do. Keep people around you that have the same goals as you and want to see you succeed.

Thank you all for taking the time to stop by The Great Change, don't forget our book The American Alien is available for pre-order to the right!

#59

Technology has taken over a major part of our lives. Granted, it is not like the robot movies, but instead in the way we assess so much of our time to technology. This is not a good thing or a bad thing. But it is a thing. So, now that we find ourselves captured in technology, we must recognize that social media has become our global public square. Even though it is dominated by entertainment and for the lack of a better term, bullshit, it is still nonetheless a public square. It is the place where everyone goes to hear the latest stuff and interject one's latest opinion. Yes, social media has a bad side. But that bad side is getting far too much attention. Our focus should be aimed towards using our online voices to uplift, inspire and to educate. It should be for connecting and debating topics in a sensible manner, about situations that are very real in the world around us. Many of our children will not know of a world without social medias, such as many of the older generations know of a world without the internet. We must set the example for them of how we should use this powerful tool effectively and for the betterment of humanity. Because the actions of each individual is apart of the overall definition that humanity will have for itself. We will be defined by the future generations by the actions we take each and everyday. So I call for more social engineers to wear there thinking caps when interjecting their opinions on to social media... simply because the future is watching.