A really interesting dichotomy is growing and not being comfortable with the way I look and having some limitations, and being made fun of because of my skin color and ethnic background caused me to get more into doing things, like writing and photography to make myself more attractive to employers. I have yet to feel that I have accomplished anything great, although I have capture over 200,000 original images in two years and in that same time span, produced over 1,162 essays, which are usually two pages long, so I have been super busy. Although I have not been recognized for my talent, I sat back and looked at what I do with my time. I used to spend 16 hours a day doing research and writing and an hour exercising. However, now I have become so efficient that I can produce the same amount of research in 4 to 6 hours and I spend anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours a day exercising and eat mostly salads and drink a lot of water. The time I spent cultivating my mind and body is more than equivalent to a full-time job because I do this seven day a week, every day, and that about 56 hours. In fact, in 8 days, I walked 35 miles for exercise so I am pretty serious about taking care of my body and mind. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5

Now, here is where the contrast comes into play, although people tear me down and try to claim my efforts as theirs and call me unattractive and other cerebral names, they also break down my features and compliment me on them individually and also ask me to share my essays and photos with them. For instance, I let my hair grow back, after shaving it for years, in 2010, and I am not kidding you, I get compliments or comments about it nearly every day, most of them are good, people love it. They also take the time to compliment me on other features like my nose, lips, legs, and eyes and some actually love my skin color. This made me really, I actually invest a lot of effort into my mind, body, and soul and clearly people love my attributes. There are a lot of good looking guys, but it makes me feel good, in a way, to have become such a spectacle. On the other hand, although I have done a lot with my time, I still have not accomplished anything—not even a relationship and so at times I feel that my life lacks direction and I wonder where this will end up taking me. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5

Sometimes I feel like I am just floating through life and very focused, but I want to do more. I see myself one day working for a corporation and feel like I have gained enough knowledge about other cultures and general education that I feel like I would be an asset to any team. Through literature and research, filtering my thoughts and being able to have considerate commentary is a skill I have crafted. For instance, one might ask, “Is it good that the mobile application ‘Pokemon GO a good thing?’” The average person would reply, “Yes, because it is increasing the numbers of people who go to parks.” However, that may not actually be a true answer. While it is good to increase the number of visitors to the parks, you also want to make sure they are going for the right reasons. If people are going to the parks in much larger numbers, and not there to enjoy the nature, be instead walking around in big group, hunting for mythical digital characters on priceless statues, memorials, and at all times of day, they may actually be abusing the parks and disturbing the environment and costing taxpayers more to maintain them, not only that, but it disturbs the animals because they cannot feed and hunt like they are used to doing. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5

Perhaps I have spent so much time preparing for life that I may have too much to say, but at least you will get an honest and well thought out response and not a cliché or a sound bit from the media. When we look at our lives, we will see the residual of past life crises which are still unresolved. Thoughts and feeling about the events tend to occur and color our perception, and we will note that they have disabled us in certain areas of life. At that point, it is wise to ask ourselves if it is worth paying the continuing cost. Now that we have some mechanisms by which to handle these residuals, they can be uncovered. The residual feelings can be investigated and let go of so that a healing can take place. This brings us to another emotional healing technique that becomes powerful once the major event has passed. That is to place the event in a different context, to see it from a different perspective, and to hold it in a different paradigm with a different significance and meaning. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5

It is said that most people spend their lives regretting the past and fearing the future; therefore, they are unable to experience joy in the present. I am just doing the most ordinary thing in the World. Copying a master’s work was the means by which a student learned the higher form of learning. The ideal relation between the student and master is little by little, the student appropriates the style of his master. That is how all natural things, and all creatures, have derived from the divine intellect. Everyday business of beginners is equal in its creativity to God’s handiwork in nature. The master’s idea is comparable to the divine intellect because the master is to the student as God is to humanity. When you do not get everything you need, the deprivation can help you become very resourceful. You learn some great survival skills, like not passively waiting for someone else to provide it for you. If you have witnessed a lot of dysfunctional behavior, it may have helped you learn how to avoid potentially harmful situations and people. If you grew up with abusive or impaired parents, it may have strengthened your determination to be healthier in your own adult life. Love is in all things a most wonderful teacher. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5