Touched By A Moment

“Touched by a Moment”

By: Kayla Denise Thomas

Last night was one of the nights where it seemed like everything entertaining that could come on, was on. From the NBA playoffs starting to one of my favorite cartoons at ten on Adult Swim (Samurai Jack is the show) and then the documentary I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced back in February or March, J. Cole’s 4 For Eyez Only documentary.

I’ve been a J. Cole fan since I first heard his mixtape The Come Up and the respect I have for him was already there but it skyrocketed even more as I watched the special Saturday night.

As I hunched over my iPad screen with the Clippers/Jazz game playing on the TV, I sat there with my headphones in not knowing what I was getting myself into. I was expecting something much like his 2014 Forest Hills Drive concert/documentary. Where he would show himself performing back in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Instead I was blindsided by the Dreamville production opening up in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I listened and watched intently as he travelled through not only songs on his 4 Your Eyez Only album but through the struggle but most of all perseverance of the people he encountered in New Orleans, Ferguson, Jonesboro, and Fayetteville. I watched as he heard the tragedies and also uplifting stories of many. I saw the positive images he showed, the history that was lived and the journey these people have left to go.

Something I wasn’t prepared for was the feelings that came during and after.

When the screen went black and the credits began to roll, I continued hearing Cole’s voice and I just sat there for a minute letting what I just watched sink all the way in. Then as usual, I went to Twitter to see what other’s were thinking.

Many called it deep, many called it eye opening, and many said they were in tears or on the verge of tears. Needless to say, I won’t elaborate too much because at the moment any of you are reading this you may not have seen it and I want you to experience that for yourself.

As I turned on the album to listen to it through a different state of mind, something hit me as I continued reading through reactions, if I could touch at least one person the way this documentary touched me and many others then I’m doing something right.

I mean truly think about that, what if everyone touched someone the way a documentary or a song touches many? What type of positive domino effect would be triggered? How many lives could be changed?

There’s something about this world that I don’t think many people understand and that is the world itself is highly impressionable. It’s much like a sponge, absorbing many things whether it’s good or bad. It follows trends and jumps on bandwagons. What if it followed the trend of positive change and jumped on the bandwagon of changing lives. I mean if we spread more inspirational pieces than hate speech, wouldn’t the world be on a better track? I’m not talking something changing overnight because it’s going to take more than one night to truly change the world but what If we start small? Start with our family members, our friends, our work friends and community. Starting with one person helps one more person and so on and so forth if done correctly. Sharing more positive images than celebrity tea. More conversing with one another in stimulating conversation and looking for a solution to real world issues than we do dishing on the latest office gossip that we are “glad our lives aren’t like that.” Better yet, more uplifting than talking down one another.

I know what I’m talking is a tall order, it takes more than one person but hey it can always start with one person and spread. We make gossip or lude Facebook videos go viral in the matter of seconds, why not positivity? Why not start the next wave that everyone can’t help but join and make it something that will help so many?

We always have a tendency to say we’ll start doing this and this tomorrow or next week. Why not just stop talking about it and be about it?

My challenge to you all is to help get the ball rolling. Start with one thing that you do because even if you don’t think so people are watching.

Live by example and not just by words.