I'm 37, and I've gone thru or witnessed firsthand many social issues that have not only affected me but also the way I view the world and people. I consider myself a warrior and survivor, not a victim. As the saying goes, "God gives the toughest battles to the strongest soldiers" and I never knew what this meant until I experienced the things that I have. I have lived and visited various locations across the country (one of those visits being outside the country for a roughly 2 - 2.5 week visit to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel which was a business trip for my father and he took me and my mother with him as a one-time treat, giving us the opportunity to learn about and sightsee another country, our religions homeland), and not only experienced but also witnessed domestic violence, favoritism, peer pressure, bullying and cyber-bullying, restricted freedom of expression, among other things.

 

Every topic I discuss in my book I have experienced and or witnessed, and always looked at situations from only one perspective, my own (and who doesn't). It wasn't until I had some friends and family share words of wisdom that really put things into a different perspective which caused me to look at life in a different way. I took specific college courses which not only opened my eyes but also my mind to looking at situations from many different angles and taking numerous factors into account before jumping to an accusation or conclusion versus running with my first thought and or feeling about whatever was going on in that particular moment. 

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I've been labeled as weird, quirky, strange, "from another planet"...go figure..., odd, nerdy, a geek, bizarre, and many other delightful words and phrases, which I used to take negatively. Though I realized that people had been describing me accurately the entire time, I simply wasn't taking pride or being proud of who I am. So instead, I was trying to change into someone I wasn't just to please others who didn't legitimately mean anything to me and vice versa, though I thought the friendship or association was authentic, which in time, I realized it was actually fake which backfired on me big time. I came to the realization everyone is uniquely different and God created everyone to be who they are. Each person can either choose to accept themselves or change though hopefully, for the right reason(s) and not to simply make others happy with them. Either way, they have to live in whatever way makes them happy, going thru life in whatever way they choose, and live with the consequences & rewards of their decisions and choices (there is a difference between the two).

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Based on what I've gone thru, witnessed throughout my life, gained thru experiences, and learned thru those positive and negative situations, I realized the snippets of information and my viewpoints that I've shared with others in person and online had resulted in mostly positive feedback and gratitude. So I decided to write a book sharing more of my insight but more in-depth regarding some of the popular social issues that I've experienced and witnessed firsthand thus far and share it with the world (these 13 topics also affect billions of people around the globe, frequently, if not daily).