How many of us a familiar with the television cartoon that involves a wolf and a bird that has this annoying habit of going "beeb-beep" just as he is about to mutilitate the wolf or drive him crazy. Most people know this cartoon as "The Roadrunner." I've been watching this cartoon for years and not once have i seen the roadrunner in the grasps of the wolf for more than two seconds before he is off again with his very sinister "beep-beep."


Maybe we'd be more familiar with the infamous cat and mouse cartoon, "Tom and Jerry." How many times have we seen poor Tom endure endless suffering much to Jerry's amusement and sometimes to our own amusement?

In both instances, we sometimes sit and laugh at the pranks that the supposed prey plays on the hunter, and how needlessly the hunters suffer while being relentless in their pursuits. But what lessons are in these cartoons for us.

Like Tom (In Tom and Jerry) and the Wolf (in the Roadrunner), human beings sometimes endure much suffering, pain, sometimes broken hearts and humiliation, all for the sole purpose of acquiring 'the prize.' Mankind is on a neverending quest to find self-satisfaction; a quest which inevitably fails but is never defeated.

All of us, at some point in our lives, have had the experience of having our dreams and hopes crushed for various reasons. Maybe it was in the third grade when you had a crush on the girl playing Juliet in the school play but she never even gave you a second glance. You tried numerous times to tell her how you feel but she just made fun of your braces or your thick glasses- lenses. Or maybe it is that 3 story house that you saw the famous rapper showing to the world on 'How I'm Living' on BET.

Like Tom and the Wolf, we are cursed with the zeal to increase; to get that one thing that we know within ourselves we cannot have. But is this such a bad thing.

I believe that this is the nature of a purpose driven life, a life that is definitely worth living. A person who sets out to the grocery store, not knowing where it is or what it looks like, won't know when he gets there! It is necessary for us as young people to have our sights set on our own Roadrunners and Jerries, and work towards achieving them with all our heart, knowing that we will have obstacles in our way, but also knowing that trials only come to make you stronger.

We should dare to dream and like Othneil White said, "Keep your hope and the vision insiide."

Remember "There is no such thing as failure, there is only the chance to try again."

"Beep-Beep!"