Wiser With Age

Tag: wisdom

  • From L.A. Gangs at 11 To Poet Laureate at 60

    From L.A. Gangs at 11 To Poet Laureate at 60


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis J. Rodriguez (Photo/ Arlene Mejorado)

    Growing up in poverty in South Central and East Los Angeles, Luis J. Rodriguez says he found himself so emotionally empty that he joined a gang at age 11. He started abusing heroin by 12, and by 15, he was put in juvenile hall and later prison. It was his love for books, however, which turned his life around.

    At 60, Rodriguez is now an award-winning poet, author, and founder of a cultural arts center which helps youth in the San Fernando Valley stay away from gangs. This month, he was chosen by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the city’s second Poet Laureate, succeeding Eloise Klein Healy.

    “I thought they’re probably not going to pick me,†says Rodriguez, who was one of approximately 30 applicants. “I was quite amazed. I also understand the responsibility. I want kids to recite poetry. I’ll do anything to get poetry exploding in Los Angeles.â€

    Rodriguez will be getting an office in the same Central Library where he had once found refuge from the gang world four decades ago. The same peaceful place where he’d escape gunshots, and spend hours upon hours reading, will now be where he writes poems for his city.

    “In the end books saved my life,†says the man who has written 15 of his own, including his most recent memoir, “It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing,†a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

    Rodriguez remembers before he was aware of the power of books, the most eminent force in his life were the gang members who surrounded him.

    “They were tough. Everyone was scared of them. They had heavy tattoos,†recalls Rodriguez. “I wanted to be part of that. I thought being a part of that, people would respect me.â€

    However, in the late 60’s and early 70’s, he says soldiers began returning from the Vietnam War wounded mentally, and there was heroin everywhere. That’s when he says what he thought about gangs began to erode.

    “You used to be able to trust your homies, but I realized you couldn’t trust an addict,†says Rodriguez. “I was becoming just like them. When guns come in to the picture, people start killing people. It wasn’t this homey and loving relationship. It wasn’t a place where people could relate and hang. By the time I was 19, I had lost 25 friends, I was addicted to heroin, my family threw me out.â€

    Rodriguez spent time in county jail for some misdemeanors, where he started writing little stories, but once he was out, he decided he wasn’t going to go back. He opted to return to school instead and even went to night school to better his English.

    “I started doing gang intervention,†he says. “I tried helping my neighborhood, and I actually got shot at by one of the gang members because of my work.â€

    However, Rodriguez remained steadfast, after equipping himself with the power of books. He went on a 35-year mission of gang intervention around the world, which he still makes time for, and founded Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural and Bookstore, with his wife, in 2001.

    “This has helped a lot of kids,†says Rodriguez. “Gang kids show up, and they’re welcome. They are young people that need a relationship to options. The option can’t be, ‘I’m going to prison,’ or ‘I’m going to be a heroin addict.’ They need to know they have gifts and callings. That’s what they need to tap into. That’s the work that I do – tap into their own capacities – build them up from there, so they don’t feel like they’re trapped in their crazy life.â€

    On November 1, Rodriguez will be one of the award-winning authors to speak at the 15th  Annual Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival – along with three other poets from Tia Chucha. He says it’s very important for him to give back to his community, because it was the same community which helped get him back on his feet.

    What is the one piece of advice he would give his younger self with the wisdom he now has?

    “The one thing I had was my imagination,†says Rodriguez. “All young people are filled with imagination, but with all the trauma of life and on the streets you lose it. You’re stuck trapped. Don’t lose your imagination.â€

  • Actor Tony Plana says, “Show your kids how important education is”

    Actor Tony Plana says, “Show your kids how important education is”


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Actor Tony Plana (Courtesy Twitter)

    Many might remember Tony Plana from his many acting roles from “Feo†in the film “Born in East L.A.â€Â to playing America Ferrera’s dad in the sitcom “Ugly Betty,†but many might not know his other passion is sharing his wisdom with youth.

    The 62-year-old Cuban-American actor attributes all of his success to his education, and he says he wants to pay it forward.

    For nearly two decades, Plana has been working hard to create educational programming for schools in underserved middle and high schools in the greater Los Angeles area. His East L.A. Classic Theatre program, which integrates acting within school curriculums have proven successful, because it engages students to become avid learners – it connects them emotionally to the school experience. He says young immigrant children, who have trouble speaking because of fear, to troubled runaways, have found a purpose and have learned to thrive because of being exposed to theater.

    “Theater teaches you to collaborate and identify with a group – to create and realize something together,†says Plana. “The wonderful feeling of creating something together and sharing it – it’s very powerful…I started East L.A. Classic Theatre in 1995, because I wanted to become part of the solution…I want to take East L.A. nationally, because [education] is a national problem.â€

    The experienced father of two and educator of many, says it’s all about connections when it comes to educating youth, and it starts in the home.

    “Latino children experience more regression than any other group, because it’s environmental – many are very poor and that’s not conducive to intellectual stimulation,†says Plana, who encourages role-playing with parents in school curriculums. “It’s important to educate the parents about this problem.â€

    He says he’s also created a program through East L.A. called “Creciendo Juntos†to empower parents with information.

    “You have to get involved in finding out who your kids are and what they need,†says Plana, who home-schooled his own children – whether biological, educational, whatever those needs are. “We teach them not to do things for their children, but to make them learn, and parents to become learners themselves. You teach by modeling. Become more educated so you can make more money and raise standard of living. Show your kids how important education is.â€

    Currently living with his wife in NYC, Plana also spends time advocating for other causes when he’s not acting. Most recently, he’s a spokesperson for a non-profit called TECHO, which brings volunteers and low-income families in Latin America together to combat poverty.

  • Life plan for achieving wisdom and agelessness


    The question that people ask me the most is, “Where do you get your energy?â€

    Well, you too can have access to ageless energy if you are willing to cultivate your physical, mental and spiritual energy so that you can be action-oriented, dynamic and prolific.

    How do you do that?

    Be humble and acknowledge when you are wrong.

    Many people are so concerned with being right that they waste their mental energy by criticizing, blaming, complaining, condemning and denying. If you’re wrong, acknowledge it, and get on with the solution or the next step. Many people think that it is a sign of weakness to say, “I made a mistake.” However, it is the opposite; it is actually a sign of mental maturity, personal strength and individual character.

    Be flexible with new information.

    Once you get new information, or new knowledge, don’t be afraid to say “I changed my mind.”

    It is amazing how many uncomfortable situations people get into and stay in, because they are unwilling, or afraid, to acknowledge that they’ve changed their minds.

    Purify your environment.

    You have to sort out and eliminate all the negative influences in your life such as, toxic people, places and things. This will allow you to feel happier, healthier and terrific about yourself.

    Eat the right foods 99 percent of the time.

    To perform at your best, you must eat the right foods in the right balance, and portion. Proper weight is essential for health, happiness, and long life.

    Exercise and train every day.

    The best activity for high energy, and physical fitness, is aerobic exercise and conditioning exercises like boot camps and weight training.

    Get a lot of rest.

    You need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to be fully rested.

    Start a positive mental fitness program.

    Your ability to keep your mind on what you want, and off of what you don’t want, will determine your levels of health and happiness more than any other decision you make.

    Make a lifetime commitment to think and talk positively, and optimistically, about your goals, other people, and everything that is going on in your life. The more you keep your conversation focused on your goals, and on the things you want, the greater the amount of ageless energy, strength, and power you will feel.

    Investing your time in developing these core values will allow you to be able to take advantage of the endless possibilities around you. You will have the constant enthusiasm, and ageless energy, that keeps you motivated and moving ahead.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace. Dr. Josefina Monasterio is a certified life coach,  fitness expert, and nutritional counselor based in Vero Beach, Florida. She holds a PhD in Adult Personal Development from Nova University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University. Dr. Josefina is also a certified Yoga Therapist from the World Yoga Society of Calcutta, India, and host of Healthy Power TV’s “The Dr. Josefina Way.†Â