Paying the Price of Passion: Love, Legacy, Learning & the Currency of Attention

In this 370th episode, we explore the true cost of love beyond monetary worth, celebrate the ongoing commemoration of Malcolm X’s centennial with a can’t-miss conversation at the Schomburg Center, share a simple yet transformative reading habit—just ten pages a day—and unpack how genuine social media engagement can open doors and build real connections in today’s attention economy.

Love’s True Price: A Deeper Dive

“Love don’t cost a thing.”

On the surface, this phrase sounds like freedom: love untethered from commerce, love offered and received without a price tag. Yet, dig beneath the billboard and we find a terrain both tender and treacherous. Real love demands:

• Time & Presence: It’s easy to dispatch “I love you” as a text or emoji. True love shows up at kitchen tables, on hospital beds, and in late-night conversations that stretch into dawn.

• Emotional Labor: To love fully is to hold space for another’s pain, to listen without judgment, and to mirror back someone’s worth when their own vision falters.

• Vulnerability & Transparency: We unmask our scars and insecurities. We risk rejection by sharing our deepest wounds—and in doing so, grant permission for genuine intimacy.

• Surrender of Ego and Pride: Love asks us to admit mistakes, to apologize without caveats, and to prioritize the well-being of another over our own need to be “right.”

• Expansion of Comfort Zones: Whether it’s loving someone who challenges our worldview or extending compassion to an “enemy,” love invites us beyond the familiar, into uncharted emotional territory.

Are you ready to pay the price of admission? If so, prepare to discover that the richest currency in life is not gold or fame, but the open-hearted exchange of your time, your truths, and your trust.

News of the Day: Malcolm X’s Living Legacy

May 19th may mark the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X’s birth, but as today’s event at the Schomburg Center reminds us, his influence continues to evolve:

• Mark Whitaker’s Perspective: In The Afterlife of Malcolm X, Whitaker traces how Malcolm’s narrative has been reshaped by each generation—from Civil Rights activists in the 1960s to Black Lives Matter organizers today.

• Linda Villarosa’s Lens: As moderator, Villarosa brings a journalistic curiosity to the conversation, asking how memory and myth intertwine, and what lessons the current struggle for justice can draw from Malcolm’s unflinching self-determination.

• Why It Matters Now: In an era of digital echo chambers and viral outrage, Malcolm’s emphasis on self-education, collective empowerment, and moral clarity offers a roadmap for sustaining movements beyond the headlines.

  
  

Join me tonight at the Schomburg Center to witness this dialogue—where past and future converge in a shared quest for freedom that still rings through our streets and our screens.

Tip of the Day: Transformative Reading Rituals

“Read at least ten pages a day.”

At first glance, ten pages barely scratches the surface of a single book. But layer this habit day after day, and you build:

1. Mental Muscle: Consistency trains your focus, sharpening your mind amid the distractions of scrolling feeds.

2. Self-Discipline: A commitment kept—even on days when you’re tired or busy—builds confidence in your ability to follow through.

3. Cogitative Expansion: Each book introduces fresh ideas, broadens your vocabulary, and deepens empathy for lives unlike your own.

4. Compounded Growth: Ten pages a day becomes 3,000 pages a year—perhaps a dozen books—creating a library of insight at your fingertips.

   
   

Reflect on your own patterns: Do you carve out space for reading, or does the world’s noise drown out quiet curiosity? Today, I challenge you to open a book—your mind awaits.

Build of the Day: Mastering Digital Attention

In our final segment, we explore how genuine social media engagement can be the cornerstone of real-world opportunities:

• The Urban Vegan Kitchen Case Study: At Benny’s event, modest attendance didn’t dampen impact. Thoughtful prompts and swag built goodwill—but it was my online engagement that sparked recognition.

• Attention as Currency: Benny noticed my comments and shares, and took note of who I was. He didn’t merely see a stranger in the room; he recognized a collaborator in the feed.

• Principles for Powerful Engagement:

  1. Authenticity: Comment with substance—ask a question, offer a resource, or share a concise reflection.

  2. Consistency: Show up regularly on the people and brands you admire. Over time, your avatar becomes a familiar face.

  3. Reciprocity: Engage not only to be seen but to amplify others’ voices. This generosity often returns manifold.

• Beyond Vanity Metrics: While likes and shares are gratifying, the real payoff is invitation—be it a speaking slot, a collaboration, or a seat at the table—earned through mutual investment in one another’s success.

Attention truly is the most expensive and valuable commodity in the modern marketplace. Are you spending yours wisely?

Every day asks: how will you invest your time, your mind, and your heart? May today’s reflections guide you toward choices that cost little in dollars but pay dividends in meaning—and may your actions echo far beyond the fleeting seconds of a scroll.

With Love & Respect,

Lashawn "Suga Ray" Marston

Founder,

Lashawn Marston Enterprises