Song of Solomon

Throughout my years of walking this Earth, there have been many people that I have encountered. Ones that want me to sway their way and end up in hell, and those that would love to see me walk down the path of light. As I sit and reflect on my early life, I must say that there was a horde of people that influenced me; but out of all those people, only one had a really significant influence on me. The person that taught me that life was not all about being materialistic, the person that taught me that we should accept nature and the first person I was able to see take flight, my aunt, Pilate Dead.
My aunt, Pilate Dead, was my "pilot" through my rocky life, my journey to find myself. She was always there to guide me. Take me step by step. Pilate helped me to develop a sense of consciousness in terms of race and class. She made me realize how miniscule and futile my life was, in contrast to the life that she was living. She taught me that my life was disconnected from the lives of my community members. "My low level of consciousness is caused by my failure to integrate myself into my society." Trying to follow in the footstep of my father through searching for gold and materials, has made me blind. I did not know my past, and that was not my fault. Pilate made it her duty to teach me my "roots", tell me where I came from. "Pilot" me through the time stream.
Pilate surprised me in the way how she lived. She was so simple and had almost no money yet, she was happy. My search was useless. Money does not ensure happiness. Pilate taught me how to accept my "Africaness." This opened my eyes and led me to question my identity for the first time. I had basically been living a dead life. I was like the Packard, I "had no real lied life at all."
In closing, I must give a big thank you to Pilate, without her I would never be the person I am right now. I would not be here writing this essay of application. Only the Heavens knows where I would have been and I am happy that I...