Students urged to embrace life

A cemetery is the richest place in the world, according to an inspirational speaker who spoke in Grafton-Stovall Theatre Monday night.

"Lots of people die without ever knowing their true purpose," said Omar Barlow, inspirational speaker and high school teacher in Philadelphia during an Ebony Exposure Event on relationships, held by the Black Student Alliance. "[In a cemetery,] there are people buried who are not aware of what they could have become."

People who don't know the purpose of their lives will abuse their lives, according to Barlow.

Barlow said there are questions people need to ask themselves: What would one do if one had no fear? What would one do if one knew one couldn't fail? If one could start one's life over, what would one do differently?

"If you begin to answer these questions, you'll seek out the education that will get you to do what you would do if you had no fear," Barlow said. "The tragedy is that so many people go through their lives without understanding not only who they are, but why they are."

A concern of Barlow's is that schools rarely teach students to go after their sense of purpose. Schools teach children simply to get their education and encourage them to get a job, according to Barlow.

"School systems test on two intelligences," Barlow said. "Take the SAT for example, which simply tests on math and English."

Barlow said he feels students forfeit about what they truly are passionate.

"What people are missing in their lives is purpose, which will ignite a great sense of passion in them," Barlow said. "I wake up every morning and tell myself, ‘Omar, don't die yet; you can't afford to die yet.' Don't be the person who wakes up every day and thinks, ‘I thought there was more to life.'"

According to Barlow, in the course of someone fulfilling his or her purpose, the thing that can make or break someone is relationships. "The thing that will keep a man constantly chasing after a woman is a woman with purpose," Barlow said.

"Some people get squirmy when it comes to talking about relationships because they know they are settling for less," he added.

Barlow asked the audience members for concerns they had in their relationships. The first topic that was mentioned was cheating.

Barlow said that men and women cheat because their partner is not meeting their human needs. He said women need an emotional connection.

"That's why you'll see a woman that is rich going out with someone from the projects — because he made the emotional connection," Barlow said.

Barlow said work reveals a man's potential.

"Never date a man's potential," Barlow said. "Don't tell yourself that he is going to be something one day.

"Never marry a man that does not have a purpose and a vision. Where vision is not known abuse is inevitable."

According to Barlow, the top three needs of a man are respect, recreation and sex.

However, the three primary needs of a woman are love, conversation and affection, he added.

Jeneene Barlow, Omar's wife, spoke about the purpose of the female. She said the female is the enhancer, helper, adapter, reflector and life-giver of men.

The purpose of a male is to be a visionary, a leader, teacher, cultivator, provider and protector, according to Jeneene Barlow.

"Women are emotional feelers and men are logical thinkers," Jeneene Barlow said. "Men and women are absolutely equal, but working in different roles."

Junior Sarah Lee said that the most inspirational message she thought the Barlows spoke about was that men and women have different natures and have to live with their relationship differences.

Lee is an English major with a minor in Secondary Education. She said that when she becomes a teacher she wants to inspire students in the ways the Barlows discussed.

The Barlows conluded the program, and said the ultimate measure of success is fulfilling one's life purpose.