blessingfromgod wrote: I just think this faith and spiritual stuff are private thats all

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Blessingfromgod – didn’t mean to hijack your conversation and turn it into something else, but my spirit’s burning bright right now and the case for spiritual awareness is getting bigger by the second…

Peacemaker… I stand at the feet of amazement. I’ve just been informed that the plethora of excellent writers and artists who have seriously shaped and influenced so many of us in really significant and positive ways are now defined as ‘foolish’. And yep. You did say ‘most’ but, being a member of the world majority – not a minority – most would be a lot of people worldwide who are not westernised, on MTV or in the charts, but singing lyrics emblazoned with the spirits of their ancestors. Or, keeping their oral traditions alive as they recognise that unfortunately, due to those privileged in the west who log onto chat rooms, music is the only way they can impart their message, or keep their heritage alive, as many people in their countries cannot read or write. And. Many, many black writers will tell you, music would have been the first seed and their pen, the second. There is a multitude of excellent black writers and well written black books for people to read if they seek. Yep. They might not be mainstream, or readily jumped on by loads of publishers, but they are out there and readily available, thanks to the hard work of many, in a wide range of mainstream, high street, bookshops.



Seems like you haven’t got much confidence in our resilience at all. I mean, each of your paragraphs reminds us of how we will fail and why. So. Unless we go down the path of social control that you recommend, and continue to not take any responsibility for anything at all, then the road is set. Society, unfortunately, is this big blob over there that we can always point to as a true indication of our own failing. I mean back in the day in Britain’s innercities it was fine for the Anzaar Muslims, Pan Africanists, Tabernacle guys, Nyabinghi and the range of politicised and conscious black people to talk about Babylon, the system and society and what it’s done to us. Today is a new day. What are we doing for ourselves?



I’m proud of my Jamaican heritage, the rebel music of that society, the Maroon’s and the history of survival and resilience. So, as a descendent of the proud African people deposited there, I AM PROUD.



Educated people are ‘largely weak in spirit’. Might be true for some people. Unfortunately many black British people pursue their education in an inherently racist system and environment that is often designed to hinder their progress. And, many of these ‘weak’ educated people find good, or goodish, jobs but they have to process politics and racism everyday. That takes serious STRENGTH!



My sentiments were about black people reading, finding out about their history, heritage and the world around them, and not limiting themselves just to black literature but arming themselves with the tools needed to contribute to some change, improvement or solution to some of the problems you outline.



Ever living, ever sure…

Rebel Lion ... you're right, there are nough conscious spiritually aware black men out there but, like so many woman, are meeting members of the opposite sex that are so shallow that if you drop a stone in them it would echo off the walls. And, I reckon, like a lot of women they hide their consciousness cause it makes it easier for others to deal with them even if their Soul is on Ice!

Useeme wrote:
The rest of what you wrote had absolutely no relation to what I've said. Abit like the relationship Egypt and Jamaica have with each other currently.

Peacemaker wrote: Peacemaker - have to disagree. Racism is only as strong as the victims are weak - collectively we are weak, we have no structure and no infrastructure to the degree if on the receiving end of racism we have to go running to the very people who orchestrated and dished it out for help.

Incognito wrote:
Perhaps but still, all the teachers do is give thekids the workand mark it. Individually children don't really get taught much at all, the average class has 30 plus kids in them. I personally can't remember one thing a teacher taught me at school.

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“Ironic that the some of the people that claim to be the most under-educated on the planet also seem to think they know it all.�



“Perhaps but still, all the teachers do is give thekids the workand mark it. Individually children don't really get taught much at all, the average class has 30 plus kids in them. I personally can't remember one thing a teacher taught me at school.�

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Quote: Quote: true enough. with that said, would it be considered that there are other factors that support their learning and handicap others. social and cultural norms aid in their endeavors. not that everyone excels, but that education is place in a higher priority in these cultures. therefore it is more so demanded and supported by the cultures. racist or not they are being graded on "learning the material" and nothing more. too often, we reject education because of the historical conflicts and social bias. unfortunately, that mental block spans the across the entire curriculum. we therefore cut "ourselves" short due to our personal affects. a great deal of my education has come through personal endeavors and self teaching. surfing the net, buying books, networking, and so on........... how many have proceeded to educate your "own" children through home schooling. not during the day, you do have a job. i'm referring to the fundamentals; music, math, literature, geography, sciences. how about computer based programs, or even foreign languagecourses. what is done in the black home to strengthen and enforce academic excellence? do we know what is actually being taught in the private schools? do we know what the universities are actually requiring the student body to learn throughout their courses? cut out the middle man. educate yourself, educate ourselves.

It seems as though I often find myself listening to someone “else� being “the� problem or “a� problem. If we focused more on attaining the fundamentals rather than blaming errrybody, then, maybe we would get somewhere….. I say “we� because everybody else seems to say “we� and “us� or “them�. I say cut the cords. Why try carrying a weight that you cannot handle. Focus on your children and your mate, if everybody did that, you wouldn't have to worry about community; it becomes a giving.........

as for spirituality, I grew up in a Christian family. however, never have I adhered to the tenents of placing my fate in the hands of a man. White, black, green purple. “I know god personally, he lets me call him me�- saul Williams. Not to mention the fact that I felt like bull, locked into a feed bin. I’m a grazer. Leave me alone, I’ll eat when I’m ready. Maybe I’ll take a stroll into the pastures with no pesticides and miracle grow……… orthodox religion “is� a means by with people can convene and share the same Ideals. However, if one can control these ideals, then they in turn, control the people. For some, it’s just dandy. As for myself, I do not adhere to environments that shun free thought. Him, her, it, they; I can break it down from every angle. Am I wishy washy? Not by far. Each rink of thought, expands upon a different aspect/cosmic perception of how to reach the divine. “Baptized in flames�, “the art of fire�. I must not fear it; I must embrace it. Thus far, the divine has aided me in filtering and sifting through all the unneeded extras. Man as a whole, through his spiritual endevors, has aided in my journey. From the kebra negast, prt em hru, and tao te ching to the bible and Koran. But no doubt, these are mans’ words, beliefs, and Ideals. With this in mind, we must guard against adopting the “superficial� images, and focus on our inner quest. No man has dominion over another in that respect. and yet many do not complete their journey because, quite frankly, they weren’t allowed. I wonder how you’ll like the hell you’ve built for me, hope you enjoy it. Get comfortable, you built it, so you sleep in it.
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antonio amen wrote:
One more thing, things for blackyouths won't change at all unless the dominant cultures and sub-cultureswithin that group and the more harmful ones are completely wiped out, and replaced.Currently it's being heavily promoted, so it being replaced by anything else will be extremely difficult. So don't expect a sudden rush of black youths desiring to be businessmen, lawyers, doctors, etc, etcin the near future, while the other shite is around heavily influencing them from a very young age..