- Jun 8, 2004
- 3,210
- 64
I hope that folk are not offended by this post, as it is just my humble opinion... But, sometimes, I believe we African people do more harm to ourselves than good by our preoccupation with the mystical notions we have of the world around us... Our interest in things like astrology, religion, the occult, numerology, and even hitting the number and playing lotto, I feel is a major detriment to our rise as a community...
I saw, as a boy, my mother bringing home all of this holy water and annointed oil and prayer cloths, and even then it struck me as silly and superstitious... I saw my dad running and playing the numbers, and even I fell into the whole Yacub piece when I joined the Nation Of Islam as a kid... I actually felt that sort of eschatology was on point, and to some extent now, I believe it was necessary to approach African Americans in that way, because that's our weakness - we believe in the mysterious... It's a carryover, and African retention, the talismans, the mojos, the rabbit's foot, and all that(smile!)
I think we take it a little over the top, the Isis Papers, and all of that madness... Don't get me wrong, I know other groups have their own superstitions, and sheer nonsense, too... But we aren't in a postion to be putting our energy into how Melanin makes us superior theories... I am sorry if that offends... That is not my intent... All I can say is that with all of our melanin, we are like topping all of the lists of diseases, and have mortality rates that are worse now than ever... I believe that our dependency on the mystical and magical over sound reasoning and analysis perpetuates our ills and problems in this world...
I say that knowing that our unique view of looking at the cosmos is one which I cherish, but which I feel we must begin to take a harder look at... If we are ever to throw off the yoke of oppression, we must stop depending on astrological charts and crazy religions and theories, and invest more of our time on the concrete matters of the world, like saving our money, investing our money, and building Schools and Businesses for our children... Then, when we've got millions, we can invest in some lotto tickets(smile!) Again, no offense to those who are The True Believers...
Peace!
Isaiah
I saw, as a boy, my mother bringing home all of this holy water and annointed oil and prayer cloths, and even then it struck me as silly and superstitious... I saw my dad running and playing the numbers, and even I fell into the whole Yacub piece when I joined the Nation Of Islam as a kid... I actually felt that sort of eschatology was on point, and to some extent now, I believe it was necessary to approach African Americans in that way, because that's our weakness - we believe in the mysterious... It's a carryover, and African retention, the talismans, the mojos, the rabbit's foot, and all that(smile!)
I think we take it a little over the top, the Isis Papers, and all of that madness... Don't get me wrong, I know other groups have their own superstitions, and sheer nonsense, too... But we aren't in a postion to be putting our energy into how Melanin makes us superior theories... I am sorry if that offends... That is not my intent... All I can say is that with all of our melanin, we are like topping all of the lists of diseases, and have mortality rates that are worse now than ever... I believe that our dependency on the mystical and magical over sound reasoning and analysis perpetuates our ills and problems in this world...
I say that knowing that our unique view of looking at the cosmos is one which I cherish, but which I feel we must begin to take a harder look at... If we are ever to throw off the yoke of oppression, we must stop depending on astrological charts and crazy religions and theories, and invest more of our time on the concrete matters of the world, like saving our money, investing our money, and building Schools and Businesses for our children... Then, when we've got millions, we can invest in some lotto tickets(smile!) Again, no offense to those who are The True Believers...
Peace!
Isaiah