Here we are. 2015. At our desks, next to strangers, in our homes; scanning, scrolling, picking out key words. The struggle is no newer to us now than it was centuries ago. Wiping out light beings on several continents. Forced amnesia onto our entire identity. It all must start with honesty. No reflection in the mirror. Our blood lines crossed and lost. But wipe the grease off your phone screen, we live in the age of information. Since about the time of Mike Brown’s death, there has been a mad rush to reclaim an identity. Find out who we are beyond Martin Luther King Jr. But this isn’t another history lesson, the present needs us.
The colossal influx of information into our minds has left the community dizzy. It all must start with honesty. The compression of thousands of years of history, shot into our atmosphere in a short span of two years. Some have settled into the 1800’s listening to Mr. Dubois give his narrative of early southern life while others have been intrigued by the era before history had a voice in the motherland. Beyond the physical abuse, some have even looked to the psychological parallels between past and present black life and or culture. We all know the constant. Tortured. Stolen. Raped. Ruined.
Death. It all must start with honesty. Everyone has found a cause to cling to. Whether it be protesting the government, riding hard for your gender, or spamming your Instagram followers with countless posts on the benefits of being a Garveyite. Have you changed your Twitter name? Become more unapologetic to white people? Turned vegan?? The passion is evident, it bleeds from every pore. All good things.
However, in our zealous attempt to make up for lost ground, we are repeating history. Skipping out on important steps necessary to reach the goal we all seek. We can never unite, if we can’t look in the mirror and fully understand what we see. Not what we want to see, not what we plan to be in 3 years, but that mug staring back and all of the beauty and pain that lies beneath. We must peel back the translucent layers of hardened pain, and offer our bare selves.
If all of our intentions are pure, and goals coincide with black prosperity, why do we spend so much time shooting down our own flags? Why do we even have an abundance of allegiances outside of being black? As history and our oppressors show us over, and over, they view us ALL exactly the same. And yet, we struggle mightily to all get on the same page. Ego driven. Agenda obsessed. Hell bent on proving intellectual superiority rather than making a connection. Within those connections lies the key to our unification. Can you be honest about hurtful or even embarrassing events of your past that have shaped your current existence? Will you have the strength to admit what behaviors you display that bring you shame?
“Ego driven. Agenda obsessed. Hell bent on proving intellectual superiority rather than making a connection.”
If we can all take our masks off, ideas, and thoughts, genuine vibrations will flow from the purest of places. Right from our core. Core to core communication is what breeds modesty and true relationships. It is what birthed the saying, “real recognize real”. Except for, real, as far as personality goes, has no definition. Honesty does. We have a fear of honesty. Because it hurts. It stings deep. Burns in spots we never want to be reminded of. Thrusts responsibility upon us.
How can we truly seek prosperity if we cannot face the pain? We can’t, and won’t. Honesty also heals, soothes and comforts. We all are hurt, and always have been. It is the solution to our healing. The unity is in the struggle. If someone speaks a truth of their own pain, and you feel the need to insult them, it’s time to figure out why. Why the overall comfort in destroying each other with vile language? Because it’s the easy way out. We don’t want to face what’s underneath those bubbling emotions because we know it won’t be pretty. Time to face the ugly, time to go into the dark.
Black people are the most damaged group of people on this planet. Honest. Hurtful. Black people are the most gifted group of people to bless this earth with the highest amount of natural potential and beauty even the most intelligent truth seekers could not fathom. Honest. Healing.
In my personal experience, honesty has led me exactly to where I want to be. I had to ask myself. Why am I so lazy? I spent years talking the talk, and never living a word of it. I spent my weekends trying to prove my masculinity by attempting to court every black woman who crossed my eyesight. I spent my work days staring at the clock or at home in bed watching movies because of another “family emergency.” Participating in countless conversations quoting books I had never read if someone dared challenged my viewpoint. My temper was so bad, everyone close to me recommended therapy. I wore that as a badge of honor because everyone knew how much damage I could do when angry. I only ever damaged myself. The maturation process was long and gradual. It started with a glance in the mirror.
I know what I think I will be in 10 years, but for now I can only tell you for sure what I am at the moment. A work in progress madly obsessed with his wife and kids. How many of us are stuck behind the line of progress, held back by our own fears, insecurities? The truth is the best healing agent. How much of our youth is stuck in the shallow mindset of consumerism instead of becoming the next great entrepreneur? How many of our young men or women are the next innovators of the world but are consumed by spending every free ounce of energy patrolling the internet for something to be offended by? A leader is not coming to save us. Millions already exist whether we are aware of it or not.
Each one of us holds the key to the future. State a problem you have and watch how many rush to you admitting the same. We are together in this and always will be. Honesty is our last salvation because it’s the first step in healing; we consistently choose to ignore and step over. Our current pattern is a formula for scattered agendas, zero conflict resolution and little to no resemblance of a common goal. The truth shall set us free. Freeing up our emotions to be reserved for what is truly important. Subtracting emotion from every interaction will allow ideas to flow freely. Ideas to be sparked and partnerships to form. Black enterprises. Black conglomerates. Whatever else we need at that point will be from our own pockets, at our own discretion.
No one said it would be easy, but the blueprint is there. We clearly have the talent and the passion. Time to open up some wounds so they can be sewn up properly. Pain is pleasure and we are stuck in insanity. Our counterproductive cycle must come to an end. It all must start with honesty.