Cultural Identity Crisis Part II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CULTURAL IDENTITY CRISIS

Part Two

  One day when you are not so busy that you can't learn something new, you should go to a public library and study the globe or better yet-- a world atlas. My family owns an atlas that my persons picked up at a flea market. My persons got it cheaply because it was aged-- meaning books (like all paper copies) decrease in cost when signs of decay (depreciation) sets in. I found this book to be a sound investment. Often, my family and my being would sit together with atlas and globe and study the actual facts of the land masses (in hopes we were setting the foundation for my children's 'international perception or hawks-eye-view'). Maybe you can do the same as well and learn new facts.

   For example, although the Black Sea empties out into the small Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, this water meanders into the Aegean Sea which separates Greece from Turkey.  The Aegean, Adriatic, Tyrrhenian Seas all dump their waters into the Mediterranean Sea which is totally surrounded by land on all sides until you reach a small outlet near Spain and Morocco in so-called Africa called the Strait of Tangiers. This makes these seven seas surrounded by land, similar to a large, scaled up version of the Great Lakes in the United States. As a matter of fact, if you did not have to concern your persons with governments, terrain and climate, you could walk from Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia into Russia-- by way of the Caucasus Mountains (an area between the Black and Caspian Seas).  And in doing so, travel throughout Europe. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China are all connected to the former Soviet Union and this same land mass extends clear around the Arctic Circle to the Bering Sea-- separated from Alaska and North America by the Long Strait on one end and the Norwegian Sea, Iceland, and Greenland seas on the other.

  This shows us that except for North and South America (as well as Anartica), most of the known world is mainly one huge land mass. When we were young, the West tried to convince us that North America, Europe and Asia were formerly all one land mass called "Eurasia" (a name which they created with the "Eu" of Europe coming before the word Asia), but if we took away all the current borders, this current day land mass would only be a continuation of the land which we could call Asia-- consisting of East, Central (or Middle) and West Asia respectively. Most people don't because the West does not refer to it in this manner. I hope you able to see through this example that the strategic naming of land mass, countries (as well as people), are often politically motivated-- often as a means of controlling those thus named. As well, the only reason we don't perceive it in this manner is because we were raised in the West, therefore we're subsequently taught to overlook it.

  In Biblical ideology, God allowed Adam to name all the creatures in creation, thus God gave man dominion over the earth. Nomenclature is a strategic system of naming things. When you name something, you indirectly describe and directly define things. As you define things, you gain more of a grasp of the things you define. Once you define a thing by its ways and characteristics, this knowledge gives you a certain control of things. This knowledge and familiarity gives you a certain dominion over all those things as well: By means of knowledge, awareness and familiarity, you certainly can limit the influence those things have over your life from your understanding of their natures. In case you haven't noticed, when conquerors overtake an area, they send missionaries to teach of the white man's fabricated religion while familiarizing themselves with the ways of the people. The missionaries are religious and normally present themselves as loving and caring humanitarians who come in peace... Although they may be, they are but part of a country's ideology or culture which might not peaceful.  Now once this knowledge is obtained, the other parts of this foreign power utilizes this knowledge in order to carry out the other parts of the plan-- similar to an octopus with several tentacles. Once the country have achieved its' goal (conquer or domination); they immediately start the process of re-writing "history," printing his papers, spreading his godSPELL; basically redefining everything to suit Western way of seeing things. As they say, "To the victor goes the spoils," which includes renaming everything.  And the European man doesn't have a problem spreading around enough money (making financial contributions and such), in order to do so.

   A long time ago (though it slips my conscious realm of where I saw it), I learned that the area Westerners call "Japan" is referred to by it's natives as "Nippon." I think what I may have been looking at was some foreign instructions, which was Nippon words written in English letters (Latin alphabets). This made me wonder, "So why do most people call these people Japanese?" I'm sure this happened when the Catholic church arbitrated the negotiations between the Portuguese Navy and Spanish Armada (each of the two countries being loyal subjects to the Catholic Church), by giving each an area of the globe to dominate over. On their maps, the Europeans renamed the areas (of course without ever informing the inhabitants of those areas), and the Catholic church sanctioned the conquering, colonization of those areas, and converting into Christianity. The Catholic church sanctioned Spain and Portugal domination over many indigenous peoples-- just as long as these marauders paid Rome tribute for the areas they colonized,influenced, or had dominion over (those interested in this type of policy should read or watch James Clavell's "Shogun"). Europe (under the pope) also had other names for many of the "Non-Western Asian lands" and we Blacks use those same terms because we live in a former European colony (The United States of America) and etiquette dictates we should. Besides, the West has had strong dominance or influence around the world.  Most of the world uses the terms that the West uses; not the terms and words its natives prefer to be addressed, or the labels that the indigenous people use to reference such things.

   If we let our education remain in the way the White man has taught us in America, we would never think of Europe, Africa, and China as one continent: Asia. If we continued to identify ourselves to the land-- not the tribe or the genus (as Western ideology subscribes); we would not place much value to our common traits as a people, but far too much to the country we were incarnated and all the prejudices that come along with that.
   We also can not we use religion to unite us, for within religion, there are religious prejudices and bigotry (a.k.a. "our way is thee way", "we are more blessed", "that's not the way we believe") etc. Wars have been fought over religion for a long time. Religious genocide has even taken place on more than one occasion: One only have to look at the current day murder of Muslim populations within Bosnia in 1995 known as "Srebrenica Massacre." Or in Spain and Portugal to see the exile of Sephardi Jews (who were citizens of these countries for a long time), as well as some cases of extermination-- stating that the underlined reason for the murder of an estimated 30,000 Jews within Spain was because of their false conversion into Catholicism to save their citizenship. These Jews were accused of claiming Christianity, while secretly continuing to practice their Jewish faith privately within the home during the time of the Inquisition. Some associate the country of Tarnish, as mentioned in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, I Kings, Jonah and Romans, as a locale in southern Spain (Ezekiel 27.12–14); Jonah 1.3). In generally describing Tyre's empire from west to east, Tarnish is listed as the first place Jonah sought to flee from the Lord -before 300 B.C. If Tarnish was indeed Spain, Jewish contact with Iberia may date back to the time of Solomon.  

  Therefore, it is very important for us to shed these Western ideas and terms for things concerning life, living and politics and begin to look at things from their original nomenclature, because (whether secular or religious) Western reasons are usually politically motivated; leading to a Westernized superiority, world domination-- control of world's natural resources, as well as a brainwashed way of thinking. And even though we speak of the influences of the Europeans, we only have to look at the tragedies in Biafra or the religious conflicts between Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba to know we are not exempt from this self hatred, tribal and small-minded way of thinking.
  So while there is a desperate need for Black people to come together, the medium cannot be what land you are from, or the religion you practice, but the stock of people you are and the awareness or consciousness you have concerning all of our people, no matter where we are. I think it is better to view things from the scientific perspective rather than religious or nationalistic/political point of view. I don't mean science in terms of technology, but science in the root term of the word 'scire' meaning 'to know'. A scientific method then, is a thorough means of investigation-- to discover the truth and facts, as opposed to belief. Once we stop looking at ourselves as belonging part of a land masses and more of the genus we are-- Black people-- we then should be able to view ourselves as a people regardless to the part of the world we reside in; Regardless to the part of the globe. We should be able to look at ourselves as a people, having certain wants and needs as a group, as opposed to thinking we are all different because we live in different places.

    Once we have established that into our psyches, we can then be able to look at things happening to Black people around the globe with a singular outlook and a scientific perspective. And from this perspective, we can also begin looking at the types of influences-- Western, Eastern, and religious influences-- affecting and effecting our thinking in different parts of the globe. This Western-Eastern, Communist, Capitalist, Monarchy-Democratic ideology has very powerful influences over us as Black people-- but we can not down play the power of religion.
   I choose to be very scientific and scholarly in my thinking. I am very god-orientated, but I do not believe in organized religion. One of the reasons why I hold as a strong reason against organized religion as I do, is within every religion there are religious prejudices, and a staunch belief amongst many of them that you can't reach God except through their particular way or that other religions are heathen. This way, you can watch many of us die and say "they were all heathens anyway."  This I cannot agree with. This aspect of religion has kept us apart from our social equality for too many years.  Besides, there is no one singular way to connect with the Almighty. Religious differences has been amongst the top aspects keeping each other apart from true equality as Black people and we have been intimidated by nationalism and politics into believing so.

   Certainly, if we look at ourselves as Black first, then the country or religion we are in as a secondary issue, our perception on the human condition of Blacks around the world would be a lot more cohesive to each and every one of us.  As we watched current events, we would think of how those things impact on us. This coupled with a need to know, accompanied with a devotion to be educated by such knowledge, would evolve in Black consciousness.  Our means of investigating various cultural aspects would be more scientific: We would find ourselves examining a culture from an anthropomorphic, archaeological and anthropological point of view as opposed to a religious and indigenous or nationalistic perception.
  One of the things I enjoyed about reading Malcolm X's (Malik El Hajj Shabazz) books-- like "By Any Means Necessary" and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"-- is regardless of his defining of his persons as a Muslim, his concerns expressed a love for all Black people wherever they are-- not just fellow Muslims.  Malcolm remained an unconventional thinker who considered globally, yet acted locally as all activists should. Truth is truth and facts are facts-- regardless to how one feels about them. We do not live in a vacuum and if it happens to Black people over here today, it will entice events of this sort to happen to Black people over there tomorrow.

   Our aim at Black Consciousness on the Third Stone from the Sun is to bring you the truth in hopes it will expand your mind and raise your consciousness as a people (creating international unconventional thinkers), instead of letting it whither and die under the regime of ego-centered, narcissistic, hedonistic people who just want our labor, our land, our resources and control our souls.

[Next: Does discussions concerning Racial inequities make you a Racist?/ Does discussions about what we have to work on as a people make you negative?]

Peace and Blessings,

C. Be'erla Hai-roi Myers