LET’S USE ALL THE INSPIRATIONS & PROCLAMATIONS FOR CHANGE

 Emancipation Proclamation 

I have read the story of Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863 by then United States President, Abraham Lincoln and following that declaration, again on February 1, 1865, Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that outlawed slavery in the United States. It’s time for change!

Honestly speaking, as I lived thru lots of stories of slaves and racial disparities, though faced with those indiscriminately perpetrated innuendos, either deliberately or stereotypically, then in 2008, I remarkably lived to see the first black president, Barack Obama, elected and sworn into the highest office in the land.

Also, the story of Oprah, the media mogul’s meteoric rise from tears to success was mesmerizing and stunningly nuanced as she battles an alcohol addiction like many of her African American fellow men and women who have resigned to alcohol, similar to that of the indigenous people in Australia, to ease their intolerable suffering to go on in life with enormous frustration and hopelessness.

Just to name a few, I also saw most of Martin Luther King’s chunk of the prolific speech “I have a dream”, Rosa Parks the “iron lady” who boarded the Montgomery City bus and refused to give up her seat courteously, Malcolm X, some of his articulate and passionate moments to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary”.  Jesse Jackson, the two time Democratic presidential candidate, who became one of the most influential African Americans, rose to prominence presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 winning 16 state contests and millions of votes making him the first viable African American Democratic presidential candidate before Obama. I remember “that one” vividly; he mesmerized and shook everyone by delivering stunning speeches, but it wasn’t the right time to be. Let’s face it credit to him for building bridges for Obama to cross the highly torrential rivers.

My biggest message to my fellow complaining comrades, if you think you are being discriminated and having rough time considering what the past generations had endured, take their courage for your contentment to go on. Don’t worry…the door is widely open now.

There are more lights to emerge. Enjoy the ride wisely. After all is being said and done, no one lives forever; it’s time for change and move forward irrepressibly and empathetically with no hostility, understanding our human nature frailties that may creep in occasionally.

Today, black candidates serve multiple purposes, honoring the total legacies of Dr. King’s prophetic words that focus on the issues of civil rights, highlighting the use of nonviolence to promote change, calling people into public services and humanity to embrace and live with one another without preconditions.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution.

The greatest anti-apartheid hero and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela, said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” True, we all have learned from the society we have lived in.

Most importantly, that visionary and dream story astonishingly fulfilled when Barack Obama became the first black President of the United States of America.

“The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” –Barack Obama

I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.” –Malcolm X

I walk slowly, but I never walk backward. - Abraham Lincoln

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” –Barack Obama

“Whatever we do echoes for generations.” –Barack Obama

Do your part!

NO VINDICTIVE THINKING, IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE

 HAPPY UNITED NATIONS DAY

Let’s also reflect on the official creation of the United Nations Day, today, October 24, 1945.

As we all know, the theme of the United Nations is let us continue to work together to unleash the power of humanity and give people the opportunity to live freely, think freely, talk freely, breathe freely, and love freely. And in the face of difficult challenges, let us prove that we are capable of building a better world together.

That’s just the way it is

To appreciate how playing with the fire of racial hatred is so tense with unintended consequences & it will be good for all to remember that mutual recognition is a precondition for social trust. A sense of self-worth by any group in society is only partially internal; it also depends on the willingness of other competing groups in the general public to acknowledge the worth of the other.

That vow was badly broken for a while now. Now, hopefully, during the American presidential election of 2024, Kamala Harris is crusading to bring back all the memories of peaceful living, reassert nonviolent legacies into the Whitehouse (People’s House), once again, to work together as “a perfect union”.

When one country attacks another, other countries should not be supporting with arms, must also avoid instigating and provoking the volatile situations. The only league established for this nature of predicament, the United Nations, should use the rule of law and try to find ways of preserving peace from start to end with channel of communications first and foremost and the rest of other member countries should refrain, unless they reject, from stirring up the dust on both foes only to produce more dirt.

What surprises us is, while we continue to commemorate and mourn showing our empathy “Lest We Forget” for all those who have lost their lives gratuitously but obediently, the world is still continuing to amass weapons of mass destructions.

We no longer live in the draconian time of “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”. It’s time to speak what’s on our mind, especially, if it is deemed prejudicial to our society.

In truth, we all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

Reverence is long overdue, empathetically. Nevertheless, this is not a blame or hostility for the arrogances, invasions or maltreatments of the past or whatever you want to call it. It’s absolutely essential to know history, how far society has come travelling a stifling journey and to give the concept of sorry and reconciliation for the significance this day upholds.

This may sound so harsh but take a heed or make no mistake that anything is possible if we mindfully put our heart in anything we do. Change is possible.

We need to break free from negative emotions of the past & outdated beliefs of generational scenario, inherited collective mind-patterns that have kept our parents & ancestors in captivity, without blaming anyone, creating so much of their suffering for eternities manifesting in our misery today.

Knowledge isn’t generally the driver of our behaviors. We often don’t do what we should do because of inattention, apathy, avoidance, fear of ostracism, racism, being too busy, confronting an unsupportive environment, a negative attitude or habit or routine without being labelled a pushover. 

Any society should learn from the outdated past systems of governance or any covenants and stride forward with renewed approach of openness and accountability in any social relations, business dealings or political capitulations in any endeavors in the rapidly changing world, talking openly without being accused whether against Royals or any managing authority.

The recent visits of Royals to Australia, for whatever reasons, caused a stir among our open society to speak their minds without causing any wrongdoing, just because no one is allowed to say anything against Royals. That’s an outdated policy, if we don’t say anything, nothing will change. I for one like to speak up with respect if I think something is wrong with authorities in our world.

In modern day we’ve breeds of new generations who want new style of governance for an absolute change for society. They couldn’t watch the terrible wars, abuses and uses spreading in the world we live in. All they want is speak what is needed, to create peace using their freedom of speech, rather than seeing Royals doing the same longstanding visits needlessly and doing nothing worthwhile.

What was the purpose of Royal visits? What exactly was being achieved by the visits rather than doing the same deep-rooted touring and to handshake business as usual royalists? I’m only reflecting on what I have seen ever since I can remember what all Royals do for living. Of course, it was splendid to see them up and running.

Remember, we can’t change the past but we can shape up our future only by forgiveness, empathy, consideration and reconciliation.

It’s now time we draw a line under the differences of the past and work together to build consensus around a proposal for change without hostility.

No matter what has happened in the past, we can’t obliterate history. What we can do now, nevertheless, is forgive and move on knowing that the benefits are much greater than playing politics in a continuous vicious cycle to fix the past hefty maltreatments and all delinquencies with so much substantiated mendacities for vengeance.

Also, what we believe individually and collectively, whether good or bad, right or wrong, true or false, will be determined by our creed, values, beliefs and principles that will shape the final outcome. 

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on the past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses and the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a constructive outcome. It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure.

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work together even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

The process of unifying people is difficult and the road to agreement is often littered with the debris of historical grievances, animosity and resentment.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” –Abraham Lincoln

However, we are all interconnected humans fundamentally and we can’t afford to abandon our moralities and privileges to coexist harmoniously.

Today, because of all those who made the difference before us and those who are making the change for a better society now, we’re able to live side by side even though the road to change is still far away from reaching “the mountain top”.

A better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of altruism, supporting others thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru inner transformation.

It’s not rational anymore to accept that the “western” world is democratic, and the rest is “undemocratic”. This is a misconception that merely rests on vindictive thinking of dichotomy and things don’t have to be accepted just the way it is anymore.

The rule of law or democracy is not an advantage that you can automatically get because you are in a certain environmental location or upbringing. It is rather an innate virtue we all humans are entitled to enjoy. If we accept anything, the old-fashioned way, “That’s just the way it is”, nothing will change and neither can we.

Anything we do doesn’t have to be “That’s just the way it is”. If we want change or different outcome, we’ve to try doing differently.

You know what, society created the system, law, rules… society can change anything. Therefore, it’s time to change those old guiding lights that was built long time ago only to serve its creators.

May those who have lost their lives in all unjustly maltreatments and wars in our past and to this modern day, Rest In Peace, and also sending condolences to their grieving families and loved ones.

The truth might hurt but must be told, regardless.

Let’s all not take sides or condone it but stand up to the problem.

Let’s all stand up for change!

HAPPY AFRIKANS DESCENT DAY

 DAY TO SHARE THE PAST & LIVE THE PRESENT ‘DESCENTLY’

First and foremost, we wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, Australia, on which we live and pay our respect to their elders of the past, present, from all nations who gave their lives for all their enduring praiseworthy causes.

The truth might hurt but must be told, regardless. We all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”

Without going back further, just starting from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama, the shackles of chain and the knees that pushed the people of color down for centuries have been torn apart by the descendant of the Lion King from Afrika, in 2009.

As we’ve seen the emotions of the people who couldn’t take it any more back in 2009 voted to put the pulsating Barack Obama in office. Since then, America slipped back to its racial profiling and abuses by the very people who took oath in office to obey and serve everyone equally and unconditionally. Just when we thought America has learned about a perfect leadership that managed a perfect union on the land, they need to start all over again, to vote and put the same dynamic leadership that awakened the nation, again. “Whatever we do echoes for generations.” –Barack Obama

We no longer live in the draconian time of “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”. It’s time to speak what’s on our mind, especially, if it is deemed prejudicial to our society.

A better and more peaceful world can only be attained by societies developing basic principles of altruism, supporting others thru individual empowerment, practicing non-violence and self-development thru inner transformation. “There’s no vaccine for racism.” –Kamala Harris

It’s not rational anymore to accept that the “western” world is democratic, and the rest is “undemocratic”. This is a misconception that merely rests on vindictive thinking of dichotomy and things don’t have to be accepted just the way it is anymore.

In the face of evil, the question in our morality is always a clear one. We can choose to be silent; we can choose to be defenders and accomplices of evil, we can choose to blindfold ourselves in the face of evil or get in the faces of evil doers or we have a choice to be damn evil to condone it or openly accept it.

The message is clear, all of us who teach and preach to others to do things differently, have the choice, seek the opportunity to make the difference, refrain from being doing the same thing and playing by the same rule again, again and again. Make no mistake time to heed, refocus and transform the way we deliver our speeches and speak honest opinions to connect with others.

One must remember the rule of law or democracy is not an advantage that we can automatically get because we are in a certain environmental location or upbringing. It is rather an innate virtue we all humans are entitled to enjoy. If we accept anything, “That’s just the way it is”, nothing will change and neither can we.

There is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to equal opportunity than an education that unravels our genetically given potential to live together decently as a human race.

We all have our own unique cultural predispositions while growing up in different social and educational settings that may not gratify everyone.

Reverence is long overdue, empathetically. Nevertheless, this is not a blame or hostility for the arrogances, invasions or maltreatments of the past or whatever you want to call it. It’s absolutely essential to know history, how far society has come travelling a stifling journey and to give the concept of sorry and reconciliation for the significance this day upholds.

This may sound so harsh but take a heed or make no mistake that anything is possible if we mindfully put our heart in anything we do. Change is possible.

We need to break free from negative emotions of the past & outdated beliefs of generational scenario, inherited collective mind-patterns that have kept our parents & ancestors in captivity, without blaming anyone, creating so much of their suffering for eternities manifesting in our misery today.

Any society should learn from the outdated past systems of governance or any covenants and stride forward with renewed approach of openness and accountability in any social relations, business dealings or political capitulations in any endeavors in the rapidly changing world.

We can’t change the past but we can shape up our future only by forgiveness, empathy, consideration and reconciliation.

It's now time we draw a line under the differences of the past and work together to build consensus around a proposal for change without hostility.

No matter what has happened in the past, we can’t obliterate history. What we can do now, nevertheless, is forgive and move on knowing that the benefits are much greater than playing politics in a continuous vicious cycle to fix the past hefty maltreatments and all delinquencies with so much substantiated mendacities for vengeance.

“The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What we believe individually and collectively, whether good or bad, right or wrong, true or false, will be determined by our creed, values, beliefs and principles that will shape the final outcome.  

It is a mentality that is willing and able to reflect on the past experiences, past actions and their outcomes. It is only through such reflections that one learns one’s strengths, weaknesses and the environment and conditions in which actions were undertaken and what could have been done differently that could have resulted in a constructive outcome. It is not enough to admit collective failure. One needs to evaluate one’s role in the failure.

However, any failure can be turned into an opportunity to learn and grow. I say it can, because it requires a particular attitude to benefit from our failure. Without that mentality, all our failures will go to waste. This is true in political affairs as it is in personal life for a leader, contender as well as a follower. So, what is that mentality?

Today, it’s not enough to create change at the level of symptoms and structures. We need to work together even more deeply to change the underlying paradigms of thought and to connect with our deeper sources of creativity and self in a heterogeneous society.

The process of unifying people is difficult and the road to agreement is often littered with the debris of historical grievances, animosity and resentment.

However, we can’t continue living in the past anymore, whether we like it or not errors do happen. We have the choice to move forward with a comprehensive social change, compromise, recognition and resolution. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” –Abraham Lincoln

However, we are all interconnected humans fundamentally and we can’t afford to abandon our moralities and privileges to coexist harmoniously.

Today, because of all those who made the difference before us and those who are making the change for a better society now, we’re able to live side by side even though the road to change is still far away from reaching “the mountain top”.

As wounds of the past still lingering around in their respective territories, Afrikans are genuinely making a solid declaration that they no longer allow, to be scrambled by authoritative and hungry, foreign or domestic, hippos to satisfy their voracious appetite.

It’s time that all Afrikan countries must also give up their colonial names and replace it with descent names that fit into the culture and their country of origin vetoed and voted by the voice of the people, regardless of the geographical locations.

The greatest anti-apartheid hero and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela, said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Here is also one good act to follow: “May we uphold the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

May those who have lost their lives in all unjustly maltreatments and wars in our past and to this modern day, Rest In Peace, and also sending condolences to their grieving families and loved ones.

A SHORT LIVED STORY OF ROBERT NESTA MARLEY

 UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AS BOB MARLEY

His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a British citizen plantation superintendent on a working visit to Jamaica met his mother, a black teenager, named Cedella Booker. Cedella Booker's teen beauty attracted Norval Sinclair Marley and he moved in to live together with her and naturally Cedella became pregnant.

After persevering for nine months, Cedella Booker delivered the baby peacefully on the Thursday afternoon of February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile village, a district in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. She named the baby Robert Nesta Marley after his father who was nowhere to be found in Jamaica.

In February of 1966, Robert Nesta Marley married to Rita whose full name was Alfarita Constantia Marley OJ, OD, now lives in Miami, USA, is a Cuban-born Jamaican singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, while she was a backing vocalist for Bob Marley with the Wailers band.

A melanoma that started under Bob Marley’s big toenail wounded him while he was playing football in 1977. Marley was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma under this toenail. Bob Marley was very much into football and he was a very good player.

He battled with this injury and his doctor advised him to amputate his right big toe. He did not accept the amputation advice because he believed in Rasta No Abide Amputation. His melanoma spread, or metastasized, to other areas of his body and tragically cut his life short. Contrary to popular belief, the melanoma was not caused by a football injury, but rather was a symptom of the already existing cancer.

Despite his illness, he continued touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980.

While Marley was flying home from Germany to Jamaica, his vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention. Bob Marley died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life”.

He was a member of the Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church and was baptized Berhane Selassie (Light of the Trinity) and he had become a Christian Rasta. His funeral celebration was a combination of Ethiopian Orthodox and Rastafarianism grace. Bob Marley was a singer, song writer, guitarist, composer and a footballer, buried back home near his birthplace in Nine Mile village, Jamaica.

The Marley Legacy

Some of my Favorites among the rest of his songs are Redemption Song, Three Little Birds (don't worry 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright!), Is This Love, So Much Trouble In The World, Positive Vibration, Lively Up Yourself, Africa Unite and in fact all his songs are liberating.

In 1986, in honor of her famous husband, Rita Marley decided to convert Bob Marley's home into the Bob Marley Museum, became the Founder and Chairperson of the Robert Marley Foundation in 2000, the Bob Marley Trust and the Bob Marley Group of Companies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!