THE NAACP BURIES THE N WORD...SO WHAT?!

Peace! I build all is well with everyone. I just had to comment on this. So the NAACP (Still the National Association for the Advancement of COLORED People!) choses to take the time to have a ceremonial burial for the N Word. Hey, sometimes symbolism is good...symbolic gestures can convey a greater meaning to those who are actually concerned about the meaning, understand it and will apply it. However, what is the point with this exactly?

Now understand, I am someone who does not use the word "nigga" in my vocabulary. Haven't since I was young (I tried due to peer pressure, but it just didn't sound right so I stopped) and even wrote a poem at one point against its common use. Even at my program, the word "nigga" is restricted (among other words, and I remember doing a whole presentation on why). I do not refer to any man, woman or child as "niggas" and I probably never will and I'm okay with that(although my God has an interesting perspective on it that I can't really disagree with...I'll leave that blog to him). Maybe if I was still in that space of ridin on everybody who says "nigga", I'd support the NAACP's efforts more or truly think that the burial is a step to achieving something great.

Do they, or anyone for that matter, truly think that having a burial for the word "nigga" from an organization that many who probably use the word deem rather irrelevant, is going to effect its' usage in the lexicon of popular culture? Is it gonna stop the everyday kids playin with broken bottles and firecrackers on the 4th of July when it's illegal, from callin themselves niggas when they hear it everyday, not just on the radio or videos, but on the street? In school? At the house? The word "nigga" is a worldwide phenomenon and I don't advocate its' usage. And on the one, somebody has to think its important enough to try to work on it if that's what they see fit. I'm just thinkin there are larger things to focus on, especially of an organization of this stature. And are they at least building with young people directly and introducing other things to call each other? If you remove somethin, you have to put somethin in its place. Even if Russell Simmons wants to ban certain words coming out on albums...too little too late. The word officially has a life of its own (due to the life we gave it) and has for some time now. And why do this now after all the Imus controversy? To me, it just comes off as opportunistic damage control.

Although the NAACP hasn't gone anywhere technically, for them to come back into the public eye (read: publicity) based on this kind of issue, as part of the ripple effect of Imus and others, is pretty lame to me. Are we just that unfocused or unorganized that we're just lost, not knowing what issue to focus on? I stress PRIORITIZE! A lot of kids see themselves as niggas cuz they're living a way of life that reflects oppression, and trying to beat odds when the cards are stacked against them. A life change may bring about a change in self-definition. I couldn't truly see myself as the Earth if I didn't change some things about my life so that my life would be in tune with what I am calling myself. You have to look at how a person, place or thing was made. Change the conditions of those who see themselves as "niggas" and they may not consider themselves "niggas" anymore.

EDUCATION
ECONOMICS
HOUSING
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
HEALTH

These are a few issues worthy of working on. They can never get too much publicity and too much work can never be done.

P.lease E.valute A.ll C.orny E.vents (PEACE!)

I Medina Peaceful Earth

HOW POWERFUL ARE YOU FOR REAL?

Peace. Power is your ability to effect and change your environment through the work you put in over time. There are many types of power, or shall I say, there are many ciphers in which one's power can be manifested i.e. financial world, politics, neighborhood, community, etc. Within this, you have different levels of power. First comes your internal process...your inner strength and will power. Lots of people, including myself at an earlier point in my life, stop here. I AM THE QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE!!!! is how one may feel inside. For as long as I can remember, even as a child, I felt a certain level of royalty about how I carried myself...walking with my head high like a queen. That's the pride my mother instilled in me, and an inner confidence that I've always had (even though I had self-esteem issues like a lot of lil Black girls do).

I remember I wrote this long ass poem called "Visions of a Superwoman," and it was a long poem about how I was the shit basically (sometimes, in the world of poetry and even rhymin, one can boost themselves up through metaphor...lots of "I" statements). I was feelin' myself that day :-) B.u.t. in order for your inner strength to matter in the grand scheme of things, your power has to start inward and then be applied outside of yourself. You have the power to change yourself, and as important and necessary as that is, that is just the first step, with power.
In our supreme mathematics, culture comes before power, so there are consistent activities that have to be taking place to show and prove your impact on your environment.

So, if I'm not consistently effecting and changing other people's lives am I truly powerful? My inner strength can be a great self-esteem builder, and once I have that strength, I have the ability to act upon it. B.u.t., if I don't act upon it, if I ain't changin anybody's life, then guess what? In the grand scheme of things, I don't have any real power...yet. I know the power I do have which is manifested through tangible activities (my work with children, my poetic, rhyme, and writing abilities, etc.) and that's cool, but being honest with myself, I have yet to change a block, neighborhood, city, state, country, world, and for the billions of people that exist at this moment, the overwhelming majority have no knowledge of my existence!

So I guess this is an ego check for myself and if it applies to you, that's peace too. I can read books, and develop myself, and all that, b.u.t., if it ain't effectin nobody, my power really only matters to me! And if I'm effecting a handful of people around me, that's peace, b.u.t. I know that I can't stop there in order to live out the qualities I assign to myself. One can start small, and do what you do well and thoroughly, before expanding, b.u.t. just think if all of us really did our best to make the greatest impact in this world as possible!

As Gods and Earths (as well as others who use some of this terminology to define oneself), we have a lot of qualities within our worldview to live up to...king, queen of the universe, god of the universe, earth, mother of civilization, father of civilization, ruler, master, etc. All of these qualities cannot stop at us as individuals or within our immediate ciphers (family or home) in order for us to have a large impact in the world. If we are kings and queens, we must have a kingdom (aside from our homes, although that's included). If we are captains and lieutenants, we must have private soldiers right? If we are leaders, we must have a team. So we as individuals, have to make an honest and critical assessment of our impact on others. I know I positively effect a handful of people, but at the moment, I don't have much power in the world. This doesn't mean I can't pursue it and grow and develop, cuz I am and I will, b.u.t., I have yet to "conquer the world" per say. I'm not really runnin' shit all like that.

Reality check...There are so many ways in which power is being exercised over us in our daily lives that we either are not conscious of or seemingly have no control over. And yes, we do have the power to change what we don't like, but just follow me here. We are living in America, and live within this government, and move according to this country's laws, policy, and political decision making! We did not create them, but we live by them and are effected by them every single day. If you see Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko," you will see how much our Health Care System is the reflection of the interests of those in government, whcih matriculates down to people's personal health care. So knowing this, how much do I truly control? Do I even have the money to purchase a neighborhood block and put up a school, right and exact grocery store, movie theatre or entertainment venue, clothing store fit for a queen and other daily needs that are suitable to my culture? Unfortunately, at the moment, my answer is "Emphatically no!"

The sign of a great neighborhood is when you can meet all of your needs within that section. B.u.t., having done the knowledge to all of these dynamics, this is what I am striving for. I know I'm doing a lot of great things, b.u.t. I can't be content with where I'm at. Otherwise, I stop growing, and anything that stops growing is dying a slow death. People knowledge or respect your culture through the power that is shown...through the perceived benefit that one can attain from participating. So I have to take responsibility for striving to produce things that will tangibly benefit as many people as possible to continue to show and prove the power of Allah's teachings.

So whatever it is that you advocate, go hard to positively impact your environment. That's power that people can relate to.
P.owerful E.xamination of A.llah's C.ourageous E.xample (PEACE!)

WHO'S WORLD IS THIS?


Peace! First and foremost, I want to thank the Gods and Earths in Philly for hosting a beautiful Family Day. The Sun, Moon, and Stars (men, women, and children) were in full effect! Good food, good music, water ices, pictures, family...what more could you ask for in an event at the park (besides sanitary bathrooms...I know that wasn't on ya'll :-)! It's good to see people see us doin "regular things."(doin the knowledge to our cipher) Yeah, we barbecue, eat fish, jump around in those blow up play areas, play b-ball, blast our music, take flicks, do the two step, eat water ices and capri suns and chill shit too. Just like my God says in one of his rhymes, "I'm just like you, I happen to know a little more." We are not some mystical underground cult, so as R. Kelly, the perverted musical genius so eloquently stated in the "Make it Rain" remix..."DON'T GET IT TWISTED!!!!!!"

Well, Philly's an interesting place. It's very different for me. Coming from Cali, I'm used to a certain level of space, trees, blue skies, beaches. In Philly, it's crowded, and kind of gray, soulful, and more of a fast paced hustle. I can dig it! I learn new things every time I visit. This time around, I saw a few things that I had never seen before that cracked me the hell up. This may only be funny to me cuz I've never seen it so bear with me...

1) I saw a billboard that said, "Don't get it twisted...you are a child of God." Don't get it twisted?! I guess somebody was tryin to appeal to the "Hip Hop generation" maybe?

2) Black kids trotting down the street on horses. I was absolutely shocked! The landscape and the horses just didn't match. Not to mention somebody walkin their horse down crowded dirty ass 52nd street (no offense Philadelphians...I get great salmon nuggets, Muslim fish hoagies and shea butter down there too:-)

3) Muslimas in all Black just chillin at Fairmount park...as if sistas in all Black don't do regular things like go to the park and movies...at least in Philly anyway.

4) The children have virtually no fear! They will ride one of them bikes or four wheelers in four lane traffic, comin towards, you, only to turn around 5 inches from your whip!

I respect the culture of Philly. There's a lot goin on, and you definitely gotta stay on your toes. Don't get caught slippin!

With that said......

Today's mathematics is knowledge cipher, all being born to knowledge. This morning, I was reflecting on the importance of honesty with oneself, in relationships (any relationship...god, Earth, friend, father, mother, self, etc). Sometimes we are still looking for that mystery God or earth, or loved one or thing and we don't even know it! It's like bein with somebody, and expecting them to live out certain qualities based on your experience, b.u.t., you fail to see that those qualities are not present in the person you're with. So doing the knowledge to the cipher means being aware of who and what is around you AND within you, that said person's abilities, strengths and limitations or challenges.

If a sista for example, ain't been cookin' all her life, and just cuz she calls herself the Earth now doesn't mean she'll be a culinary chef in 3 weeks! Or on the flip, expecting for a God to be your everything, fulfilling 100 different roles rolled up into one person, relying upon the God for all of your stimulation and entertainment. The God is the foundation, the source of light in this way of life and ya'll set up how that is supposed to play out in real time, day to day interactions. However, it's also important to have time with yourself for self-development and processing, time with your sister-Earths, time with some young people, developing your skills. And when you take time to do this, the equality you bring to the relationship will be that much greater.

Throughout my process of getting knowledge of self, I also had to do the knowledge to my cipher...everything that is encompassed within me. This degree in mathematics was very important to me cuz it allowed me to take personal inventory myself, in the dark, when nobody else was around... my "self work," if you will. Mathematics helps you get to the origin of all things, most importantly, why you are the way you are. I'm not using mathematics to its' fullest capabilities if I don't do this. What is the danger in not doing this? If I don't get to the origin of where my ideas come from, where my feelings come from, where my thoughts come from, then I will act based upon an idea that I am not aware of! Or I will react to something that happens and my reaction will be based upon previous experiences, my emotions, or information that is not right and exact.

All information is not knowledge, cuz in this culture, knowledge serves as a platform for you to act that is contextually relevant to the natural order of all things. Peep game... if I grew up watching TV all my life, or consistently bore witness to unhealthy relationships, that information that I am taking in is going to impact me. However once we choose ourselves, then we have to make the conscious decision to move off of info. that has been qualified, quantified and that takes us determining whether it is of value enough to integrate it into our way of life. For instance, I may have watched Charm School, but I know that the info. presented is not knowledge (although there were a couple redeeming qualities about the show, but I won't get into that right now :-)

Our relationships are supposed to be based in mathematics (the natural order of the universe) b.u.t., when you have been without mathematics for the first 20-25 years of your life, you may not always be operating off of mathematics just cuz you got the student enrollment down or even if you knowledge 120! Reshaping your thought process takes time...the amount, depends on the person and the pressure you put on oneself to change. It's almost like re-programming yourself. So I might have more pregnant pauses in conversations cuz I sometimes have to say to myself, "Hold up, don't say that Earth. That ain't right and exact. That's some otha shit from way back". Or I may truly want to be honest with a person if they ask me a question. The events of our childhood, our formative years effect us. We can be 30 years old and react to situations based on somethng that happened when we were 9 years old. Shoot, I remember when I was 13, and I went out on a limb and approached a dude. He said, "I'm cool," and ever since then, I have not approached a dude for fear of being rejected. That was like 15 years ago!

So if one doesn't take the time to truly know themselves, the relationship with whom or what is based on wisdom...your emotional attachment to it, and because feelings change, that can bring about a lack of stability. This don't mean you gotta be a robot! You can still have fun, meaningful interactions with people b.u.t., it is a challenge to strive to rise to for mathematics to consistently be the ruling principle in all of the decisions we make. Otherwise, don't let the ensuing chaos and confusion surprise you.

Even in one's physical family for example. A person may look for the qualities in a father that are just not present, and due to this dynamic, this can shape and mold your interactions with men for life! For example, I would have liked for me and my physical father to have had more of an emotional connection. More father-daughter talks, more time with him. B.u.t. growing up and doing the knowledge to him, I learned that due to his family history and the Vietnam War, he was a little more detached emotionally. So I had expectations of a father that he couldn't deliver. And no matter how much I may have felt I could have benefitted from it, I accepted that he couldn't give me what he didn't have! So, I forgave him, and now, I love and appreciate him for all the things he was able to give me...even the challenges that ensued from all the things he didn't give me, cuz I grew from it. Love is the highest form of understanding, which is seeing something or someone AS THEY ARE, not as they present themselves to be or how YOU WANT them to be. Knowing that, loving someone and maintaining that love long term isn't so easy and it ain't always fun.

So whether you're in my culture or not, be aware of who and what is around you, know their purpose, be mindful of your expectations, and most of all, take the time to go to the root of you. Otherwise, you'll be living life, discouraged, confused and frustrated asking yourself, "Who's world is this," or "What world am I in," and you won't be able to give yourself an answer you're satisfied with.

P.ractice E.valuation A.nd C.onsistent E.levation (PEACE!)

I Medina Peaceful Earth