natural drugs, imagination, spiritual conceptions & abstraction

This thought is horribly under-developed, but important. one day, I hope to re-work it. It is an important point, because there is a very strong societal trend, at least in the United States, to label and disable, (perhaps we should coin a new term "dis-label) individuals by either their mental states, issues, or addictions. I'm a firm believer that we are who we are, and as such, our karma in life is to find balance in that thing. From the time we are born, we have our lifetimes (or at least we should have our lifetimes) to come to terms with ourselves. (this is the horror of an insufficient upbringing, because then, instead of coming to terms with who we are, we are forced to come to terms with what happened, or did not happen to us... I've been able to figure out, that it doesn't make any difference if your mother is a crack head, or a princess. The point is, once children make it here, we owe it to them to give them everything possible to further their lives. Part of this responsibility is to only have children, that we are able to take care of, and that we are able to take full responsibility for. So it makes no difference if you have one child, or 8. Take care of them, love them, and give them everything you can possibly give. enough said) Perhaps, at a time in the past, where we had our lifetime to come to terms with ourselves, each and every lovely flower of humanity, whether privileged and luxuriant in their existence, or short and brutish, had the opportunity to find something, or nothing... so be it. In this current modern day society, we are labeled, from the earliest years, based upon the most marginal and subtle issues and then, put on a separated track. In fact, at any point in life, when we encounter a label, it seems that we are put on a different track, and, coincidentally, there are industries ready and waiting to make profit from your condition. Be your condition a mental illness (pharmaceutical) a genetic pre-disposition (medical and diagnostic, and devices) or social (programs, counseling, specialized therapy) or even drug treatment, incarceration, or help organizations, including non-profits, ombudsmen, eap's, consumers, etc.

This post is about the sanctity in individuality, and the importance of diversity in maintaining a balance in our options. The trick, I believe, is that for society to not label, but to assist and to push individuals towards their passions, rather than turning individuals into a label, a disability, a condition, a product, or profession. enough said. One day, I hope to develop this thought more fully.

it seems that one of the greatest innovations in the history of man, was writing. But before there was writing, there was semi-abstract thought to the degree that a language was necessitated to represent these ideas. If there was only "what was" then there would be no need for language. language only becomes necessary, with the advent of "real" abstraction. I only call it "real" because what is abstracted, is a "real" thought that may become real one day.

the first languages are generally accepted to have begun in response to the need to facilitate trade, and to measure and account for items. Along with writing, there also became the need for numbers. there were many 19th century philosophers that speculated that had the ancient Greeks had a zero or a complex representation for partial numbers, then they would have made it to the moon a few hundreds of years prior to the United States of America. But that is another tale.

The point I would like to make with regards to abstraction, language development and the attendant expansion of imagination entailed in/facilitated by language, is the role of ancient religions, conceptions of spirit and god(s), and the role of hallucinogens and other drugs in furthering the vision quests and possibilities of man.

It is not by ideas alone that man progresses, it is also by imagination.

Today, there is a movement afoot across the land to "integrate" mental health and substance abuse services. The role of drugs, mental illness and spiritual conceptions in the ascent of man, can not be underestimated. This type of "experience" and subsequent "genius" and brilliance in the creation of ideas and possibilities, as well as the ability to record and build upon such experiences, afforded by language, is a not very well understood, nor respected precursor to modern societies and the organizing principles of such societies.

the subjective experience of hallucinogenic abstraction, by ancient sages on the cusp of language abstraction is what made the ancient Greek sages, and the pontificating upon the nature of philosophy and man, was the main factor in early history of the technological age.

Black Panther Blvd.

In the fall of 1966, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale created The Black Panthers to defend the rights of Oakland's Black citizens and protect them from police brutality.

Several high-profile incidents followed, including the Panthers fully armed stroll through the California State Capitol, The recruitment of former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael, and Huey P. Newton's acquittal on murder charges.

Soon, thirty-four Black Panther chapters sprouted up across the United States, awakening a forceful new spirit of empowerment and activism in oppressed communities. The infectious immediacy of the Panther platform and their "10-point plan" integrated key philosophical components that were also shared by Paolo Freire and Frantz Fanon. Freire like the Panthers, advocated a passionate embrace of the needs articulated by the oppressed community. Frantz Fanon, deconstructed the psychology of those oppressed by colonialism and pointed the way towards the authentic praxis of liberation .

Today's acceptance of a national politics that incorporates the needs of Blacks--and, by extension, all people of color--is a composite of the demands articulated by the Panthers, as well as Black Liberation leaders such as Martin Luther King, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, Robert F. Williams, and organizations such as The Deacons for Defense, the SCLC, and SNCC.

Sixty-five social programs, including Head Start and the free breakfast program, were started by the Oakland Black Panthers. Other programs such as the sickle cell screening program were adopted and expanded by the medical community in later years as indispensable tools in preventive medicine.

Today, the Black Panther Party is acknowledged by social justice researchers and in academic circles as a prime example of an oppressed people in a neglected community not only successfully articulating their needs but addressing them through pragmatic political action and an all-out "by any means necessary" appeal for social justice.

The City of Oakland owes The Black Panthers, city residents, and the international community a BLACK PANTHER BOULEVARD to serve as a permanent memorial to the birthplace of the organization's accomplishments and enduring legacy.

That the Black Panthers have been so steadfastly maligned throughout their history will, most likely, be the cause of any opposition that might arise to a Black Panther memorial. The enduring negative image of the Black Panthers is a testament to the coordinated efforts of the CIA, the FBI, and local law enforcement through the domestic counter-intelligence program known as Cointelpro. Cointelpro was used by J. Edgar Hoover to disrupt, smear, discredit, incarcerate, and kill prominent party members. J. Edgar Hoover, in fact, believed "the Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country".

The actions of Cointelpro have been well documented by numerous sources such as Frank Church, Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall.

This is not to say that there were not significant organizational challenges and issues that impacted the Black Panthers efforts. But it must be understood that the Black Panthers were a grassroots organization who adhered to a code of conduct, and that they encouraged the community-building efforts of committed individuals. As the Panthers became part of the community, the community became part of the Panthers. This intimate community involvement in the workings of the Panthers is the reason why BLACK PANTHER BOULEVARD is a memorial not only to the Panthers, but also to Oakland, and to all of the communities and individuals who benefited from, and were inspired by their actions.

THE MISSION OF BLACKPANTHERBLVD.COM is to honor the accomplishments of Oakland's original Black Panther Organization, as a major contributor to the civil rights movement and as a model for politically oriented, grassroots community activism.

the real issue with death in the 21st century

I remain unconvinced that the precarious nature of life is any more or less precarious now than it has been in the past.

Coercion was surely a strong factor in the ability of man to exhort his fellow man to lay down his life for a greater cause; yet, all in all, methinks things were more than likely much more simple, "back in the day". If one were to find oneself on a war campaign "back in the day", there was no one or thing to appeal to for subsistence if you to find that you had a sudden change of heart. No. If you decided the soldiering life was not for you, then your ass was more than likley killed, or, if you were lucky, turned out to the elements. Yes, any such realization that one were, in truth, and in ones heart, a conscientious objector would be as death provoking at that time, as swallowing a handful of lethal pills would be today.

No doubt, the vast majority of soldiers in earlier ages were simply living in the moment, chasing their next meal, their next step and their next problem, issue, or pleasure, as more intelligent persons recorded the weight of booty accumulated through their efforts.

Today, the horror of death is not the violence of it all, rather, the expectation that we will have extended futures, and funds, insurance, retirement, comfort, income but, more to the point, the horror of death is essentially, the essentialist duality of not existence/non-existence and form/spirit, but the duality of semi-present/future and selfish individualism/materialism.

The horror of death is that we will no longer be able to spend, to purchase, to indulge, to see, hear, smell, taste, gratify and reflect. that is the horror of death.

We are in an age, where the contemplation of a future, is as revered as history, culture and convention had been in the past.

No one wants to die, when the virtual entirety of their conscious orb's are dedicated towards, the almost Egyptian aesthete of the pre-afterlife, which is another way of saying, the period of time between the present, and death.

I share in this horror. not because I want to, but because it is a cultural trait and obsession of our present day lives.

Black God

It's obvious to me that we all have our own unique conception and understanding of God. Even if we have the same idea, if we were to explain it, order the priorities of "godliness" and spirituality and what is helpful to us to know and how we center ourselves or in what ways we are helped by the idea of a higher power, or if we were to talk about how we came to this idea, or heard of this idea, or our experience or personal confirmation of a higher power or understanding of creation, existence and the trials of man and the lessons we have to learn or what sin is or forgiveness, or how we recognize these ideas and ideals with how we operate or how the world works or politics or racism or culture or society, it's clear, that regardless of how similar our ideas are, they are all unique and different, in the same way as the proverbial and literal snowflake.

whew!

The surviving ideas, concepts, culture, tradition, rights, ethics, morals, and society of native and indigenous African culture and the mish mash of traditions that occurred through the diaspora and within individual journey's, teachings, collisions, exchanges and understandings between peoples on the shores of what is now known as the United States of America.

The application of the new religion of Christianity, and it's basis in the old testament, and the ways in which it has come to be understood, is a demonstration to it's power. Rooted in God, but moreso rooted in the trials of man, the inclusion of reality in the suffering and persecution, and the yearning for understanding. The mythic allusions to God, Man, the Quest, the finding, Identity, universality, redemption, humanity, sharing, charity make Christianity, regardless of whether it is spread by death, or by life, by charity, or by oppression, whether the intent is control, liberation, exploitation, or whatever, only serves as a testament to it's malleability and also completeness.

The fact of it's living nature as a living word, is what has allowed us (as African peoples) to take this word, and our understanding of this word, and to make it uniquely understandable to our plight and eventual salvation from the condition of slavery.

Black religion, like Christianity, can not be divorced from the circumstances of the situation of Blacks in America, thus, the ideas of the bible that were gravitated towards, were those that assisted the most spiritually and resonated most clearly.

Ideas of the suffering and redemption of Christ. Of forgiveness, of everlasting heaven, of the holy spirit, of spiritual visitation, of charity, of perseverance, of resurrection, of the trials in Egypt, the salvation, the lost tribe, of the fall of pride, of the rapture, resisting the temptations of the devil, of re-birth, baptism, the virgin mother, the birth in a stable manger, the three wise men, the forgiveness of Joseph, the son of God, the "way"... all of these ideas, resonated deeply within the bosoms of the Africans rendered into slavery.

What has developed, evolved, and survives to this day, is a different religion which is the synthesis of Black African traditions, Black American Suffering, and Black America salvation in the present day.

It is a wholly different religion than any other form of Christianity practiced anywhere else in the world.

The ability of the African sons and daughters to take what exists in America and was at one time foreign to them, and make it into a fully expressive element and vessel for the most meaningful cultural aspects of Black culture is one element of the African, that has never, and will never diminish.

Whatsomattayou? Africa Ain't Green Enough For Your Ass?

Before all this bs started, and the gods of war went throughout every nook and cranny of this green world to wring every drop of blood from the oppressed peoples of the world, we didn't have to worry about all this "Green" bs. I find it hilarious how all these yoga posin' socially conscious, environmentally friendly, negative carbon footprint mf's think they're so green when every time they pick up a carton of eggs, some herbs, some veggies, some bread, some meat, some cheese, etc, it comes in a package that can not be reused, but instead, must be melted down, ground up, or otherwise transformed to become "recycled" into the environment.
They laughed at beautiful blacks in Africa for living in dung houses, washing their babies in urine, drinking cow blood, wearing animal skins, putting bones through their noses, fighting with spears and making love in front of their children. They called them "heathens" and "animals", and so, to show us "the way" they made us eat processed ham, canned fruits, drink alcohol, wear cotton, put diamonds on our fingers and shoot bullets through one another, and raped wives, daughters and grandmothers in front of their husbands and their children. Yeah, thanks for the lesson on civilization!
The problem, is that these folks wants "green" technology which is an oxymoron. Don't worry, soon they'll get with the program, and before long, we'll all be blowin' smoke signals to let whoever survived the coming apocalypse, that we need some more low suds detergent and another pack of diapers.