No. 62 - The African Teacher

Last night I watched a show on HG TV and was quite intrigued by the content they chose to show. There is this Tribe in Africa called the Himba and they have maintained their family bonds since the beginning of time. (And by the way, they are Black, like you -- and that’s a good thing). I watched intently and was drawn to the stunning difference between their world and mine. I soon came to the conclusion that their world IS mine, and my world IS theirs.

To put it another way, I think we no longer need to say “how great we were”… Africa has been crying out to us, telling us in real time how great we are.

So why have we gotten to the place and time in this, our American “history” that is so dark, hurtful, dysfunctional and broken? What reasons do we have that justify collectively turning our backs to the powerful lessons of community that our Ancestors still demonstrate today?

The memories of the young African man will all be examples of learning and wisdom… of thoughts of the African father taking his small child to the field and TEACHING him how to sustain his life, and that of the community he so desperately needs… teaching him the value of familial integrity, wisdom, respect, and honor. He teaches his young child how to avoid the peril and pitfalls of life’s odyssey so the young man, once released into the community, is ready to be a Man. The Africa Teacher will work along side his beloved Son in the heat of the day knowing full-well it is his duty and honor to teach his child to survive. No matter what challenge he and his family will face, they will face it together. It is the difference between life and death.

The memories of too many American Black Youth are not the same. They are dark, filled with thoughts of anger, hurt, shame, fear, and distrust. While there is always that faint glimmer of brightness and hope, it is slow in coming, and quick at visiting. Their music is telling them to have no regard for, or commitment to, their community. Their video games are teaching them to hurt one another… to steal away in the darkness and do some ruinous act to another person, simply for the rush of it. It is the difference between life and death.

They are handed-off from grade to grade with little reason to try because they have more bad memories than good, and We haven’t made it our mission to give them better.

…And they are not yet ready to live as Men because WE have not taught them. Our actions as men have been less about uniting and sustaining, and more about dividing, defeating, diminishing.

It all makes sense, now.

We Black Men in America need to step up to the plate and stop the non-sense, and then recommit to being better Men. If there is any truth or rationale to what I propose then you must do something about this. If you feel this is simply rhetoric, then thanks for reading… please do continue.

Now, I’m not saying we can flip a switch and start to make a difference… the better question is how can we flip the switch?

We are a brilliant people, designed to survive anything, and I think we simply need to re-align that brilliance. I think we need to make a decision to stop destroying our communities, our families, our selves. When one hurts we all hurt. So, to me, it doesn’t really matter what side a person may take, if it isn’t OUR side then EVERYONE will be hurting. If you would just stop and think about who is hurting it is clear everyone is.

I think as Men we need to learn how to teach our young Men to become old Men. We need to learn how to come together as a community of brothers ALL working towards a better life for our families. We need to find that wise old Grandfather – or Grandfather-Person – who has been married for thirty proud years, ask His advise, and start listening to what he says. And we need to start forgiving others and ourselves.

Here is a test: Take a penny and put it on a table. Wait one second. Then two. Now, try to pick the penny up. GREAT YOU DID IT! So here’s the question: Did you try to pick the penny up, or did you pick the penny up?

An observation: A person will choose to do something or they won’t. No in-betweens. Trying does not exist when it comes to our will power. We either will or we won’t.

Most importantly, WE have the will to DO what we want.

So, I guess I was saying we can flip the switch – but, alas, I had figured that out (I’m just enjoying the sharing of these thoughts)…

In any event, I know this is a touchy subject so I tried to take a lighter approach (believe it or not). I hope it in some way causes you to think about the (African and American) worlds you (Black Men) live in, and understand that we do have it within us to come together as a community of great people committed to the survival and betterment of ALL of us.

I hope it causes you to talk to someone you love and/or care about and ask them what they think. A passing stranger would work well also.

As I contrast the two approaches and consider which might be in the true best interest of our community’s survival, in all honesty and fairness, I would much rather the African Approach to building Men. I think the results are there for all to see.



All praises to The African Teacher.