Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Guest Blog : Who Forgot To Culitvate? Pt1

Who forgot to cultivate? Pt. 1


By Imani A (@AfroBella_360)

“A tree cannot stand on the ground without its roots” African Proverb

In the absence of roots, trees are not of existence. Trees represent life, freedom, foundation, and protection; synonymously related to the components of a community.

We must cultivate to rise as a one.

Cultivation 101.

Webster’s New World Dictionary provides three definitions for the word cultivate:

1. To prepare land for growing crops; till

2. To loosen the soil and kill weeds around

3. To grow

4. To develop or improve

5. To seek to become familiar with



I have notice that within this generation we are the furthest disconnected from our parents, elders, and ancestors than ever before. We just exist as groups of the same people who do not want to interact with each other because of arrogance and age. What happened? I recollect to the African proverb and noticed that someone before me planted the seeds, watered them ONCE, and never came back to cultivate. The stagnation of developing roots.

Being 23 years old, I believe those born in my generation and those after me catch the most critique from our elders. Constantly criticized for our character, morals, mistakes, education, media, spirituality, clothes, language, etc, there are often no solutions presented just opinions and twisted facial expressions. We hear the rants of:

“What’s wrong with them damn kids?”

“Kids these days are so lost.”

“They don’t respect nobody. YO generation is terrible!”

All these statements could’ve been counteracted with guidance from previous generations. Children’s respect for themselves and life took a detour when generations beforehand took the same route by neglecting to teach the importance of self-love and respect for their brothers and sisters.

How can the elders expect for the younger generations to evolve when they did not make an investment in their communities’ greatest asset, the children. When you do not prepare the children you participate in the destruction of your own people. This builds and adds a larger cycle of a deteriorating community and it becomes just a group of individuals who live in the same neighborhood and become enemies. The evolution of an Ego Battleground. The Ego does what it needs to survive and the true purpose of living is nonexistent. Elders feel that there is a need to make a change but they do see that they are the NEED. Until then, there will just be a mass movement of young egos continuously corrupting the world.

Children are not only a direct reflection of the people but they reflect their environment. Mirrors reflected on any inner city neighborhood we will see confusion, pain, struggle, fear, purposelessness, death, and crisis. Is that what we want reflected? Some elders have decided to take a back seat and expected a white supremacists government to raise their communities but in turn they have metamorphosed into areas housing zombies who only have a sense of Ego has oppose of Self. Without the sense of Self there is no knowledge of community or the realization of “We Are, therefore I Am.”

So why do the parents and elders like to immense in the emotion of shock? Let’s be real. The community stopped putting the community first. The elders stopped putting the community first. The community stopped putting the children first. Parents have a notion of what a community is but do not want to implement it. Children cannot identify what a community is and when any form of it is shown it is looked upon as a foreign language. Elders and children are two important components in our communities’; they are the life and rebirth of infinite love for the people. Love is the new foreign language. Community is the new theory that we as a people do not want to study. The community is built on nurturing and love. Children cannot identify with elements they are not exposed to. No exposure no resonance. The children are cold because the elders are freezing.

Elders are the roots. They are the foundation that is needed to uplift this community but they too are confused about their role. They feel entitled to judge but not compelled enough to help. The irony. Often I feel that I have to play Where’s Waldo to find elders in my community. Why is that? They often stay in the same circle and do not want to reach out to make the cipher stronger. Is that a community I want to be apart of when I am older? Absolutely not. We all possess talents, gifts, and knowledge that is meant to be shared, none of that is to remain idle. I might be giving “the elders” too much credit, how I just call them old people until they evolve into being elders. No need to have a title if you do not want the role. The same applies to any man or woman who wants to be considered a Queen, King, God, or Goddess. You must earn those titles and live with them through purpose.

The intention is not to bash elders because I have encountered some through my lifetime that have dropped jewels that will be used forever and throughout, but simply saying that everyone plays a part in the destruction/rebuilding of our community. Generations before me have been given free passes of this destruction simply because of age while my generation receives VIP recognition in the turmoil that we are all trying to rebuild. Where do you think it stemmed from?

Let’s elevate in love, continue to expose truths and be held accountable.

Peace.

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