I’ve written a number of articles in the past concerning WHAT the culture of the Five Percent is. The purpose of those articles have always been to clarify our perspective and how we choose to attend the world. Not just for the outside audience who may live and work in proximity to Five Percenters, I also did that for those for insiders; those who say they are Five Percenters. I am starting to see online posts and discussions again about whether our culture is God-Centered, Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, I Self Lord And Master [I.S.L.A.M.], 120 Degrees or etc. So the question is, what is our culture and what is it not? Is it possible that all of these, and other elements, represent various aspects of our way of life? If so, what is the middle point of our culture that all of its people activities are centralized around?
As a Nation, and primary to that worldview, is our Universal Flag; the Sun, Moon, Star and Seven. This flag is an emblem of our Nation which means that we share a common culture or people activities such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology. The Sun, Moon, Star and Seven on our Universal Flag are all seen from the perspective of the Planet Earth [a woman who has brought forth/bringing forth life]. As a nuclear family, the Sun is symbolic to man, the Moon is symbolic to a woman's Mind and the Star is symbolic to the child. Seven is the number of perfection or divinity which means that Godliness must be central to our family unit. Seven is in the middle of our Universal Flag because its superimposition is a sign of protection, not misogyny or male chauvinism. "I-God" is also used to describe our culture in our National Anthem 'The Enlightener' [Supreme Team Version]. The 8 points are all right [alright] angles that ensure that our cipher [family] is complete: 8 × 45° = 360° [cipher]. The white represents clouds of deception that reminds us of the inner/outer deceit, trickery and treachery that can undermine our ability to be a unified family. As a family we share a common culture or people activities such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology. Does our flag accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes.
I've seen some argue that their culture is Supreme Mathematics. Yet when people make this statement they are not referring to the supreme application of various fields of mathematics. They are saying that their entire culture is based upon adding something to something else; 1 + 2 = 3. Supreme Mathematics IS NOT just about simply reducing digits until you reach a single-digit number. That's like only using addition in Arithmetic. 😳
For example, when some folks say Wisdom Understanding borns Power [2 + 3 = 5], they just talk about Power without ever elaborating on HOW Power, in principle, is a composite or synthesis of the individual principles of Wisdom and Understanding. If this were Chemistry, Power would be a Compound and Wisdom and Understanding would be the Elements that are bonded together to create that Compound. As Elements they have their own unique identity and when fused together they forge a new substance called a Compound. Water [H20] is a natural Compound composed of the Elements Hydrogen and Oxygen. Image striving to explain what Water [H20] is without defining how its Elements forged it... What makes our Mathematics Supreme is our ability to demonstrate the higher application of life principles through any field of mathematics, not just simple addition in Arithmetic.
Mathematics is the operating system of the universe. Supreme Mathematics is a higher order operating system. Consider its application in teaching Prime Numbers. A Prime Number is a whole number greater than 1 that is composed of one set of factors. For example, 3 is a Prime Number because it is composed of the factors 1 x 3; one times itself. 7 [God] is the highest Prime Number in the Arabic Numeral system 1-9 and 0. As a Prime Number, 7 [God] is also composed of one set of factors 1 x 7; one times itself. This means that there is only one set of circumstances [factors] or one primary condition that contribute to the outcome of being 7 [God]. That single condition is self awareness/consciousness; 1 [Knowledge] x itself [7]. Without Knowledge [awareness/consciousness] of self as a primary factor, it is impossible to know how to identify and express the best possible qualities of strength, influence and godliness. In other words, it is impossible to determine what a Prime Number is without first identifying its set of factors [circumstances].
Some people claim that our culture is Islam meaning "I Self Lord And Master." The 9th letter in our Supreme Alphabet is the letter “I” which represents “I or Islam”, Islam being I Self Lord And Master and I Sincerely Love Allah’s Mathematics. The Arabic, yes Arabic numerals 1 through 9 and cipher [0] correspond to our principles of Supreme Mathematics. When you add our use of Arabic words within our language such as Allah, Islam, Koran, Muslim, Musa, Muhammad and etc. it is easy to see what some people would think we are Islamic. The numerical system and alphabet that a Nation of people use are cultural tools that help construct, calculate, quantify, compute and communicate our people activities. Do our Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes.
Then there are those who state that our culture is 120 degrees/lessons. 120 degrees is like 120 landmarks on a map of human geography. Some of these landmarks represent actual people, places, things and events. Some of these landmarks are also symbols of people, places, things or events. Whether these landmarks are actual or symbolic, our exposure to them plays a critical role in how we begin to see, define and navigate this map of human geography. The first lesson or landmark we learn is who the original man [and woman] is. Because I know and have studied this extensively, my view of the world, and how I attend it, is very different than someone who does not know this. If we were both looking at a city landscape, this is one landmark of importance to me that is either unseen or not of equal importance to someone else. This would be no different than a person driving by a gated enclosure they rarely noticed until someone proudly brought it to their attention that several of their family members are buried there going back six generations. What one person drives past, another person makes it a point to stop and visit. Neither is right or wrong, I am simply pointing out how we navigate life and that our GPS [Global Positioning Device] is determined by what’s in our head. So when someone who had or has lessons no longer uses them on this map of human geography, we must ask ourselves what device are they using to globally position themselves? Do 120 degrees accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes.
I think one of the problems is that some people are looking for a single palatable soundbite to describe our culture to outsiders. Ask an Irish, Italian, Punjabi, Cuban Cameroonian or other citizen of a Nation, "What is your culture?" and see if they can give you one answer. When they do give you an answer I am sure that it would be a combination of things that are primary to their worldview. This is the same kind of response you will get from Five Percenters. It is a combination of our Universal Flag, Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Degrees and other elements such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology that represent our people activities. Our culture IS NOT just centrally or singularly one of these elements, it is all of those elements and much more! In sharing our worldview it is important to meet people where they are. If I am talking to a person who is health conscious I may discuss the dietary aspects of our culture with them. If a person is coming from a Christian background I may discuss their biblical principles that coincide with our cultural worldview. If someone is invested in the youth I may discuss the youth advocacy and community outreach emphasis of Allah, our Nation's founder. The landmark court cases that our Nation have won in correctional facilities around the country were only possible by meeting the Administration and Government where they are through the use of legalese. The irony to the question, "WHAT is the Five Percent Nation's culture?" is that it is a personal and collective inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of our Nation. That is a question that we individually and collectively answer each and every day by how we are living. The more consistent we are, individually and collectively, about living our culture, the less confusion there will be concerning our identity, nature, or value of our Nation. That is what is the true middle point of our culture.
Peace,
Saladin
