Relief Valveology (RV)

Relief Valveology (RV)

I recently had a dream about how systems work, or don't work, based upon a role of a relief valve. Over the years I've watched the ebb and flow of important issues within the mainstream media and various talking heads weigh in on everything from #BlackLivesMatter, police brutality, foreign policy, the 2016 Election and Monsanto to the show Empire, Caitlyn Jenner, LHHATL, Raven Symone and McDonalds offering breakfast All Day. While some of these critical perspectives and the dissatisfaction is genuine, I think many of them serve as valves to simply release pressure on "the system", not to fundamentally change anything.

So what is a relief valve (RV)? A relief valve (RV) is a gate-like device used to control or limit the pressure on a system or vessel that can cause that system's equipment to fail and become damaged. The valve is designed to safeguard a system by limiting the maximum amount of pressure on that system. To relieve that pressure the valve opens. When pressure conditions return to normal, the valve close. Without a relief valve pressure will continue to grow until other components in the system fail, thus ultimately relieving that pressure.

Sound familiar? Have you ever listened to the perspectives of some people and see that their underlying intent is safeguarding the system/status quo? What about those who function like a valve; they open [their mouth] to speak out on issues the people are dissatisfied about, yet close [their mouth] when the pressure to change those conditions returns back to normal? In Freemasonry this is the same role and responsibility of the Tiler/Tyler; a gate-keeper and symbolic valve used to [safe]guard the outer door to the lodge from potentially malicious, unqualified and nosey people. Tiler comes from the Latin word "tegere" which means 'to cover' or roof. In other words, this is a person who got the system covered... Although some of these people you see organizing rallies in cities, doing lectures, sharing videos and etc. may not be due paying members of a masonic lodge, they act as Tilers none the less. I elaborate on Tilers and other things in my latest book Eyes Wide Shut: The Science of Secret Societies. While some may even be on the government's payroll to quell the emotions of the public who are putting pressure on changing public policy, some are not but they both serve the purpose of maintaining the status quo. Keep in mind that I am not talking about Don Lemon or those who come from the David Clarke tribe. We know their posture and it's not to release the pressure building up within black/brown communities. It's obvious that they, and others, are here to safeguard the system that's already failing in many areas. I'm referring to those some of us assume are for a new system of things. I'm talking about some of these black militant, black conscious, nationalistic, religious, Pan-African, metaphysician, sovereign folks who appear to be banging on the system. I'm also talking about some of these white liberal, free-range, off the grid, anarchist, racism conference attending, political candidate Eminemians who appear to be banging on the system too. Some of them, are only here, to provide vent forums. And once you've gotten your concerns off of your chest while they nod their heads and articulate they understand, things remain the same. And if you ask too many questions, get deemed unqualified or accused of entertaining malicious intents against them or their leaders, you'll see the Tiler come out.

At the end of the day we must be mindful that some people are simply not invested in being change agents to help transform the conditions of this world. They're nothing more than relief valves that helps release the pressure being put on this system. It doesn't matter what gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation they are; they're all gate keepers. Age also doesn't matter because the older ones strive to socialize and incentivize the younger generation to do the same thing. There are some things right about what goes on here in America in comparison to other places in the world. There are also things that aren't right that needed to be changed yesterday, perhaps many years ago. In order to do this, knowledge must be our foundation, not sentimentality, being in our feelings or getting riled up to rally around talking heads who aren't invested in change. The more we know, the more we can personally and collectively do n order to see the changes in our families, communities and society as a whole. It's not about valve-like position aspirations or being proud that we're the only person of color on our job. The only pride in being a gate-keeper is safeguarding the lives of the most vulnerable members of our society; our youth, elders, women, disabled, disenfranchised and poor. And it shouldn't take pressure from these segments of our population to make changes in the way this system operates. When we don't, that pressure will continue to grow until other components in the system, including the system itself, will fail. It's not rocket science, I'm simply talking about relief valves. 

Peace,

Saladin

PRESS RELEASE: November 18, 2015                                     
Media Contact: Saladin Allah

atlantisbuild@gmail.com

FRENCH-AMERICAN 
SCHOOL VANDALISM

To whom it may concern:

My name is Saladin Allah, a Five Percenter Journalist, Author and Youth Advocate writing in response to the recent vandalism at The French-American International School in San Francisco. As this latest example of American “Francophobia” has been wrongly attributed to the Five Percenters and our implied association with ISIS, I wanted to take a moment to clarify who we are. As one of our many thought leaders, I have been referenced as a Five Percenter subject matter expert and program consultant for the History Channel series Gangland to clarify our supposed association with the Hidden Valley Kings in North Carolina, and I was globally cited to clarify if Jay Z was an active member of the Five Percenters and elaborate on the meaning of the Five Percenter Medallion [Emblem] he has publically worn. I’ve written over 250 articles, published 14 books and have successfully worked as a youth advocate and community organizer for the last twenty years creating various projects, programs and initiatives geared towards the positive growth and development of families and communities.

One of the commonly held misconceptions is that the Five Percenters are Muslim [religious], which we are not. Our group, which consists of people of color and white members, are culturally based and more concerned with self-development, youth advocacy and community outreach than we are vandalizing, desecrating or ridiculing others for their beliefs or political ideologies. No mature, upstanding member of the Five Percenters that subscribes to our principles and values would do this. In fact, we are anti-crime and it’s a matter of historical record that following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, it was the Five Percenters who walked the streets of Harlem with Mayor Lindsey of New York in order to help stop the violence, looting and restore peace. Our symbol, the Universal Flag, represents the sun, moon and star: our universal family. Family consists of man, woman and child and a unified human family is the vital building block of any nation of people.

Thank you for your consideration and giving me the opportunity to clarify this. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com

Peace,
Saladin Allah

Region 6 Local Representative of the Five Percenters [AKA: Nation of Gods and Earths]

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Francophobia: The France Attacks and American Amnesia

Francophobia
The France Attacks and American Amnesia

On Friday November 13th in France over 120 people died from attacks carried out at six separate sites. The largest number of death tolls occurred at a concert hall during the set of American rock band the Eagles of Death Metal. Like the Kenyan school shooting this past April where 147 people lost their lives, the September Borno State Bombings in Nigeria that killed over 145 people, the over 500 people who died in South India from heat waves last May and approximately 1,000 citizens, about 3 people per day mostly people of color, who have already been killed by law enforcement this year in America, all of us should be aware of how precious all human life is. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes people simply view the lost of one life differently then the lost of another life, the deaths of one group of people more important than the deaths of another group of people.

Following the #FranceAttacks I saw many people immediately show their support and solidarity with the French people by sending out prayers and changing their Facebook Profile pictures to the France Flag via a social media option/initiative spearheaded by Facebook founder Mark Zukerberg and the encouragement of an American outcry for Americans to stand with France. Youtube even changed its logo to the French Flag and announced "We stand with Paris" on their home page. Some people just followed that script. For others it wasn't because an American battery was put in their back; they simply spoke out and showed their solidarity like they do wherever tragedy occurs on the planet. Whether these people were the former or later, it still shows that people have some sense of global consciousness simply because we're aware. We also need to be aware that things aren't always what they appear to be, especially when you look at the historical way America has interacted with France. Now that many of you are thinking globally and considering France and America, let me share a few things with you to give you.

Do you remember France opposed the invasion of Iraq and Congress changed their cafeteria menus to stop calling french fries "French" fries, started calling them "Freedom" fries? Then the American government started encouraging Americans to call them freedom fries too? Yeah, I know it's petty. It also shows how soon some of us forget such petty things. Does that sound like an ally? See, through the lens of colonialism, your allies or enemies is based upon your geopolitical agenda and socioeconomic interests. In other words, the ends justify the means. Some people are genuinely concerned about the tragedy that happened in France, other places around the world and the tragedies that happen in America. Some people just see tragedy as an opportunity. 

Speaking of allies and enemies, let me break something else down to you about the dysfunctional relationship between America and France most people don't talk about.

France was the first country to accept women into freemasonry. You know, "Freemasonry", the sausage party secret society many of America's Founding Fathers, signers of the Declaration of Independence, Presidents, Congressmen, Mayors, Senators, Councilmen, Soldiers, Businessmen, Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, School Principals, Union Leaders, Judges, Newspaper Editors, Lawyers and other 'men' in positions of power belong to in this society?

Maria Deraismes: The First Female Freemason

From the 1700s to this day, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), other mainstream Lodges and Prince Hall Lodges in North America still don't let women join. Any lodge, particularly French and Continental Lodges, who admit women are considered bogus by mainstream North American, Grand and Prince Hall Lodges who only have seperate associated [auxillary] bodies women can join. If you, male or female, have been initiated into a French Lodge or attend them you're generally marked as clandestine [bogus] and shunned by other freemasons. Keep in mind that these are the same marked/shunned French freemasons who are afiliated with the Grand Orient Temple who created and gifted an original Statue of Liberty to America that was initially rejected because she was black.

Now what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Well the same way you have influential people socially engineering events that were/are Freemasons here in America, you have the same influential people socially engineering events that were/are Freemasons in France. They historically haven't, and generally don't, rock with eachother. Behind the veil of so-called alliances there are fundamental masonic differences between America and France as it relates to their geopolitical agendas and socioeconomic interests. Some of the historical pettiness, jeering and criticism Americans have about France being weak and bogus is really based upon how American Freemasons have generally looked at and still look at the French for allowing women into the lodge. Because of that, and regardless what you see on the surface, America and France have irreconcilable masonic differences that historical tragedies, and tragedies like we just witnessed, have not been able to mend. What looks like solidarity today will be separation with a side of sarcasm, tomorrow.

This is at the root of some of America's "Francophobia": the historical stereotypes and hostility towards the French government, culture and people of France. And no, I didn't make that word up. Research it.

Francophobia

In closing, I think it's important to speak out against tragedies wherever and whenever they happen to human beings. All of us should. Yet we shouldn't allow ourselves to be used as a patriotic tool, especially in the midst of tragedies, to blindly support the political agendas of some people who obviously don't feel the same way about all human lives based upon their domestic and foreign policy record. Acknowledging and mourning the loss of human life, especially in great numbers such as the Native American and Armenian Genocide, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust, is likewise important. Yet we also must know whom we are mourning with. Like in the film American Gangster when Bumpy Johnson died, sometimes people show up at a family's funeral, speak empty condolences and even sit around and eat up the family's food at the repast [repass] knowing they didn't really like the person who died, or their family. In fact, they probably had a bunch of sh*t to say about them the day before that family's tragedy. This is how some Americans responded to the death of not only the French who lost their lives but also Kenyans, Nigerians, South Indians and even other American citizens who are people of color. I just want those of you who are riding the American solidarity with France wave to clearly understand that after the water subside, America will return to biting France's back out just like sports analysts and everyday talking heads do LeBron James. And I hope to see your solidarity against that petty hypocrisy, too. 

Peace,

Saladin

News You Can Use

News You Can Use

For those of you who aren't connected with me via my Facebook Page I often share thoughts/posts there that I may not write a bi-monthly article about. However, there were a few posts I made recently in regards to current events that I wanted to take a moment to share here. Also, even though I have the maximum number of friends, you are still able to follow my posts. 

The Public Execution of Karia Lee

So Karia Lee, mother of Tyshawn Lee the slain 9-year old in Chicago, is being dogged for buying a vehicle with some of the money raised for her family from a gofundme account.

First let me say that I wouldn't have done that. If those donations were intended for funeral expenses, but the funeral was already paid for, Karia should have made that known first and then asked how those donations should be handled [desolved] before she used them as she willed. Given that considerat...e approach, and because of the circumstances, I think people would have given her the O.K. to use it. Listening to her in the press it was clear to me that she wasn't prepared for how to handle being in the public eye or how to deal with donations. Most people don't and many journalists seek to exploit that for headline news stories.

What some of us need to consider and not lose sight of is this: whether people of color are being criticized or praised in the media, we're not being judged by a journalistic jury of our peers. Historically, that peerless jury doesn't generally judge their own using the same standard of scrutiny. With that being said, what do you think Karia's white counterparts bought with the hundreds of thousands of dollars people raised for them with gofundme accounts when they tragically lost a family member? 100% funeral expenses? Lets not be naive. If we're going to audit folks, lets critique itemization statements from everyone equally. I bet you'll find some people pushing more than a used car...

Support The Troops, With Proof

On behalf of Veteran's Day I would like to take a moment to recognize all of those men and women who have sacrificed their lives as enlisted members of this country's armed forces. I also will that one day this country genuinely reciprocates that recognition across the board, beyond the celebration of a day. How? By supporting legislation and initiatives for fair Veteran and Veteran Family services/benefits that many have come home to fight for, some have even died for, right here on U.S. soil. Veteran...s are a marginalized group within this society and they deserve more than a thank-you, a salute or a free Starbucks coffee. As civilians, I encourage you to learn more about the challenges they face and how you can be of any assistance via NABVETS, NOVA, other Veteran advocate organizations, your local VA Hospital and even just talking to your family members who are Veterans.

Fruition and Futility

HER: That's the old testament, we don't need to learn that.
ME: Well our oldest testament is the planet Earth. It's been here for millions of years and we still learn from it today. There's obvious value in that. There's also value in learning about an old testament of some people, places and things on planet Earth, the oldest testament.
HER: True. You always got an answer huh Saladin? Lol
ME: Lol Naw, I just think you can learn something from studying the old testament.
HER:... Well why didn't you just say that.
ME: I did, in a way that you can't refute.
HER: Lol Whatever.

The above dialogue is from a conversation I had with so-called "conscious sister" who has recently learned about some of the contradictory and outright demonic ideas some religious leaders teach using the bible. Because of this she doesn't touch 'the good book' with a ten foot pole. I could understand her frustration and had similar feelings many years ago myself. But, there is still value that can be learned from it. Even if that means learning the proper interpretation in order to expose the charlatan's teachings used to mislead the masses.

Periscope Dope

Over the last month I've been using a new App called #Periscope that allows you to share live video and interact with your audience in real time. It's been an excellent addition to my ability to share my world as a journalist, author, youth advocate and creative artist. I've periscoped live from my STYA Program, shared some of my recent music projects, elaborated on a few of my books and addressed various topics that come to mind. If you're not on there I encourage you to download the App and add me at: @AtlantisBuild. It's dope!

Speaking of mediums of communication, I was recently featured in a short 30 minute interview with StrongerMind Media with author of The Secret Nature Within You, Christian Fisher. StrongerMind Media is a medium that focuses on resilience, turning stress into strength and adapting to adversity in a variety of life situations. In this interview I elaborated on self-actualization, youth advocacy, community outreach and how to achieve our goals. I'm thankful for having that opportunity to add-on and you can check it out by clicking on the below video.

A New Release!

On September 16th I quietly released my 13th book "When Teachers are ready, their Students appear." I say quietly because I did it at 4am in the morning. A middle of the night book release is literally saying I do this while others sleep and there is nothing theatrical, flamboyant or spectacular about that. As a journalist and author my intention has always been to simply make information accessible to people, not sell books, win a Pulitzer Prize or be on Oprah's book club list. Book sales and testimonials have come as a result of this information accessibility and I am very thankful for that. 

In a society where it is often expected for students to be properly prepared to learn [information], I always understood that our educators must be properly prepared to teach. Oftentimes that is not the case in mainstream society. Over the years of having Knowledge of Self [KOS] I also found that it can be true within my society of Five Percenters. When Teachers are ready, their Students appear is a series of essays pertaining to teaching and gaining KOS from the cultural perspective of a Five Percenter.

This book is now available along with my other titles at my E-Store, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, book outlets worldwide and my website Quanaah Publishing. If you have a family member who is incarcerated that you would like to send a copy to please email me at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com.

I appreciate your support!

Peace,
Saladin

Are We Culturally Congruent?

Are We Culturally Congruent?

     Based upon my experience of formally having KOS [Knowledge of Self] almost 20 years this September, one of the biggest misconceptions I've seen people have about Five Percenter culture is that growth and development happens over night. In this fast food microwave society people often have the unrealistic expectation of "instant results." The reality is, nothing happens over night but the night and it takes years, months and days to unlearn and learn things that will improve our way of life and make us resourceful to others. Culture is not something we add water to, stir up and bake for 45 minutes. Culture is not something we simply read on this blog, nod our heads to in a cipher or listen to on Instagram clips. Culture is the sum total of all of our people activities which includes everything from our diet, language, the way we behave in private/public, our perspectives on education and economics and even how we define our sex life. Culture encompasses every aspect of our way of life.

     When I first got KOS I wanted 120 Lessons. That is what I thought and believed was what it meant to be a Five Percenter; to know your lessons. While this is an integral part of learning the core values, principles, chronology, social norms and etc. of the Five Percent, I learned over time through walking with my Enlightener/Educator that lessons were not the sum total of this way of life. Over the course of our journey I also learned the Supreme Mathematics, our Nation's chronology, the Supreme Alphabet, Twelve Jewels and other sciences of life. Still then, these components which comprise our cultural curriculum were still not the sum total of this way of life. It took me years, months and days of experience to realize that regardless of our personal growth and development or individual accomplishments, they mean very little without the context of family and community -the cultural building blocks of any nation. In other words, in order to have a culture or sum total of people activities we must have a group reality; people. That sense of collectivism provides the context of culture because in order to improve, tend to, raise or grow anything it requires interdependence. In our physical environment that interdependence or network of organisms interacting together is called an Ecosystem. When it comes to us personally, without that sense of collective consciousness and sensibility, our way of life begins to reflect more of an Egosystem.

     What inspired me to write this are the experiences of different people reaching out to me for support. One of the common things I hear is that Five Percenters in certain areas are not actively involved in their communities or doing anything for others. Aside from putting pictures and video clips on Instragram or being universal flagged-out on Facebook, many of these people are simply going to work everyday, if they are employed, and possibly attending a nation function once a month dressed in their Sunday's best. That is disappointing. That was not what the Father or his companions did. If that would have been the case none of us would be here because nothing would have been shared. I met my Enlightener unenrolled in a semester of college still going to physics, sociology classes and etc. to learn. That wasn't a typo, I said "UNENROLLED" meaning; he did not have to be there yet he was there to teach others. Some of us only take a class or training when it's necessary or we're getting paid. There are some Five Percenters who only engage the public, and other Five Percenters, monetarily. The only things they're ever involved in benefits them personally, including their own household, and they don't facilitate anything that solely helps others. That is a problem. Why? Because imagine where we would be if the Father had that kind of self serving mentality. Imagine if the Father and his companions' main platform was to monetize their relationships with the youth, their peers and anyone who looked towards them for guidance and support. Consider how it effects the lives of those in need today when the only time some of us are willing to do something, or ask others for something, is when it personally benefits us and ours?

     This year I became an active member of a grassroots organization in my city called Niagara Falls Forward; a group of like-minded citizens invested in enhancing the quality of life for citizens in our city. Some of the things we've done are information sessions, a voter registration drive, food/clothing giveaways and we recently held our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival on July 4th. Everything we've done has been made possible by the community, for the community. A couple of weeks ago we participated in a local event called Pints4Progress. Pints4Progress is an event held once month where citizens come together to eat, drink, socialize and vote on a project that will help improve our city. Each new attendee pays $5 and former attendee pays $10 to attend. With their entrance fee they get a meal/drink and after everyone has had a chance to socialize, several attendees are invited to present a five-minute project idea to the group. Once all those interested have pitched their ideas, each attendee votes on the project idea they favored the most, with the highest vote-getter taking home all funds collected at the door. The week we attended there were almost 150 people, seven presenters and I did a five-minute presentation about our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival. We won the pot and walked away with about $1,300. One of the things I emphasized to the group is that although we would like their vote to help us secure a couple of bounce houses and other things for the children during our festival, we came to offer our help as volunteers for any of the businesses/organizations who were in need, and we came to ask if any of the attendees were willing/able to be a Niagara Falls Forward volunteer at any of our events/initiatives. We actually accomplished all three goals! One of the things I realized from this experience, that reaffirms some of things I've written about in this article and have reiterated over the years in my writings/videos is that people are often more willing to help you help others than help you help yourself. Let me repeat that, "people are often more willing to help you help others than help you help yourself." Some of the other presenters who didn't win wanted people to vote for them to take the money to support their [personal] business. Yes I'm a strong advocate of localism, supporting black businesses and etc. yet that approach is no different than asking someone to take money out of their pocket and put it in yours. There's no magic, marketing scheme, bells and whistles website or infomercial to it. All it takes is the willingness and ability to do for others, period. This is something I consistently strive to communicate to others, especially my Universal Family, who are genuinely committed to successfully assisting others. Our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival was very successful as well; we were able to serve over almost 400 people, had a basketball tournament sponsored by the WNY Elite Basketball Club, had three bounce houses for our children and gave away free ice cream and food -all which was made possible via sponsors and volunteers.

     In closing, keep in mind that 'you are because we are.' Without the contributions of others, even the invention of something as unassuming as toilet paper, there are choices and opportunities we wouldn't have right now. The survival of any culture hinges upon it's ability to cultivate human beings into a group of people who forge unions/units that share common attitudes, interests and goals. These unions/units become communities; the cultural framework for all of its people activities. The more we're willing/able to look out for each other, the less we have to lookout for each other. As Five Percenters, we should expect more of ourselves than functioning like a social club. Handing someone supreme mathematics or getting them to recite lessons does not make them an upstanding member of their family or productive member of their community. Our primary role as civilized people is to teach civilization, which is not just knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement and not being a savage in the pursuit of happiness. Civilization is a group's advancement process in all aspects of their people activities. To grow and advance as a collective this means its people are tending to and raising each other up. The reason there are any positive advances or growth amongst any group of people it's because there are those, often small in number, who know and understand this. Our culture is not about what we can take to advance ourselves personally. Our culture is about what we're actually giving, each and every day in each and every way, to advance the lives of others.

Peace,
Saladin

"It's not you, it's me"

For those of you who didn't know, I facilitate a youth mentor program called STYA which is an acronym for Successfully Transitioning Youth to Adolescence. My demographic are nine to twelve year old's and we do everything from critically analyze cartoons, arts & crafts, cooking classes and etc. to encourage them to expand their consciousness, build self esteem and discover their purpose in life as they transition into their teenage years. What I love most about working with youth, which I've done with various programs and initiatives for over a decade, is learning ideas, attitudes and behavior adults have in their infancy. In other words, I see nine year old girls learning to play the "make a boy jealous" game that eventually becomes a fully functioning operating system I see thirty something year old's use every day. Some things don't change, people just get older and continue doing the same thing. And the same way jealousy games may not change among females, some male's level of sophistication to appropriately respond to these games doesn't change either. I can't tell you how many times I've had to talk a ten year old boy down from an emotional ledge because some little girl was playing with his emotions. His reaction is no different than seeing emotionally unstable men committing social media seppuku because of what some female is, or isn't, posting on Facebook. Some of us simply never matured intellectually or emotionally; we're just older versions of the same child.

Because my Ole Earth was a Psychologist/Sociologist I've been orientated to analyze human behavior my entire life, literally. Normal family outings were going to places just to people watch; my Ole Earth would find a public place to sit with some of my siblings and I and we would discuss what we see in people's body language, style of dress and etc. One of the games she would also play with us was the book of questions -which I discovered later in life was a psychology book, not a game at all. This kind of investment into my growth and development as a child, coupled with the cultural contributions of my Ole Dad, has helped in my successful transition from boy to man. Some males never had a mother invested in them in this way nor did they have a father around to teach him what it means to be a man. Because of this, some of us have manufactured our idea of manhood 'a la carte' and the emotions and intellect surrounding this lacking remain raw, immature and underdeveloped. This is not an excuse, it's an assessment of what I've witnessed in its infancy and what it has the potential to become when it's not responsibly addressed as an adult. Ladies, young boys may destroy toys when they don't get their way. The same boy who doesn't get his way as a grown male, will destroy you. There's a lot of truth in what Drake says about these days.

Like with any group or society of people, some of its members are going to be emotionally and intellectual immature. One of the challenges I've dealt with over the years are these same boys/girls, not yet men/women, referring to themselves as Gods/Earths. Thankfully this doesn't reflect the overall consciousness of Five Percenters I know, yet there are some of us who are like that -sometimes for reasons only known to them. This is the reason I wrote the book Explorations of God/Earth Mental Health; to empower my peers to recognize and address it. Because one of our cultural motto's is "Peace" or Positive Education Always Corrects Errors, we've always encouraged each other to grow and develop beyond whatever circumstance we've come from or are presently in. For any of us who are sincerely striving to elevate their consciousness and condition, it's a journey that involves removing the negative residue that comes along with seeing and believing ourselves to be inferior. All of us who have taken this step to gain KOS [Knowledge of Self] started out emotionally and intellectually immature. On many levels we're rewiring ourselves emotionally and intellectually and that takes work, sometimes a lifetime. Nothing happens over night, except the night -especially not the growth and development process.

In closing, I want to reiterate the importance of us men getting ourselves together. This is not to minimize the responsibility of grown females who need to grow up either. There are women I know who are successfully speaking from this perspective. As men, we can start getting ourselves together by being more vulnerable with one another by speaking honestly about our upbringing and emotions. I'm not talking about ranting, posturing or posting inappropriate stuff on social media under the guise of "keeping sh#t real"; that's immature and messy. I'm talking about investing the time to really examine the who, what, when, where, how and why we think/behave the way we do with each other and the opposite sex. That is one of the most integral parts of KOS. Females share and are vulnerable with each other all the time. That female-to-female Educator and Student relationship directly, or indirectly, has remained pretty much intact since we've been in this country. Males are the one's usually holding stuff in and back from one another. Some of us males were grown up before we had an open conversation with men about hurt, lost, frustration, insecurities, inadequacies, embarrassing situations and etc. Even though some of us aren't sharing these things with each other in a healthy way, it always come out in the most unhealthy of ways -whether that's throwing tantrums or shade, being abusive, gossiping, broadcasting how great we are, taking serial selfies, being a whore or etc. Additionally, there are some things we've experienced as boys that we decided to take with us to our grave. Part of the emotional frustration or indifference you see us express is us trying to live with that lifelong decision. So ladies, when some grown males tell you, "It's not you, it's me", believe it! Also believe the likelihood that they haven't said or done anything about it for over twenty something years and don't plan on saying or doing anything about it after telling you that. We got work to do in order to help get our families/communities back in order and emotional instability and intellectual immaturity won't get us there. As civilized men who advocate righteousness, as Five Percenters and definitely as Gods, we must expect more from ourselves, and each other, to get that job done.  

Peace,
Saladin

STYA Program; Successfully Transitioning Youth to Adolescence

What We Teach

Before I get into today's article I want to first welcome all of you who are new readers to A.S.I.A. I also want to welcome back all of you who've been consistently reading my articles, and my guest columns from Life Justice, for years now. I really appreciate your time, and utilizing this medium as a source of inspiration, empowerment and education.

Following-up my Open Letter to the NY Post I published in response to the recent media frenzy that cited/quoted me about Jay Z [and Carmelo Anthony] wearing our Universal Flag, more people than usual have been reaching out to me for various reasons ranging from seeking to know more about our culture, to sharing advice with me about dealing with people and the global press. In general, its been excellent and much appreciated. For those of you in Canada, or who will be in Canada, I'll be speaking on the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths and the Jay Z controversy on Saturday May 31st at 1pm at the MANIFESTO in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Today I wanted to take some time to share with you some of the core values of our culture. The reasoning for this is two-fold:

1.) To elaborate on the idea behind some of the positive works we do in our communities.

2.) To provide an example of a teaching model and general civilization tools for other Gods and Earths to use who are striving to reach people.

The first reason speaks for itself. I think in order for people to come together, regardless of their cultural, religious or secular worldview, it's important to identify a common cause. And one way of identifying a common cause is successfully communicating the idea(s)  we share. The second reason addresses something I often see amongst us, Gods and Earths, when we're dealing with the public. I'll add-on about that later.

What are some of the core values of the Five Percenters [Nation of Gods and Earths]?

We are pro-righteous and anti-devilishment, regardless of a person's skin color, ethnicity, religion or nationality. If any member of our human family has the willingness to learn to be righteous, we help provide them with the education and tools to do it. This does not mean that they need to become a Five Percenter. This means that if this person needs to be referred to a drug clinic or alcohol detox program, that's where we will refer them. If they need resources for parenting support or academic assistance, that's what we will connect them with. If they're striving to find employment to become more self sufficient, we assist them with that too. The bottom line is this: we utilize what we learn to be better and a positive resource to others. In turn, others can be empowered to assist others. This is all distilled into our simple phrase "Each one, Teach one." Some of us even carry this phrase further by saying "Each one, Teach nine."

The idea that [Father] God and the [Mother] Earth, is the apex of the original [first] man and woman, is a very ancient and indigenous concept corroborated by various anthropologists, archeologists, paleontologists, historians, biologists, and linguists the world over. This means that our cultural worldview, sense of diaspora, and chronology isn't predicated upon, or a visceral reaction to, the short period of two hundred and thirty seven years some of our ancestors were enslaved and segregated here in America. We have recognized our innate divinity, and practiced this as a natural way of life in various societies, around the planet earth, prior to any contact with people who classify themselves as white or Caucasian. Our culture is a unique, contemporary expression, of these classical concepts of divinity. This means that we live our lives according to the adage, "What would God [or the Earth] do in this situation?" Since there is no thing in life, that has withstood the test of time longer than God or the Earth [the creator and creation], they're effective references when it comes to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating life.

We teach and emphasize empowerment through education and freedom, justice and equality for all the human families of the planet earth to live in a world of peace. We view healthy, united families as the vital building block of strong communities, and any nation of people. We also view children as the ambassadors of our future who must be loved, protected, educated and encouraged. Therefore, we do not advocate ignorance, crime, addiction, sexism, racism, poverty, homelessness, hunger, or any thing that undermines our human family's ability to attain and live in peace with each other. As we know throughout history, there are some people whom there is no peace to live amongst, we also acknowledge that their lack of peace must never be because of our iniquity.

While I've only highlighted some of the core values that Five Percenters generally agree on, it's important to understand that all of us grow and develop at our own rate. We are all works in progress and embracing this way of life has given us access to a growth and development process. I am better and more resourceful to others now than I was five years ago, and I'm invested in being even more resourceful to others in the next five years. This doesn't mean that others aren't growing and developing simply because they haven't officially embraced our way of life. Regardless what cultural, religious or secular worldview a person embraces, it's incumbent upon them to find in it what core values will help them become better and more resourceful to others. There were many things I could have gone into, and have gone into in my videos, other articles and books I've published about who and what we teach. Today I wanted to share those things that people can generally understand, and often advocate on some levels, in their own lives. The goal is to learn to better appreciate the positive works we all do in our communities, and recognize the opportunities to work together and address the problems we face, especially our children, regardless to whom or what.

As I mentioned earlier, I also wanted to give other Five Percenters an example of a teaching model, and general civilization tools, that maximizes our ability to reach people, who want to be reached of course. Why? Because I think many of us are well intended and truly desire to see people become better, and make this world a better place. I also think that those of us who are well intended are always looking for opportunities to elevate what they do for others.

One of the things I've found to be most important for us, regardless of our religious, cultural or secular worldview, is to be better listeners. As a young Five Percenter I would talk [build] for hours. I still can, yet I find it more effective to listen for hours, especially to the people I'm striving to reach. Simply put, how can we do an effective needs assessment of someone if we don't know the ends and outs of who they are, or what they actually need? It reminds me of something my Ole Earth told me as a teenager about not taking girls to the movies to get to know them. She said, "That's two and half hours both of you are sitting there staring at a screen, and learning nothing about each other." As a Five Percenter, with all of this wealth of information we're just waiting to share with people, it's easy to become the talking screen someone is sitting there staring at for hours, and we're learning little to nothing about them or what they need. Some of the information I've once volunteered, and see and hear Five Percenters today volunteer about who and what we are, often creates more confusion than it does an understanding. Take for example someone asking the questions "What is a Five Percenter?" or "Are you in the Nation of Gods and Earths?" Some of us think that it's more important to just answer these questions than it is to find out the reasoning behind these questions being asked before, or if, we chose to even answer them. Imagine the potential or even further confusion we can create in the mind of someone, and whoever they go talk to afterwards, who asks us "Are you a member of The Five Percent?" and we just jump right into talking about Supreme Mathematics, The First 9 Born, Triple Stage Darkness, or etc. This person may have never heard this in their life, let alone how it works, where it comes from, or how it's even spelled! Imagine doing all of that, and when the person has a chance to speak they ask you when is your next concert; believing that you're a member of the music band The Five Percent. Yes, this situation and various other confusing scenarios are possible, and likely, whenever we don't ask questions and we assume where a person is coming from. So it's very important to first find out what a person knows, doesn't know, listen to them, and then share things with them they can actually relate to. In April when the global press about Jay Z wearing the Universal Flag started to trend, I saw different responses to the controversy by various Five Percenters that would have been a public relations nightmare, had it gone viral. I definitely appreciate the guidance from my benefactors Life Justice and I-Freedom Born for preparing me to address the press when I was approached. I also appreciate others for their positive advice when I was dealing with being bombarded by the global press for further comment, and some of my own people who were not as supportive during this time.

In closing, I want to thank those of you again for stopping by A.S.I.A. For further information you can also check out my videos on A.S.I.A. TV, and my literature at Quanaah Publishing. If you would like to reach out to me personally for advice, to schedule a speaking engagement, or etc., my direct email is atlantisbuild@gmail.com.

Peace,

Saladin

Jay Z and Wife Beyoncé at the Barclays Center

 

Open Letter to the NY Post

 

 

Good Morning Mr. Buiso,

First I would like to thank you for writing your article "Jay Z is blinging it black", and reaching out to me to lend my "expertise" about my culture -as you stated in your email. It's not often that Reporters demonstrate that degree of journalistic integrity by going directly to the source and I (we) appreciate you for taking that initiative. Because we only spoke briefly and didn't have an opportunity to discuss other areas of my culture in-depth, I wanted to take a moment to clarify some things in your article.

One of the commonly held misconceptions is that Mr. Knight, and the group that he comes from, can speak for and define the meaning of our symbols. We are psychologically different in outlook, and cannot speak for each other; Mr. Knight and us, The Nation of Gods and Earths [Five Percenters]. The fact that Jay Z and Carmelo Anthony have chosen to wear our symbol indicates that they want to be affiliated with the positive works they see us do in our communities.

Our movement is more concerned with issues addressing our esteem and self determination than we are at labeling others for their inequities done in American society. Our symbol -the Universal Flag- represents the sun, moon and star: our universal family, man, woman and child, period. And a unified family is the vital building block of any nation of people.

Thank you for your consideration and giving me the opportunity to clarify this. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me again.

 

Peace,

Saladin Allah

Email: atlantisbuild@gmail.com

 

Saladin Allah is a Therapeutic/Recreation major who attended Central State University in Wilberforce Ohio, a Region 6 Representative of The Nation of Gods and Earths [Five Percenters] in WNY/Southern Ontario, and founder of A.S.I.A. [Allah School In Atlantis]. Allah has written over two hundred social commentary articles for various national/international publications, self-published eleven books through his company Quanaah Publishing, and he presently works as a youth mentor and community organizer. You can also check out and subscribe to his popular Youtube Channel here: A.S.I.A. TV.