Minister Louis Farrakhan: Friend Or Foe?

Minister Louis Farrakhan

Friend Or Foe?

One week following the 10.10.15 Justice or Else Rally in Washington, DC I couldn't help but notice the widespread criticism of Minister Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam by both mainstream media and the everyday person via their social media page. Some of these criticisms have been outright name calling such as "FarraCON" or 'FarraCoon"; defining the minister as a misleading charlatan that's blood sucking the poor. Others have been less abrasive and have articulated their desire to see the evidence and practical application of "or Else" -which they claim wasn't defined at the rally. In his defense, some of his supporters have retorted that a General doesn't announce his strategies to the public, the minister has laid out plans of action years before the rally and people have no right to question someone in his position because they're not the leader. Well today I wanted to offer a perspective to willfully help reconcile these perspectives.

For those who are Anti-Farrakhan:

First and foremost I think it's important to keep in mind that as a leader, some view the minister as a spiritual father, father figure and ultimately someone who occupies a parental role within their life. Considering this, whatever your criticisms are of him, it sounds and feels no different than you talking about someone's parent. Imagine someone talking about your mother or father. Regardless how respectful or on point someone is with a criticism of your parent, you're going to feel some kind of way about it, initially. I don't know many people who are comfortable with someone calling their parent names, ridiculing them or etc.: those are usually fighting words. Even though no person, parent or not, is above criticism, there's always a certain level of respect we've shown our parents even if they were dead wrong. And when I say respect I don't mean "agree and go along with any and everything they say" because sometimes they're not the best knower in every given life situation. To take it a step further: even though the minister may not look it and he colors his hair, he is an 82 year old grandparent and great-grandparent. That in itself warrants the kind of respect we show any elder, not just a parent. And just like our own grandparents and great-grandparents, we may not agree with everything they're saying or doing, but out of respect, there's a way we should talk to and talk about them. That is the posture, decorum and etiquette of a civilized person.

Because I am a free thinker I don't agree with what everyone says or does. Everyone doesn't always agree with me and there are times I reassess something I said or did and don't agree with myself. That being said, I think it's healthy to express the right to critically analyze what anyone says or does. However, I think we have that right not simply for the purpose of argument or to point out what we think is wrong. We have that right, and responsibility, to show and prove what's wrong by presenting what's right. In other words, if you think I can use a better strategy in my STYA Program to teach my youth, don't just point out what you think I'm doing wrong, offer me the right way. When you approach people by penalizing them, as opposed to offering them an alternative, people tend to shut down and be unreceptive to what you have to say. For example, I also teach preschool in addition to my program and there are times I see my students do something wrong. One day I gave a student instructions on practicing their writing. When I walked over to check their work they weren't following the instructions. They were writing, they just weren't following the right instructions. I didn't walk over, snatch the pencil out of their hand and say, "No, that's not how you do it. This is the right way." I said, acknowledging they were at least writing, "Hey..., that's good. Now see if you can write it this way" as a patted them on the shoulder and redirected them back to the right instructions. As adults the same approach, sense of consideration and tact applies. People are generally more welcoming to being offered alternatives than just being criticized or even ridiculed for what they feel, think or believe. This is not to say that we should not engage in intellectual discourses and tiptoe around everybody. This is to say that the basis of these discourses should not be for the purpose of name calling, to ridicule others or for pissing contests. The purpose of any intellectual discourse, especially with our people, should be to discuss and assess the best ideas and strategies to solve our problems. If someone is so caught up in their feelings that they have an inability to rise above their emotions for that purpose, then you need to walk away. Some people worship who they perceive as their leaders, whether it's Jesus, Muhammad, Beyonce, Buddha, Minister Farrakhan and even The Father Allah. And anything you have critical to say about them will be outright rejected, including you and some of your well meaning uninvolved associates. 

For those who are Pro-Farrakhan:
Just because someone questions a man or woman's idea or strategy it doesn't make them an agent, hypocrite, hater or anything else some of you define as antagonistic. Sometimes people simply have and can share a perspective others don't see. This is the reason Minister Farrakhan has a research team; there are things he simply doesn't know or understand and he relies on a counsel of advisors to teach him. And yes, some of them are about half of his age. Now keep in mind that there are many people who are not a part of the minister's advisor team who are more than qualified to advise him, and them, too. Many of these men and women are not Muslims nor are they registered members of his Nation of Islam. Some of them are a part of your social networks and you interact with them often. I mention this to emphasize the fact that knowledge is inexhaustible which gives everyone the potential of being a best knower in any given situation. Some find it difficult to grasp this reality because it seems to conflict with a hierarchal structure of having one leader at the top and a descending order of roles beneath them. It's difficult to imagine that someone beneath the person at the top can conceptualize something beyond that leader's realm of thinking. It's also difficult to imagine that the person at the top cannot conceptualize something from someone that's beneath them. You are aware that someone had to teach Minister Farrakhan how to set up and use a Twitter account right? I'm sure you also know his team of advisors put him on to certain Rappers he never heard about before because they were key support contacts he needed to meet in order to promote the Justice or Else rally, right? The point in saying this is to remind all of you that the title of leader doesn't mean that someone personally has all of the answers. No great leader would make that claim, and when these leaders do make the honest claim that it's not about them, and even give credit to their benefactors, many of us simply don't believe it.

One of the other things that's important to understand is this: there are those who respectfully disagree with the 10.10.15 Justice or Else rally because they have a hard time "quantifying" it. Sure many can speak about the quality of their personal experience and no one can take that away from them, but how do you accurately quantify or measure that experience? This is one of the reasons some people were/are discouraged and disenchanted with the rally; they don't see a tangible, concrete example of "What's next?" For example, the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards viewer ratings were down over 50% [1.4 million] this year from 2014. It can be argued that this plunge is a direct result of the BET Boycott social media campaign against the network for not covering the rally. You can even argue how the current nationally conscious #BlackLivesMatter backdrop, coupled with the Justice or Else rally, has created the Anti-Empire sentiments responsible for their weekly rating drop. That is quantifiable, it's tangible and concrete. For those who would like to effectively demonstrate the rally's impact, or even the minister's impact on a local, regional, national or international level, these kinds of quantifiable Talking Points are necessary to show and prove it. Some people are simply not moved by someone's personal beliefs or human interest stories. Understandably, some people want to know what's in it for them, what is the actual outcome, if/when they invest their time and/or money into something.

In conclusion, I think it's important to keep the focus on the collective movement of people who are actually invested in programs, projects and initiatives to bring about justice. I had an opportunity to participate in a National Community Forum after the rally which echoes these sentiments. It took place at We Act Radio Station [Washington DC] and its purpose was to bring people from across the nation together to discuss these programs, projects and initiatives we're already invested in and how you can also get involved. In addition to checking out the above link for ideas of how you can get involved, here is something else you can do and share with others: Down from 11% last season, we the people are again calling for a Nationwide Boycott during the Holiday season (November – December 2015) to not purchase any goods or services. If anyone makes any purchases, it should be strictly with Black-owned businesses. Also, we are encouraging everyone to not advertise or promote any goods, services, brands/logos of outside companies using their social networks [Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and etc.]. We should only advertise or promote Black-owned businesses. Let's keep our personal beefs and religious disagreements off of social media and at home. Publically we must continue to be positively invested in this collective momentum that's quantifying the transformation we would like to see.

Peace,
Saladin

Ms. "Jordan" Ladd

Every "Jordan" Doesn't

Play Basketball

 

Since putting out my FULL PRESS RELEASE I've monitored the various local news sources to see how they'd cover the story. Not one of them have printed my press release in its entirety. All of them took only parts of it, put their own spin on it, and gave it back to the public the way they saw fit. While I do appreciate some of the publicity, there are other things I saw that were completely inaccurate. You can read my FULL PRESS RELEASE here: Saladin Q. Allah Official Press Release

Now, The Niagara Falls Reporter printed, and I quote, "Allah is a convert to Islam and changed his name as is customary for Muslims converts."

I am not sure where they got this from. I never spoke to anyone from The Niagara Falls Reporter about the weather let alone religion. I never said that, it's not in my press release, it's not in anything I've published online, and it is completely inaccurate. I am not Muslim nor was my name change for religious reasons. The Niagara Falls Reporter did accurately state, "Allah says his ancestor was Rev. Josiah Henson, who is said to be the inspiration for the fugitive slave in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'." Yet it's this very part of my ancestry that would have given them more insight about me, my family background, and my name change if they asked me. Since they didn't, I can tell you directly.

 

Article in the Niagara Gazette about my Grandmother Inez Frank (1986)

 When some of my ancestors were brought to America during the trans-atlantic slave trade, they were enslaved and forced to give up their cultural identity, regardless of their religious ideology. They no longer were allowed to speak their own language, use their own names, maintain the same diet, or even establish stable family units. This process continued, by law, for approximately nine generations or three hundred and ten years. So while some people of Italian descent can trace their last name to an actual village in modern day Italy, or others can trace their lineage to a Family Crest or Coat of Arms, tracing my lineage has consisted of looking at cargo logs for ships or doing DNA tracking to find out the geographic location of my ancestors. The trans-atlantic slave trade, and slavery, interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of an entire group people. It interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of the people enslaved and the slave holders.

In indigenous societies of the past and today, our birth names where a central part of our cultural identity and role we played within our societies. For example, when a child was born a name would be given to them, usually by our elders, to communicate a part of that child's purpose and destiny. This was sacred and ceremonial, not done without consideration. If the child's name meant "sincere counsel", that was an important role our elders knew our society needed to birth and cultivate. It's no different than people giving birth to a child and providing them with all the support and resources they need to become a productive member of society. Many of our ancestors wisely took it a step further by making sure this support was reinforced by a person's actual name. So instead of simply providing a child with the resources to become sincere counsel, we gave them that name to live up to as an attribute. During slavery this cultural tradition was interrupted. Slaves who were bred to produce children for labor no longer had the power to name them. These children were sold off to other plantations and given names to identify them as a master's property. So a slave named "Smith" was identified as Master Smith's slave. "Walking Henson" was known as Henson's slave who walked alot. Not only was this naming method used to track the slave masters property, but it was also used for insurance purposes. There are many wealthy companies and families today, that accumulated their wealth, from Slave Insurance.

Many present day African-Americans can trace the last names we currently have, whether it's English, French, or etc. directly to the slave masters who once owned our ancestors. Again, regardless of our ancestors religious views or how we chose to worship, this slavery system legally interrupted our cultural identity and arrested the development of us all.

 

Article in the Buffalo News and letter from African Ancestry Inc.
about my International Family Tree Project (2005)

The reason I legally changed my name was to reconnect to my ancestors cultural identity, and build upon this rich legacy that was almost entirely destroyed. In 2005 I received a grant for my L.I.F.E. Afterschool Program and partnered with the Washington DC based genetics company African Ancestry Inc. to create an International Family Tree Project. With this Project I was able to provide twenty DNA Kits, free of charge, to families in our Community, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and Canada who were interested in finding out where their maternal ancestry came from. I found out my maternal ancestors came from Cameroon and my tribal affiliation is the Tikar Tribe. Saladin, pronounced Sa-la-dean means "Honor or Righteousness of the faith". A great Muslim King popularized this Arabic name, yet the name is Arabic, not Muslim. Arabic does not equal Muslim and to assume that would be no different than assuming my nephew plays basketball just because he has the name "Jordan." My middle name Quanaah, pronounced Kwa-ni-ah means "fragrant". In honor of my indigenous american (native american) ancestry, I chose this name. It's Quahadi in origin and comes from the Last Comanche Chief Quanah Parker; who successfully made the transition from Chief to Statesman and was responsible for founding The Native American Church. My last name, Allah, is also Arabic which means "The God." Again, Arabic does not equal Muslim. There are many arabic speaking Christians and other Religions who refer to God as Allah, simply because they speak the arabic language. So my name, Saladin Quanaah Allah, means "The honorable faith and fragrance of the God." Since taking this step to change my name in 1999, I have since published a book entitled 'How To Change Your Name Without A Lawyer' and have assisted many others change their name for various reasons (cultural, religious, stage name, immigrants, and etc.)

In closing, I didn't appreciate the Niagara Falls Reporter for even citing what they believe my religion to be, making an assumption about what it is, and then printing misinformation without even asking me about my worldview or my reasoning for changing my name. That was poor reporting and prejudiced. I am a scientist of life and study all religions. I am just as much Muslim as our Commander and Chief, President Barack Hussein Obama. My perspective about any religion is that people should strive to have a personal relationship with who they worship. A relationship that's so personal, that they strive to live in such a way that others can see their creator within them.

Peace,
Saladin

 

The Seen and Unseen

Peace Family!

   I come in the name of Allah as the Universal One, Lord Life Justice Shabazz. We have had Knowledge of Self for Understanding Equality years. My persons Enlighteners were Ahad Knowledge Born Metu Tegghet Allah with I Freedom Born Allah (who represents a large way in which I carry this awareness). I was made aware because we are a said person of that ability and resurrected from a state of ignorance and unawareness. I taught one who at one point claimed the Blackman is God and that God is the living manifestation of Allah's full will on Earth in human form. During this time of his certainty he taught Saladin Quanaah Allah -whom in my view had to "separate the wheat from the chaff" in order to get this right. Quite a few years have passed since this Solar transmission had made it's way down the line, like the sun transmits light transmissions to reach the earth traveling at that terrific speed of 186,000 miles per second or the instructional code (DNA) being re-packaged different sperm cells to continue the code of the family line. Mine has seen some changes, though forever (since Allah and the Will is eternal)-- not always for better; yet like the sperm which tail propels it, the light wave continues until it reaches the earth in 8.33 minutes some 93,000,000 miles away. This is to say that this idea is determined; nor more or no less determined than the birth of the Big Head Scientist or God making Devil (21-30/1-40). As all Allah's plans are such, but man (and woman) can be other than Self and concoct ideas that defy Allah's will.
   As many of you know, Knowledge is the Foundation and this is symbolic to the Sun, which formed its way through triple stage darkness to become the light; which is as Allah made Himself known as a living God by metamorphoses through man. We Gods within NGE proclaim that Knowledge, the Sun, Supreme Consciousness, and Allah is one and the same. Allah is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (all presence or present everywhere). Amongst the major religions, there is no argument concerning this. There is no mediator, minister, or middle man in this, for the Self known as the Father-- completed the promise to return on His eighty seventh earth-day (incarnate day for Allah has no birth record 9/1-10).
   The Father left the temple when His purpose became clear. Something about the ideas present in the NOI at the time, made it necessary to leave. Like all determine ideas, they are like plan-ets, something grown or made from the beginning; like Holy is something that has not been mixed diluted or tampered with in any form (9/1-14). Like a seed that is sprouting at the roots and searching for light (or the sperm during its gestation period), I didn't understand why the First Born with this was so emphatically tenuous with their relationship with the Nation Of Islam. After a few years of "butting heads" with "registered" Muslims, I began to take on a posture that was similar to our First Born, but without the full understanding or same position but I was gaining this awareness. As they say, "Seek and ye shall find." Some Understanding Equality years later, "the worms have hatched out" (the decaying issue has now been consumed). My Self, in the form of the First Born in the Five Percent Nation (The NGE), was during the Chronicles of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, then Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam under Master Fard's teachings (given by Alfonso Muhammad-- his father). Minister and National Representative for the NOI, then Malcolm X, was the one who requested that the Father be expelled from the NOI for teaching "His Self-styled Wisdom" (1962). Master Fard and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's teachings, along with the Bible and the Koran (Qu' ran) formed the basis of what the First Resurrected of the Nation of Islam taught, which was distinctly different than any other form of Muslim teachings (besides a similarity to Sufism). The First Born wanted to make sure that no one mistook our ideas as being the same. Allah had returned on His eighty-seventh earth day in the form of Lieutenant Abdullah changed his name to Allah, informed The Honorable Elijah Muhammad of his purpose, left Temple #7 and formed the Five Percent Nation or NGE (1964).
   The Nation of Islam has no birth record, yet THERE IS a birth record for the current group claiming this title under Minister Louis Farrakhan. It happened when his person was near death in the hospital. He became befriended by his Caucasian well-wishers and after making the 360 degrees of perfected knowledge into a fossil, headed in a direction different than Master Fard and Elijah Muhammad. The Minister like all ministers of his day had to claim that he was a minister for the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. In those days, they all said that Allah came in the persons of Master Fard Muhammad. My Enlightener I Freedom Born were around during that time in our chronology and have tapes and other paraphernalia to this effect. I gather Farrakhan no longer approaches his speeches the same way.
   Now some Understanding Equality years later, some Muslims of the so-called Nation of Islam, under Minister Farrakhan instead of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, wants to stake claim for our prosperity as NGE. What arrogance! First of all, you who are under the teachings of Minister Farrakhan, ARE NOT directly advocating the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad-- teaching given by Allah in the persons of Master Fard Muhammad. Therefore you who do such things are not our kin. Master Fard did not teach Dianetics or Christian Science! That's what being a follower will do to you... Get you to go against better judgment! How can the Messenger be right and exact one minute and tucked away the next, because of the times? What are you doing? Back peddling? If you know and truly believed something, how could a leader which came afterwards change your heart-- without an ounce of protest? You who do this claim that you are Nation Of Islam but you cannot claim the same foundation as Silas Muhammad or any of the first resurrection because you don't maintain the same heritage. This Nation is strictly under Farrakhan's ideology: The same principle Malcolm wanted the Father expelled for (his Self-Styled Wisdom), and part of what Malcolm himself was labeled a traitor for by Louis Farrakhan and others (ministers that is). We do not have any of the same foundational teachings as the basis of our curriculum; which means the group of related courses or fields of study are not even similar. We bear more in common with the real Nation Of Islam or First Resurrection than with you. Muslims (Believers) under Minister Farrakhan have buried that light long ago. This also means our ideology is not the same. Ideology is a body of ideas reflecting the aspirations of a group or culture. It could mean a set of doctrines or beliefs but we are not a religion, we are a science. And of those who belong to Farrakhan's group and know these lessons, I'm sure problems would arise in how you prioritize the concepts. For example, one of their brothers tried to explain that the God that made himself out of triple stage darkness was a Muslim. He needs merely to refer to the 37/1-40: Tell us why the Devil teaches the 85% that God is a righteous and unseen being that exist everywhere? Allah is god in the earth and the heavens above, he is just and true and there is no unrighteousness in him; but he is not unseen, he is is seen and heard everywhere for he is the all I seeing. The problem in his statement was the word "Muslim" and a view that the two are separate.
   The word "Muslim" implies that one has God could have a different agenda and has to surrender to Allah's agenda (as the word submit means to surrender to another). The 37th lesson teaches that Allah is one. It teaches that Allah is omni-present or present in all I see. There is no two agendas or beings when Allah made God. It is Allah's will or want that Allah should come into creation as one of those forms of creation. This way Allah lives in creation as the living God. There is no two beings here, Allah is one in the earth and heavens above, so the God would not have to be Muslim and submit to Allah because God Allah are liken to a two sided coin: Though it may have two sides it is merely one coin. All is created from Allah. The issue here is whether or not one is being Self. Lessons 3 to 12 in the one to thirty six makes that clear. The 38th lesson within the one to forty asks Why did God create Devil? Most importantly to show forth and prove his powers. So this indicates the choice to be one Self or not to be while in human form. Now lessons 13-14/1-36 depends on whether you see yourself as consciousness dwelling in physical form or as your soul, the condition reflexes of the persona and the soil which surrounds it. Our flesh, the soul, and our conditions have to be made to submit and by definition are Muslim. We are usually striving to master our composition, but the source of the consciousness (the true Self) is Allah. We are sentient which means conscious and able to be Self Aware. The true Self is Allah. But "the wrong foods" spoke about in the one to thirty-six is how religion was taught to you and your gullibility to go with what the Devil has said:  12th degree in the 1/40 -Why does the Devil teach that?; 7th degree in the 1/36 -Why does he like the Devil?; 8th degree in the 1/36 -Because the Devil planted fear...; 10th degree in the 1/36 -Because the devil taught him how to eat the wrong foods. To us, organized religion is the wrong foods; Knowing and not believing is most proper. In ideology there are concepts, these are ours and if you were the author then they would be yours. We see adversity as that which helps us to know about where the omnipotent or power is based. We study life as a science which leads back to the omniscient that we are in essence. We are getting to know about the knowledge present in everything (omnipresent) as a vehicle to get to know the Self. We do not submit to Self, we become ourselves because we are looking for the proper order, which is the definition of right and righteous-- because that is our true identity. But since Farrakhan's Muslims don't know who's teachings they are going to go by and how much of the organized religion of Islam they are going to follow, they don't see the same intricacies because their view is obstructed by what the Devil has taught and the trader interprets. Why even the Bible states: "From the Dust ye came to the dust ye shall return, but the spirit will go back to that which gave it." Wouldn't you say that consciousness resides in the soul? So which one are you, the soil or the sentient being inside the soul? See, these followers are not sure who to follow and will even give up on the truth of the lessons which makes them unique-- if Farrakhan says so So how can they stake claim for our heritage when they don't even reason things out on their own or respects what Allah, in the persons of Master Fard provided? When Allah came in the persons of Lieutenant Abdullah, we were taught to research it ourselves: "Study to show thyself approval," the Bible states See this is what happens when your leader doesn't advocate to think for yourself, just follow the ritual... No wonder the First Born stayed away from any real affiliation with the NOI: look how confused their perspective is now. Even their first resurrected doesn't affiliate with them. Farrakhan's Muslims can't stake claim for our system, because they don't grasp our major concepts and don't know which system they want to be under or how to properly define the term "God" they loosely use interchangeably with Muslim (as though they mean the same). I guess they had to accept that, given the state of unawareness they were in when they were taught and who's guidance they are and will be under.
    Knowledge is the Foundation and this is symbolic to the Sun, from the darkness came the light. This process of going through darkness to experience and understand the light is for Allah as God to grow into His magnificence (while savoring the experience). The metamorphosis or adaptation God uses is discovering what is right within his own conscious realm. Maybe on an grasping level one might use the words, you have to surrender or Muslim but from a God Awareness level, it is reasonable the only thing that would work appropriately-- that's a "no brainer" (it takes no effort to figure that out unless you are stuck in the flesh). What we need to know is who we really are, the awareness of what is right, and that's what we came here to experience, from Nigger to man, from man to God and God to Allah. Allah and God are one just in different worlds that operate in different ways but the laws which governs it was made by Allah-- God was made so Allah could experience the law in its magnificence. God is a project of understanding culture (rules which govern things, laws principles etc.) and growth, so one could get to know Self.
   If a person wants to look at things from the view of his earthly form, then I guess he would be the same as his body to him and therefore would proclaim Muslim. If he sees himself as the consciousness on a quest to experience knowledge then he would see himself as God (the growth vehicle) then Allah (the source of the growth). It is hard Farrakhan's Muslims to grasp this because they are mixing too many formulas whose concepts are conflicting. They have the words in the degrees they put down, trying to be like other Muslims, but the concepts are not grasped because they don't primarily live by them. They use the term "God" now, but they have not properly explored what that means. When consciousness came into physical form, part of the attention was split and God/man became subject to time. That too is growth and focus. All things in life are dual, so as said before, it depends on your focus. We choose the purpose and reason for coming into form in the first place, as our identity, but Farrakhan's Muslims wouldn't know this because they are trying too hard to just be Muslim. They have separated the creator from the creation when Allah made all creation from Self. Allah is all knowing, the source of all power, and present as all I see (or present everywhere), yet is one. All the major religions agree. Farrakhan's Muslims are too busy changing along with Farrakhan personal journey, while putting down what Allah, in the persons of Master Fard, gave to The Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
  The NOI introduction after Student Enrollment or Lost Found Lesson Number One and English C Lesson Number One uses the words Muslim very frequently, but once you advance in your classes and see the Lost Found Lesson Number Two, it only appears in the 16th degree for those who are still going under that study as laborers along with the Muslim's sons who are on the right track. The rest is strictly about God and Devil and what each teaches and why these parameters were constructed. Father Allah took the written dialog between Allah and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (a proven document to Allah's satisfaction) and made it our corner stone-- but each man, to be God, must weigh and judge it on his own. We don't use a trader or minister to make an interpretation. Allah came back on his eighty-seventh earth day but you didn't accept him and forsake what the Honorable one gave you.

Peace,
Universal

Professionalism and Public Images of Civilization

‘Consideration’ is our ability to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves and others before we speak or act upon something. It’s a process of making sure we do the Knowledge (Aware) before the Wisdom (Discernment), because we Understand (See) the effects of our words/actions. To Civilized People, this is a Righteous obligation, not an option or elective...

With the popularity of Reality Shows and ‘rewarding bad behavior’ approach towards the crass, uncivilized, and unprofessional attitudes displayed in mainstream HipHop, basic ‘Consideration’ has become a lost art amongst People. I can understand those who have an allegiance to these American Cultural Trends that are going with this flow, b.u.t. this mentality/behavior is totally unacceptable for Gods/Earths or any person, whether Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc.., who professes to live in accordance to a standard of Civilization, Righteousness, or Godliness.

Recently I had a conversation about the importance of being aware of what we say/do as a Representative/Contact Person within our Culture. Part of this conversation involved me sharing some of my experience as a Public Figure who's been doing Community Work for many years now. As an add-on to that conversation, I just wanted to share with you a few points of interest.

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that whenever we take a stance of responsibility within our Families and Communities, we are expressing a position of Leadership. This is Leadership because we are actively involving ourselves in the solution process of addressing current/future problems. Leadership doesn’t just mean you’re THE Head, Leadership means you’re a part of the ‘ship’ to ‘lead’ People in the right direction. Anytime we take responsibility for Leadership, we must be ‘Considerate’; able to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves and others before we speak or act upon something. To claim responsibility and then minimize or dismiss the importance of maintaining a Professional, Mature, and Respectable Public Image to those within our Family and Community is not showing a sense of ‘Consideration’. The People whom we are claiming to assist are already looking towards us for guidance and support in addressing their needs, and to have an Attitude like “it doesn’t matter what People think”, “What I do is my business”, “I’m not a Leader”, or anything else that displays no ‘Consideration’ for our constituents is detrimental to building positive/consistent Relationships with them. For example: It’s like working with the youth during the day and then not caring if they cee you selling crack on the block at night… It’s like talking about how much of a God/Earth I am on FB one minute and then five minutes later posting about how the b*tches/n*ggas had it poppin at the strip club last night… Again, ‘Consideration’ is our ability to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves/others before we speak or act upon something. It’s impossible to demonstrate and maintain effect Leadership without a level of ‘Consideration’.

Secondly, in order to even be ‘Considerate’, we must be able to listen. That’s right, LISTEN. Most People don’t know how to listen and that’s one of the main reasons why we don’t learn anything –from others or through our life experiences. Non-listeners either cut People off so they can say whatever they want to say, or simply wait for People to take a breath so they can jump in and say whatever they want to say. Add unbridled emotions to this otherwise poor display of communication and it’s a sure shot recipe for disaster. Rarely do you cee effective communication taking place between People where one person speaks while the other is listening, and then they exchange roles until they both have an understanding about the information being exchanged. It’s a skill! A discipline even, and not everyone is interested in really hearing what others have to say. If you listen closely you’ll notice that they really just like hearing the sound of their own voice bouncing off of you.

The Third point I want to make is in regards to Professionalism and Public Image. There is no substitute for Professionalism, none. How many times have you gotten terrible, unprofessional service at a Store/Restaurant and have vowed never to go back again? Hey, the food or goods may have been great quality b.u.t. because of the lack of service you received, maybe even on more than one occasion, you decided to not patronize this establishment anymore. Well, teaching Civilization is the same way. As Civilized People, we must always anticipate People’s needs and exceed their expectations! This is the greatest service you can provide for someone, so it’s important that we’re Professional; or People will decide to never come back, AND tell many other People about how negative their experience was! Because of our standards of being those who have “knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement, and are not savages in the pursuit of happiness” (17/1-40), our job is 25/8 (not 24/7). We are not only on the Stage of Humanity, we set the Stage, and as The Fathers and Mothers of Civilization, People should always be able to look at us as models of Integrity and Wisdom. Even on our sick day we should be great! This means that our outward Public Image should coincide with the Principles and Values we inwardly subscribe to. What People cee on the outside should be synonymous with what’s ticking on the inside. How we’re living at Home should be a reflection of what we’re doing Abroad. Everyone who claims to be God/Earth is an Ambassador of our Culture. If you’re a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc.., you are an Ambassador of your Religion/Metaphysical System. What is the purpose of claiming something, that’s supposed to help you become a better person, if you don’t care how it effects (looks, feels, instructs, etc...) others? To me, this sounds like someone who wants the milk and no responsibility for milking the cow. It looks like a person who wants fulltime pay and benefits without being responsible for doing the work… Not only is it selfish, immature, and Egotistical, b.u.t. it’s also completely inconsiderate to expect that People be receptive to any and everything we want to say/do (our Public Image), and then dismiss their thoughts/feelings about it by proclaiming, “I don’t care what People think/say about what I do”. Not only has this person closed themselves off from receiving any comments or constructive criticism that will be effective in helping them grow, b.u.t. they’ve put a great big sign on their back that reads, “please kick me!” Being aware of our Image and how we represent ourselves to the Public is only an advantage to us, and the lack of awareness or outright inconsideration of our Public Image will always be a disadvantage and eventually our demise.

In closing, I want to encourage all of us who claim to uphold the meaning of Civilization and duty of a Civilized Person to continue taking the higher road and being a beacon of light/life amongst our People and the Human Family as a whole. What we’re saying/doing should matter first to the person in the mirror, and then this ‘Consideration’ must extend to our Family and Communities. By claiming Righteousness, we have taken upon the responsibility of adding our contributions to make this World a better place than when we got here. This is a Professional endeavor and demands the work of People who are unwilling to cut corners, take shorts, and do a half-ass job. That is unacceptable! This means that we must provide exceptional service to our People by anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations of what being the True and Living God/Earth, a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc... is!

Peace,
Saladin