Plumb Line: used for finding the depth of water or determining the vertical on an upright surface.

Unity

I recently had a conversation with a brother about naysayers, haters or people who are simply jealous of what you seemingly have and/or who you are. I say "seemingly" because in the grand scheme of things, in a universe that's one where every force and object is interdependent, it's impossible for someone to actually have something you don't. In other words, whatever a person has, whether it's materialistic such as clothes, or immaterial such as patience, it is not a personal possession. Those clothes didn't come out of thin air; they were created from the materials of the planet, with the hands of many people, including those who contributed to its marketing and promotion. Patience isn't an immaterial quality that one person on the planet personally owns. Every one, in some capacity, demonstrates it; some more than others and even a child with ADHD has some degree of patience. Even on a subatomic level we're all composed of the same stuff; undifferentiated matter energy. Psychologically and Socially? The source of all thought processes is one Collective Consciousness or Universal Mind. Our brain is a conductor, our bodies are physical vehicles and as sentient beings we interact with one another and our planet. So at the root of any naysayer, hater or person that's jealous of what they believe someone has, is a cosmological glitch. Somewhere along their journey they never evolved to the degree of grasping the oneness of the universe, understanding how interdependence works or recognizing the role of dynamic opposites.

When a child is incarnated [born] and they're discovering themselves and how to attend the world, one of the first lessons they must learn is how to share and cooperate. Developmentally, psychologically and socioeconomically the world revolves around a child for a number of years because its very existence [ex. food, clothing and shelter] depends upon what its parent/guardian must do for them. Every person began from this state of only receiving and giving nothing in return, yet not all people evolve beyond this parochial mindset to understand the importance of equality, reciprocity and the interdependence of our universe. The jealous banter adults make about what someone has or is doing is no different than the teasing five year old children do in a kindergarten classroom. The pouting response a middle schooler gives you when they're asked to clean their room is no different than the antagonism a neighbor shows you when they're encouraged to clean up their community. The petty competitiveness, constant comparisons and insecure commentary 16 year olds make amongst each other in high school hallways across America is no different than the petty competitiveness, constant comparisons and insecure commentary adults make across social media. Some of us have not grown up. Some of us are striving to grow up and some of us could care less about ever becoming a mature adult. As my Enlightener's Enlightener Life Justice once told me, "The child doesn't go willingly, it must be driven out of a person in order for them to evolve."

Toys R Us Kids

So what does, "The child doesn't go willingly, it must be driven out of a person in order for them to evolve" actually mean in quantifiable terms? For one, it means that life needs to show a person how to share and that lesson may come in the form of giving away one of your most prized possessions. If we never learned how to work in a group and cooperate, life may teach us the need for cooperation and teamwork with the policies and procedures of our place of employment, or risk being fired. Sometimes people have a toy hording mentality; they're like a child that only plays with other children if they have control of the toys and make up the rules. A person with this mentality often only learns when life puts them in a position where they have no control over all of their toys [material possessions] being taken away from them and they're forced to follow the rules of someone else. This is what I alluded to earlier in this article about recognizing the role of dynamic opposites. Because every child comes into this world polarized, leaning in a way where they depend upon everything for their very existence, part of its evolutionary process is to learn independence and ultimately interdependence. From the beginning, a child is on one side of the scale of interdependence. That side is dependence. The other extreme, or polar opposite is independence. Both perspectives, dependence and independence, are 'horizontally' the same on a vertical scale of interdependence. In mathematical terms, interdependence is the right angle of this horizontal plane. In some circles it's also known as the living perpendicular, being upright or symbolized by a plumb line in the building trades. A person who is heavily dependent and a person who is grossly independent both fail to realize the importance of equality and reciprocity. While the dependent relies on what you give, the independent relies on what they can get. Both of them are primarily concerned about their singular needs and wants, and neither of them have evolved to the point of considering the needs and wants of the collective. Throughout the chronology of humanity, from our most classical endogenous societies to our most contemporary, the greatest examples of peace and harmony have always existed amongst people who demonstrate(d) the highest expression of interdependence amongst each other and our environment. The opposite is also true, the greatest examples of war and disharmony have always existed amongst people who demonstrate(d) the lowest expression of interdependence amongst each other and our environment. This also implies civilization and the degree to which a people are civilized. You can measure the level of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture and refinement of a society by how well it provides for and protects its most vulnerable members; its women, children, elders and the disabled. If those provisions and protections are in place, that society will function with a high level of civilization. Whenever you see those provisions and protections not in place, that society falls into a pit of savagery and despair. The story that Yacub was a six year child playing alone when he came up with his epiphany of making a Devil when he got older is not a game. This, amongst other things about his upbringing, suggest many things about his maturation process and his personality later in his life. We also learn that central to his life story are the themes of dependence, independence and how this ultimately exposed the importance of freedom, justice, equality, reciprocity and interdependence of the human family.

In closing, I want to remind you that everyone does not mature at the same rate. Some people may chose to never grow up and that's their choice. Sometimes I witness my seventeen year old daughter behaving more maturely than women approaching their forties. Personally speaking, I am far more mature than I was five years ago. With that in mind, it's important to respect where people are and not try to force them to be something they clearly aren't right now. "The child doesn't go willingly, it must be driven out of a person in order for them to evolve" doesn't mean that we go on a crusade to change adults who behave like children. That advice is for our own children and/or children we may work with professionally as educators, counselors and mentors, within the legal guidelines, rules and regulations of our organization and business. When it comes to adults, life itself and the experiences that come along with their behavior is what will change them -if they live to tell about it. Of course we must make knowledge born or share advice with people to save their life, yet when we realize they're not in a place to receive it, we must move out of their way and all of the obstacles they're creating. If naysayers have something negative to say about you, remove yourself from the situation and let your positive works be the consistent response to their criticisms. They project upon you the idea that you think you're more because they actually believe they're less and have less than you. They criticize what you're doing to assist others to try and keep others from critically examining what they're really not doing to assist. They never learned that in a universe that's one, where every force and object is interdependent, it's impossible for someone to have something you don't. In fact, there truly is no "you" and "me" essentially, it's only "we" and "ours" that represents the collective "All." How we reconcile that reality, with our dependent or independent ideas, will define the degree of peace and happiness in our lives. It also sets the cooperative stage to advocate any society of men [women and children] or group for one common cause. The only way we can truly want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves, and genuinely support each other in what we do, we must know and understand that we are one. That degree of unity and sense of cooperation cannot be taught to some of us. Through the growing pains of experience, it must be driven out of us.

Peace,

Saladin

Occupational Hazards

of the Five Percent

Every job has its own occupational hazards, including the job or the duty of a civilized person. Our 17th degree in the 1-40 asks us "What is the meaning of civilization?" The 18th degree teaches us about our job as a civilized person, which is teaching he [or her] who is savage civilization, righteousness, the knowledge of him [or her] self, the science of everything in life, love, peace and happiness. The 19th and 20th degrees elaborate on the consequences of not following through with our duty, and reiterates our responsibility as civilized people. In these lessons that emphasize our duty, occupational hazards or sources of danger that provoke illness, injury, or the possibility of incurring loss or misfortune are undefined. If we had a thorough Enlightener and a positive support system, they taught/teach us about these pitfalls and how to avoid them. Sometimes this isn't the case and we learn about these pitfalls on our own. These potential illnesses, injuries, losses, and misfortunes are what I consider the occupational hazards of the Five Percent, and today I want to shed light on some of these pitfalls; an effective strategy we can use to avoid them.  

Some years ago I met a young man through a woman who stayed in the same apartment building as me. He was in his early twenties, interested in learning knowledge of self, and told me although he didn't knowledge 120, he was holding civilization classes at his house for some of the youth in the neighborhood. He invited me over to add-on and he wasn't lying. When I got there it was about a dozen youth, ranging from ages 10 to 15, in his basement with paper, pencil and a listening ear for what I had to say. This went on for a while and we would hold classes every other Saturday until one day it was like this young man disappeared. Years after that he would resurface and I would see him from time to time in transit. It was always the short build on Today's Math, a commitment to connect, and I wouldn't hear anything from him again until I saw him on the front page of both our local and regional newspapers. According to the press, he was so-called affiliated with a Blood Sect out of NYC running drugs, and the youth he [and indirectly I] were teaching were a team of pre-adolescent/adolescent hustlers being assembled. He was indicted under the Federal Drug Kingpin Law and given 10 years; a charge that carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $2,000,000. He was given 10 years due to a plea agreement from cooperating with local and federal law enforcement agents involved in investigating the Bloods and other violent street gangs. Whether any of this was true or fabricated, this is some of what the regional papers printed about his arrest, prior to his incarceration:

"At the time of his arrest, investigators described him as a 'high-ranking member' of the Falls’ Bloods set. His home was characterized as a 'Bloods’ clubhouse ... used for organized meetings by the Bloods.' Investigators said a large collection of Blood-related photos and paraphernalia was also discovered at his home. 'He would meet regularly with a group of Bloods (at his home),' Falls Police Narcotics Division Capt. said, 'and he seemed to be pretty dominant (in the gang’s operation).' The local Bloods set was identified as 'control(ling) a large portion of the crack cocaine and (illegal) firearms distribution in the Falls.' In his plea deal, he admitted to being the leader of a narcotics trafficking street gang for more than three years. He also admitted that he controlled or supervised at least five other drug dealers, engaged in multiple narcotics transactions and earned substantial income from the sale of crack cocaine."

I share this as one example of what I would consider an occupational hazard. To this day I am not sure if the Feds have a dossier on me from simply being in what they defined as a Bloods' clubhouse. With the job I've been performing as a civilized person [a youth advocate within my community/region, online via this blog/videos, publically speaking, publishing books, and operating a A.S.I.A. Prison Correspondence Project where I communicate with and distribute literature to people incarcerated around the country], imagine the potential losses and misfortunes involved in me getting caught up in a situation like this. Consider the actual losses and misfortunes this young man, a father, suffered from getting caught up in this situation. And when I say losses and misfortunes I'm not just talking about personal losses and misfortunes, I'm talking about positive contributions and support our people, community and society loses from situations like this. That is misfortune. I definitely don't regret the fact that I taught civilization to this young man and the youth in his neighborhood, I have learned to better position myself where and when I teach. And this awareness has allowed me to minimize the risk factors that can result in the possibility of incurring loss or misfortune, for myself, and anyone that I associate with.

Since I've had knowledge of self, there's always been debates about right or wrong amongst the Gods and Earths, and with good reason. It's important to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the rightness or wrongness about what we say and do as civilized people. I also think it's important for this conversation be framed in such a way that broadens our perspective and our willingness to listen and learn from each other. One approach I've learned is to frame the subject of ethics [right or wrong] as a conversation about occupational hazards (i.e. What are the potential losses of putting yourself and family in that position as opposed to what you [they] stand to gain? What are the pros and cons of that action? How does that choice benefit or hinder your ability to effectively perform your duty?) So instead of just having a philosophical debate on right or wrong, it becomes a practical discussion about effective and ineffective ways to perform our duty as civilized people. In other words, we assess right or wrong within the context of results; "What's in it for you?" as Life Justice would say. If our true intent in being civilized is to mean it, then we've declared that knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement and not being a savage in the pursuit of happiness is of special importance to us, and those who mean it too. Sometimes people may lose sight of the fact that we are here to help each other grow and develop. The purpose of framing our builds within the context of results is not only to be scientific, but to emphasize the love and respect we should have for one another, and to maintain peace within our ciphers. We are not URL Battle Rappers and I've been in ciphers where people greeted and departed the Gods/Earths with the word "peace", yet everything they said and did in-between their arrival and departure was everything but peace. Real peace is what links our love for one another and our happiness.

In closing, I want to encourage us to continue working to build and maintain our solidarity by supporting one another in the positive work that we do. Also, remain mindful of the occupational hazards that undermine our ability to stay solid and unified as civilized people. Aside from the external environment of living within this wilderness of North America, Jealousy, Envy, Lust and Hate are some of the most significant occupational hazards we're dealing with as a people; they fuel a pursuit of happiness a person hasn't found within themselves. This raises the risk of being a savage and the probability for illness, injury, loss, and misfortune to occur to us, and those who associate with us. Consider all of the risks we've taken, the risks we've seen others take, looking for happiness outside of self. More importantly, Jealousy, Envy, Lust and Hate doesn't bring people closer to together, they work to separate people and drive them apart... That's hazardous to any relationship, family or community. Jealousy, Envy, Lust and Hate are the same postures/attitudes 30% of our people had towards each other in Mecca during the time of Yacub. Discontented with themselves and what others were doing, they used their dissatisfaction to slowly draw a line in the sand and disassociate themselves from aligning with their own people. Yacub and his clique of followers then relocated to an island to do their own thing, and the devil was eventually born from this division, isolation, and antisocial behavior.

When it comes to civilization, none of us can do it alone or on an island. Whether we choose to admit it or not, we need each other. The cultural development of our people is multifaceted and requires all of our expertise and participation. The belief that we personally have to be the Leader with all of the answers parallels what's been said about Yacub having a big head, him finishing all of the colleges and universities of his time, and seeking to ultimately possess 366% of knowledge. See, if we are truly dedicated to "peace" and the common cause of performing our duty as civilized people, there should be no problem with building about effective and ineffective ways to perform that duty; we have each other's best interest at heart right? It's not about coming together anymore, it's about being together and doing what is positively needed to remain together for the greater good of the people and our planet. Anything less, would be uncivilized.

Peace,
Saladin