I find that too often Rastas tend to respond in an argumentative fashion when they disagree as a way to express their own greatness and dedication to Jah. I find that humbleness is far too often overlooked when Rastas seek to cleanse themselves. Rastafari is supposed to be about upliftment. However quite often, as most comonly displayed here in these reasonings, race is the undertone to this disrespect of others. Because Rastafari began as a purely Black movement the transition to a unified front for the upliftment of the African Diaspora is difficult as many, mostly white Rastas unfortunatly, refuse to acknowledge that without a Black movement there is no Rastafari as it is the base of the movement. Many fail to realize that you cannot struggle to be accepted in a peace movement, you must instead intergrate yourself into the movement where you belong.
This upliftment of the African Diaspora, also called Black Supremancy, is far too often seen as exclusive rather than a movement that belongs to all rightious peoples. Just a Dr. M.L. King marched with all willing participants in order to free Black Americans from their downpressers Rastafari is open to all willing participants.
Unfortunatly racism is a two way mirror, one side can only see themselves. Meaning those who have never experience the daily downpression that comes with dark skin can not understand the struggle of trying to come up for air. European society denies that racism exists by promoting assimilation rather than self pride. Many so called white people have a very difficult time finding things to be proud of about their own "race" and therefore find it difficult to see the importance of having racial pride. This concept is largely due to the fact that white pride is such a hateful and exclusive thing. However it is critical that people understand that Black pride is completly independant of comparison to other peoples. It does not require other peoples to be less than in order to celebrate the beauty of Black people.
So what tends to manifest is a strong oposition to the "watering down" of Blackness from Black people and those who truly overstand Rastafari movement, versus a strong will to have Blackness nuetralized by those who interpret Rastafari through the lense of other movements and various religions that have apsolutly nothing to do with Rastafari faith. Rastafari is not a religion but a movement toward anchient African cultures. In essence a movement back to unity with nature. But, tragicly, European culture has erased or twisted these anchient cultures in the eyes of society. It has created a society that veiws these cultures as backward and barbarian, for instance the average person conciders Vodoo evil even though they have absolutly no true information about it. Everything of value that has come from Black people througout history has been either lightened or completly stolen by Europeans. From the royalty of Kemet to the Emporer Himself. In fact even the Black blood of Mediterranean cultures (due to the reign of the Moors) is denied. Many of the Easten Europeans who are not white and have not been for centuries are concidered white for various reasons mostly to maitain an elevated position on the color continuum. However if you study history, especially American history, you can tell who is and is not concidered white just by how they were treated by the Brittish.
So in conclusion I will say that the more you know the less you argue. The power of humility and forgiveness is awesome. Love is a complicated thing, unconditional love requires the knowledge and understanding that everything has an origin and the further back you go the fewer orgins there are, until eventually there is just one.
|
|
