respect ten,
sorry to take a little time to get back to this question(s):
"I have to ask; why the appeal of Rasta for you then if God is not real or did you discover this when you came to know more of Rasta and Africa? The way the I reasons on the term I n I is the point that for I God exists, if energy represents life, then both that life as representative of me and that energy as the force through which I exist is God. I don’t know if makes sense but that’s how I over it. True that life is unexplainable, but at the same time that is the beauty of it, and that’s a sign of the infinite power I Creator has."
as bob would say this is light as a feather and heavy as lead.
let us go through this:
first; a the end you say "that's a sign of the ....Creator has." I disagree in that I only view it as a sign of life----one thing (seperate from all of this) did not make all of this--all of this is "it".
if I ask someone to prove to me there is a god and they say "look, that tree is a sign of god" I say no that tree is a sign of life.
i think we are close on how we feel on this, it may just be a matter of semantics. but I still say no god and you say god.
Now onto the issue of my appeal to rasta. wow! great question. one that i would love to see the whole board answer. I believe how we got here is important to overstanding each other on issues. on the net there are too many assumptions to be made.
here i go and i may give you more than you bargained for, but i think it will help the I in overstanding me;
My parents were roman catholic and though they took I to church and made i pray at meals and celebrated all of the holidays I was never a roman catholic. by that i mean it never once entered my heart. even as a young one all of the group praying at church and the kneel down, sit down, stand up instructions bothered me. i remember my mother telling me on a number of occasions to stop making that "oh great i have to stand up again" look. all of my older brothers were alter boys so she made me do it ( i was probably 7 or 8) though the experiment only last a little over a month. my mother was mortified the first day i went to meet the priest and get my clothes. when i was walking towards her with the priest she heard me say to him "you know i am only doing this because my mother is making me"
as i said it didn't last long---I wouldn't memorize my lines and i couldn't/wouldn't ring that bell at the right time.
i have always thought for myself----she tried to make me a life guard when i was 14. when i asked why?, she gave me the same answer that she gave me for the alter boy thing. "Because all of you brothers did it". My mother also use to tell me "just because my friends did something did not mean i had to". to her lifeguard press I said "just because my brothers did it, shouldn't mean that i have to too". no lifeguard for me.
(trust me i'm getting to the rasta thing)
I made my complete break from the christian/catholic business as a reality when i was 12 or 13. I was in 6th grade--32 years ago and i can remember it as if it was yesterday. I was taking an elective in school--we were allowed to take one class of our choosing. I took greek and roman mythology. i always loved to watch movies or shows on that stuff. Oh--hercules awesome. something with zeus or neptune and i was glued. my favorite was Samson (maybe my first window into rasta with the hair business).
now remember I was still having to go to church and things. it was the second week in and it hit me----someone is lieing. here was this teacher talking of these ancient people's gods that they used to make sence of the world and guide them in their daily lives.he spoke of their rituals. but he talked of them as not being real---they were just "myths". but i was suppose to believe that the people standing,kneeling, sitting down on sundays were doing all of their rituals to a "real" god. why?-because they narrowed gods down to god and now it is real. either all of the godS are real or they are all myths created to teach lessons and in many cases scare the wits out of people to keep them in line with the powers to be.
you know what i think.
now the appeal to rasta. i came into contact with rasta like many in the states---through bob marley. i don't just listen to any music --99% of the time i only listen to music that has important things to say or serious stories to tell----cat stevens was the first singer that i remember being drawn to and the first albulm that i bought with my own money (around the age of 14-15) was stevie wonder's "inner visions". when i listened to marley and started to reasearch all of this business he was talking about --on freedom,equal rights and rastafari (i had nver heard of rasta before bob) it fit. It went straight to my heart. christianity was like science fiction ---rasta was speaking truths. for me it was like when you go buy a pair of pants. many people use the mirror to really decide--i go by feel---when i put on the right pair of jeans i don't need to look in the mirror----i feel them---well i felt Rasta. it was just right---it wasn't about personal salvage it was about everybodies salvage--it wasn't about doing good so you could get to some paradise or avoid some inferno it was about doing right for the sake of doing right.not one person on this planet can tell I what lays in store when I die --- so i best do right this time around. my heaven or hell are those thoughts that i carry around in i head everyday and the ones that will be there as i lie waiting for death to come. rasta didn't teach me, but it reinforced the idea that instead of kneeling down and bowing i head to commune with or feel some kind of god ---I only need to greet the people that pass me by. and it was also about africa--even as a kid growing up in white america i was drawn to africa.
now i have not addressed this, i don't believe, until now. InI have never said that i am a Rasta---others on the board have made that assumption. now that is overstandable seeing as this is a rasta site, but look closely at i name. I will probably never give I-self a title other than human. i will leave that to others. when students ask me "mr l, what are you?" they either are wondering on i's ethnic background or religion. if they want ethnic i give them human (i'm just not going to play those dividing games- i gave that up a long time ago) if they really push on that one ---I say African--and i do not mean black---i mean, man came out of africa and if one is going to ask i where i ancestors came from--than i must say africa. none of my ancestors sprung up out of the ground in england or germany or what have you--so to be sure i do not disrespect any of I roots i say african ---no apologies. If they wish to know i religons so to speak, i tell them I am many and i am none, but if they are persistent i will tell them rasta is i roots, but many things influence i such as buddhism,hinduism,athiesm,ect-----.maybe someone would like to see i as a Spiritual Athiest? if that would make them happy they may.
i refuse to be placed in a box. people want to place others in boxes for their comfort but the other person's discomfort. when we place someone in a box we can make believe that we know this, this, and this about them. people do not like knowing---that is where religions come in- it helps people "know". it also is why we are so good at streotyping--and look at all the negatives that that creates.
I was an ahtlete in high school but i never really hung out with too many athletes-- i ride a motorcycle but not once in 30 years have i ever gone on a group ride or gone to a motorcycle rally. I refuse to allow one area of my life define me.
i love rasta- i love selassie i----i love love love africa ---but i will never get so attached to something that i can not see the truth in something else----attachment begets sufferin (how many are suffering here because they are so attached to their view of rasta that they let i words anger them/)
now some may say---but you say "InI" or "jah guides" or "I hail with maximum respect" ect....yeah so? When in zimbabwe i try to use I shona (not to good however)--does that mean i am zimbabwean.
I talk of ahimsa and arjuna at times--does that mean i am hindu?
I talk of karma and suffering --am i a buddhist?
you know it all just comes down to lables again and how people wish to put others in boxes---i try i best in life not to do that---if one wishes to say they are this or that ----great--i'll take their word on it ---but what is important to I is how one acts. in a recent post towards i someone said something like, "oh i have a friend like you, a rebel" . they placed me in their "rebel" box and now they probably feel better--i'm cool with that.
i mean look how wrong we can be with our attempts to lable others.
people on this board labled me a black youth. I am 44 (unfortunately I do not think they think that is young) and i am white( i guess). one can't get more wrong than that.
does it offend those claiming to be rastas that ini use such terms?---maybe---but couldn't it also be a sign of respect?
I have been to jahmaica a couple of times and people there have said or asked I "aren't you rasta?", but i have been asked by christians after they get to know me if i am christian because they assume i am based on i actions. on one occasion i was asked if i was buddhist by a buddhist after we got to know each other. its funny--in my attempt to not be boxed in i have actually been placed in many boxes---and you know what-- i wouldn't have it any other way, because i can be at home any where.
as bob says "my home is in my head"
JAH RASTAFARI SELASSIE I
KING OF KINGS LORD OF LORDS
CONQUERING LION OF THE TRIBE
OF JUDAH
SELAH
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