What to the slave is the Fourth of July?

FELLOW CITIZENS, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and natural justice, embodies in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation's sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation's jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart."

But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me.

This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today?

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FELLOW CITIZENS, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions!--whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!" To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.

My subject, then, fellow citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July!

Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery--the great sin and shame of America!

"I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgement is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.

But I fancy I hear some of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more, and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed.

But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are 72 crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment.

What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write.

When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!

For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are plowing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hillside, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!

Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? That he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery?…To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.

What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employments for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.

What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh! Had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would today pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

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WHAT TO the American slave is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy--a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.

Fellow citizens, the murderous traffic [the slave trade] is today in active operation in this boasted republic. In the solitude of my spirit, I see clouds of dust raised on the highways of the South; I see the bleeding footsteps; I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity, on the way to the slave markets, where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine, knocked off to the highest bidder. There I see the tenderest ties ruthlessly broken, to gratify the lust, caprice and rapacity of the buyers and sellers of men. My soul sickens at the sight.

Fellow citizens! The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power abroad; it corrupts your politicians at home. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing, and a byword to a mocking earth. It is the antagonistic force in your government, the only thing that seriously disturbs and endangers your Union. It fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement, the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it; and yet, you cling to it, as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes.

Oh be warned! Be warned! A horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation's bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever!

Between women and money.

As I assume new roles and responsibilities, the work piles up higher and higher and from under the pile I find myself looking for sources of motivation, something that keeps pushing me towards tomorrow. I will tell you something, between women and money, there is nothing harder to acquire and hold on to than motivation. Although for some, they need no more motivation than women and money, however, it runs a little deeper than that for me. My life revolves around more than just women, money and cars. Don't get me wrong, I like money, hoes and clothes as much as the next man but that's not enough to drive me in the day to day grind. I need so much more than that, I need to know that I'm putting my all into everything I do, I need to be better than everyone around in at least one thing and I need to know that what I'm doing today will have ramifications on what I do tomorrow. After all, if you're not fired up with enthusiasm, you will be fired...with enthusiasm.

The tree that doesn't bend breaks.

I'm trying to ease up a little, slow it down and enjoy life some more. Contrary to popular belief, I do not spend my days sitting in a bunker writing angry letters but I'm doing my best to stop reflecting that image to those around me. I've learned that I have to stop sweating the small stuff or everything is going to overwhelm me. I can't let that happen anymore. However, there is a flip side. I'm not for the bullshit this year and there is some shit I simply will not let slide. That doesn't mean that I'm going to let those things consume my life or stop me from what I'm out here to do. I'm just not going to have it. I'll even ignore it completely if I have to, in fact, I already have. Some people are going to wake up and realize that they no longer exist to me because bend too far and you've already broken.

Here's what they think about you.

I think so of you may be confused. I'm simply a young black male who can constructively speak his mind, I never said I was Earl Monroe (Black Jesus, in the likely event that that one went over your head). I'm not here to save you all and I'm not running out to engage complete strangers in debates about every issue under the sun. I am standoffish and at times, even anti-social. I don't open up and share my feelings on the spot to just anyone, anywhere (what do you think this blog is for after all?) I don't trust many people because the people who are supposed to have my best interests at heart and want the best for me, don't. Everyone out here pretty much has the same goals in mind (money, hoes and clothes), they just have different means and methods at their disposal in order to arrive at this destination and I don't mean to alarm you but I'm no different. My weapon is just a pen rather than a Glock. There are times when I can't rely on anyone, including myself. I hate my emotions and I wish I could do something to separate myself from them, I find that they impede my progress. I don't smile very often...There's nothing nice to smile about.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

I constantly catch myself thinking about my virtues, as well as my vices, and debating whether or not I am a "good" person. But what makes a good person? And who is it up to to decide who is good or not? And what in the hell gives them that right? I know that what constitutes good to me is different than that of the person next to me but virtues aren't open for discussion or interpretation, you either possess them or you don't. However, being virtuous has nothing to do with your genetic makeup and everything to do with how you were raised and the environment you find yourself in. You cannot teach people a virtue by requiring them to read books about it. You can only teach a virtue by calling upon people to exercise it. Virtue is not an innate property of character; it is an attribute of behavior and the only reward of virtue is virtue. In order to have a friend, you must be a friend.

Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put my childish ways behind me.

I don't think that there are any other words that better describe my coming of age and parth to manhood than these. I don't remember much about my childhood but I do recall the "learning experiences" I embarked upon (In other words, every time I fucked up). Most of these missteps and miscues were the result of inexperience and naiverty on my part and I learned most of my lessons the hard way but I'm a better person for it. You may say that not trusting people is not the most endearing personality trait to possess but I've managed to stick around by not putting my faith in people and letting time dictate what kind of role certain people will play in the movie that is life (you honestly couldn't write some of the shit I've seen). What I mean by that is take the time to figure people out (because it's not rocket science), observe how they treat you and the people around them and watch how they act under and react to, pressure. I honestly and whole-heartedly believe that last one is the ultimate telltale way to find out details about someone that words could never reveal. I would be lying if I said that I didn't sometimes miss the simplicity of childhood but it's too late to go back nor would I want to, I'm having too much fun without knowing what's coming up around the corner. Oh, and I almost forgot to address something off-topic but relevant to this conversation. A lot of people who read what I offer in this space think I'm cold-hearted and go around saying as much. I would like to remind them while true, you don't even know the half of it...You haven't even factored in the wind chill.

Survival ≠ Strength

I don't know if people have been listening to too much Kanye West or what, but simply showing up and sticking around does not make you harder, better, faster and it certainly does not make you stronger. Overcoming obstacles and persevering through the hardships life throws at you is definitely something to be proud of and by all means, you SHOULD pride yourself on it to the fullest but do not mistake that for empowerment. It takes a lot more than just withstanding a challenge to grow as a person. In face, if you do not learn from the mistakes that cause the strife in your life in the first place, you'll end up taking more steps backward than forward. I've always said that the hardships and obstacles encountered each and every day are life's way of testing us, finding out what we're made of and seeing if we'll crack under the pressure. However, although these tests are, for the most part, inevitable, there are many challenges that are preventable or even avoidable altogether. On top of that, it is absolutely inexcusable to allow the same mistakes to repeat themselves and cause the same setbacks. Yes, everyone makes mistakes but only a fool makes the same mistake twice. To effectively grow as a person, you must look back at what you've done wrong and identify what you could have done differently. Without evaluating situations, you cannot take any information from the scenario and no matter how many times you'll get burned, you'll keep doing the same over and over again. You must adjust and adapt in order to advance. Don't for a second think that just because you've had a rough ride in life and you managed to stick it out and hang around means that you're any better than you were before. Simply showing up doesn't mean shit.

They Schools

The idea of black focused schools in Toronto deserves a much closer look, especially if the city is serious about implementing a pilot project next fall and by looked at I don't mean scoffing at the suggestion and crying out that it is racist and promotes segregation. I'll admit that when I first heard that the school board was even entertaining the idea, I stated publicly that it was stupid. Never mind the racial element of the proposal, I was put off by the fact that this was the first thing they wanted to try when it came to the issue of the high dropout rate among black students. It's a pretty drastic move to say the least and I would have at least liked to see them go another way before resorting to this but as I took the time to think about the matter some more I realized that sometimes drastic problems require drastic solutions and when more than half of the black males enrolled in Toronto public schools can't earn the minimum 16 credits after their sophomore year, that is a drastic problem. I would like to make myself clear when I say that although there are probably benefits in creating afro-centric schools, I in no way support the idea. I'm still taking a look at all of the factors and all of the arguments but in my mind, the idea has way too many flaws and I don't think people are ready for it nor can they handle it. The most glaring problem is that by going this route, the school board along with the provincial government are basically throwing up their hands and admitting failure. Now when approximately 47% of black students are dropping out of high school, it is as clear as day that you are failing but this seems more like bending over rather than doing something assertive and effective. The second thing that really jumps out at me about this topic is that not everyone is wild about this idea and not everyone is going to support these schools. If the school board and the government decide to go ahead with this, there will be those parents who won't be sending their children to these schools so what about them? I've heard a lot about what kind of curriculum will be taught, what kind of teachers will be brought in and what kind of environment the government will be trying to create in their pilot schools but what happens to the black students who remain in the current public school system? I've heard no other strategies to combat the issues in our schools besides black-focused schools so I have to wonder if there is even a plan to make curriculum changes or if everything will remain status quo. With a problem such as this one, with so many contributing factors, there is no quick fix or "magic bullet" that is going to make all of our problems go away. You can throw statistics at me all day about how well black focused schools have done in Detroit, Washington and Kansas City but compare those cities with Toronto and you'll see alarming differences, differences that dynamically affect the impact of these schools. This isn't solely the establishment's fault, fuck anyone who does not take responsibility for their actions. I repeat. FUCK anyone who is not willing to take responsibility for their actions. Every action that you take has an equal or greater reaction and inactivity is not an option in a world that won't slow down and wait for you to catch up. Without your education, you won't make it too far. In fact, these days without a high school diploma you can't make it anywhere. Stop making excuses for yourself and start making something of yourself. Yes, we are at a disadvantage because we are blacks in a world with all of the legal equality anyone would ever need but none of the substantive equality but that should be all of the motivation you'll ever need. Growing up, I was always told taught that being black, I had to be twice as good as everyone else to be considered equal. This is not necessarily the truth in everyone's eyes but I believe that to this day and take pride in tearing down stereotypes by pushing myself to my limits. There is only so much that the government, the school board, the teachers and the parents can do to make kids succeed. All of the co-operation in the world from the aforementioned groups don't do any good if the students simply do not want to get an education. A lot more questions need to be asked to understand the failing students. Why have we had studies about why it is not good to eat food off of the floor within 5 seconds but no one has taken the time to draw parallels between failing students and reasons for why they are failing? Where do they come from? Where do they live? Where do their parents come from? Do they even know their parents? What is different about them compared to the students who are excelling in the current system? I mean, these are educated professors, scholars, and so-called "experts" making these recommendations, right? Have they tried just talking to some of these kids? They're high school students, they're not that hard to figure out and they are smarter than you think. I just fear that this will send a message to black students that they need to be racially segregated in order to succeed, they they are incapable of learning alongside children of different race and ethnicities when that is far from the case. The only way to ensure that our children do not receive a lesser education is to provide them all with the same education, the "separate but equal" doctrine went out the window with Brown v. Board of Education. One of the greatest draws to living in Toronto is its diversity and multiculturalism, how can one learn to function in a society like that after spending their most formative years in an environment that is completely opposite. In the last provincial election, publicly funded faith-based schools was a hot topic for debate and in the end, it was shot down quickly and completely. However, it did raise a question in my mind about what kind of funding the schools in Ontario, Toronto specifically, receive now. The results didn't really surprise me. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, school funding per student today is lower than it was 10 years ago and dropout rates are higher today than in 1997. Hmmm, so let's recap shall we? It is fair to say that most of the black student in Ontario live in Toronto, so if the government is contributing less money for these students' education, does it not make sense to assume that today's students are receiving a lesser education than students 10 years ago? It's not the only reason for the dropout rates climbing but I'm just sayin...

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I did not die.

I would like to take a moment to pay my respects to the life of Glenn 'Omodiende' Reitz. Although we only knew one another through the written word, I owe a lot of credit to Omo for influencing my writing style as well as how I approach an argument (we've had plenty), how I formulate my opinion before opening my mouth and most importantly, how to listen. Along with the rest of the Barbershop Notebooks authors, we became The Great Debaters (Denzel ain't got shit on us) and let our words express our thoughts, our feelings and our personalities. When you said that I was your favorite blogger, it meant more to me than any other compliment that I had ever received in regards to my writing and made me take it a little more seriously than I had up to that point. As long as we have your words, you'll never truly be gone, and as happy as it makes us that you are no longer experiencing the pain you had been feeling, it hurts knowing that I won't see you pine in on whatever reckless statement I make tomorrow, next week or next year...but somewhere I know you'll be making your feelings known. And we endure...

Just to put everyone on notice, I'm cutting the fat so to speak and removing the waste in my life. So if I don't talk to you anymore, don't be alarmed. If you're smart, you'll already know the reason why. If you can't figure it out, then you're a moron...kill yourself

Freakfest was too much fun. More pictures are coming...even though most of the pictures of me were taken by people I don't know. I'm gonna be all over Facebook this week so tag me if you see me

Love hurts. It's not just a cliché, it is a fact of life. Anyone reading this who has been in love before can more than attest to this statement. In the past few weeks, I've both witnessed and experienced some of the worst pain one can endure as a result of love. I understand that love makes us do stupid, crazy, misguided, petty and otherwise ridiculous things but at some point you have to ask yourself "Is it worth it?...Is it worth going through all of this for matters of the heart?" I don't think I can take much more of it to be honest with you. I'm worn out and beat down into the ground, I don't even want to pick myself up anymore sometimes. I'm being pulled every which way and as long as I don't break, everyone keeps tugging. I've been too much to too many people for far too long, I can't go on being everyone's everything anymore. I don't even know if I can't still be anyone's anything at this point. My heart is fractured, my mind in shambles. Ask me if it was worth it.

Not too many people allow me to be myself. Let me say what I want to say, do what I like to do, be what I want to be. I'm either too brash, too blunt or too insensitive. But there exists a few who value and see the value in my words and actions. I admire these people because I definitely know that I am a lot to handle. I'm not exactly considerate of other people's feelings, certainly not politically correct but they don't seem to care and if they do, they keep it to themselves. I don't ever want to be defined by what I didn't say or what I didn't have the courage to do. I can't be something I'm not and you can only pretend for so long...and you're really fooling no one but yourself. My way doesn't always work, it's certainly not always right, and sometimes I end up feeling like I can't win for losing but in the end, it is still my way. So to all those who appreciate my honesty, my brashness, my attitude. Thank you, for allowing me to be me.

I am the puzzle missing the sole piece. I am the store that the building refused. I am the first to come and the last to leave. I am not one to have ideas but rather, innovations. I am not the best at anything but I am good at everything. I am self-aware and aware of everything around me. I am the 401 at 5:15PM. I am ready for the world like Melvin Riley and Gordon Strozier. I am so 407. I am a fresh pair of white Uptowns in June. I am Yonge St. on the first Friday of August. I am cutting against the grain with every stroke.

A few things you may not have known about me. Nothing excites me. I believe that the written word is man's greatest accomplishment. I am constantly struggling with my emotions. I don't smile very often. I won't shut up if you get me going. I prefer to be alone, simply because I am so used to it. I'm still learning to cook. I hate talking on the phone. Photography is my secret hobby and I always have a camera with me. I'm alone, not lonely. I'm still learning to ask for help. I never hold my tongue. I don't regret anything I've ever done. There are only two people in this world that I can count on in a pinch. I'm a computer geek. I'd rather stay home and read than go to a club. I have one sibling who is the only person in my family that I wholeheartedly trust. I have nightmares. I can honestly say that therapy is not for everyone. I feel a lot older than my DOB suggest I am. I don't look the age my DOB suggests either. I'm one of the few people lucky enough to drive their favorite car. I'm not used to people genuinely caring about me and it still makes me feel uncomfortable. This is the first time I've spoken this openly about myself. I'd kill myself before I relive the first 18 years of my life again. Same goes for going back to live in that house again. I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep. I look in the mirror these days and the person looking back at me doesn't look familiar. I still don't like to travel. I'd drive to the end of the earth though. Failure is not an option for me, I'm in it to win it. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to write.

Get Familiar Vol. 2 © Clinton Sparks

I felt that the best piece of writing I've produced in my life deserved a sequel so I present to you Manifest Destiny Pt. 2: Supreme Mathematics.

The Supreme Mathematics is an alleged system of understanding numbers alongside concepts that are used along with the Supreme Alphabet as tools to unlocking the keys to reality and/or the universe. I'm putting my own spin on the teachings of my new found faith and breaking down the keys to reality like only I can.

1. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts through observing, learning, and respecting. Knowledge is the foundation of all in existence, for it must be known in order to make it manifest. Knowledge is the light given off by our sun. It is also the original man, who is the foundation of Allah's family

Knowledge is not to be confused with intelligence. Being smart is a lot more than just simply possessing knowledge. It is about how you acquire knowledge, how you process that knowledge, and how you apply that knowledge to everyday situations. I've met countless people with more degrees than dollars because they have no practical ideas on how to utilise what they've learned. If anyone sees the logic in paying around $12,000 a year to go to school just to end up working in McDonald's for around $12,000 a year, please tell me.

2. Wisdom is to speak knowledge and act according to it. Wisdom is water, the vital building block of life. Wisdom is the original woman because through her womb, life is continued. It is a relection of one's knowledge and this fact is shown and proven by the moon, being a reflection of the Sun's light (Knowledge). Knowledge + the reflection of Knowledge = Wisdom (1+1=2)

This can't possibly get anymore self-explanatory, I'd just be repeating things.

3. Understanding is what shows and proves the completion of knowledge and wisdom (man, woman, child). Understanding is a clear mental comprehensio. It is the original child, which is the star. The highest form of understanding is love, the bond between man and woman, knowledge and wisdom.

Once learning how to apply one's knowledge, one gains understading of one's self and one's surroundings. The most direct definition of this would probably be "a psychological state in relation to an object or person whereby one is able to think about it and use concepts to be able to deal adequately with that object." I would simply call it clarity, seeing the world and all of the people in it for what they really are and what they are really capable of.

4. Culture/Freedom is one's way of living, meaning one's language (wisdom) and customs (ways and actions). Freedom, is to have a "free dome" (a liberated mind) or to lack restraints. The original man's culture is Islam, which is peace.

Every time the topic of freedom comes up I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes: "Man is condemned to be free. Condemned, for he did not create himself, but free in the sense that once thrown into the world he is responsible for everything he does."

5. Power/Refinement is the force of creative energy. To refine is to perfect. Power is the truth, which is Allah's mathematics. To have knowledge in the culture of Islam is to have Power.

Now you didn't think all of those "Knowledge is Power" messages that were pushed on us as kids was just clever marketing, did you?

6. Equality is the state or quality of being equal, meaning to deal equally with all in existence. Equality is achieved by teaching others Knowledge and Wisdom, and making it understood through Understanding.

It's one thing to acquire Knowledge and Wisdom then develop a sense of Understanding and enlighten those around us. It's a totally different thing to gain understanding of the world around us and let our peers stumble around in ignorance. I wouldn't be writing any of this (or anything I've written and shared with you over the past 2 years) if I didn't think someone was taking something from what I'm saying. I know I'm always ready to jump up and say that nobody reads this and thats true, but that doesn't mean that I don't lead by example. Nobody may be reading the words on the page but they may see how I am able to get my thoughts down on paper and try to do like me. I've said countless times in the past that I am not trying to lecture anyone, change the world or influence any generations but I have a responsibility to pass on what I know and leave somoe kind of legacy behind when I'm gone.

7. God. Allah is God. The supreme being, the Black man, is God, Allah, lord of all the worlds, supreme ruler of the universe, which is everything: sun, moon, and stars.

In the end, there is just Allah

8. Build/Destroy. To build is to elevate the mentality of self, and others around the self, to add on positive energy to Allah's nation. To destroy is to ruin it by allowing negativity to outweigh the positive.

Giving up on one another is the same as tearing each other down. There was even a point I was going to give up on my own generation because of what I had been shown but regardless of how ignorant some people's actions and opinions can be, we can't give up on them because they are our people. I'm not preaching from the pulpit by any means here but I can't stand watching the news with my camily and hearing my mother and my aunts rip on blacks when one of us is involved in a crime. By no means do I condone picking up a gun and ending another human being's life or any other type of violent crime but I do understand that desperate people do desperate things and I understand the kinds of desperate situations that people (not just black people) can wind up in, so while everybody else cries for theh shooting to stop, I cry for another reason. I cry for everyone living their life 15 days at a time. I cry for all the single mothers grinding to make sure their children want for nothing. I cry for everyone grinding it out in a classroom because they know that an education is a foot in the door. I cry for anyone who's ever done anything "wrong" to survive. I cry for every single person that has ever found their self in a hopeless situation before.

9. Born is the completion of all in existence. To manifest from Knowledge to Born, which is the law of mathematics - to be complete in itself.

Notice a trend here. 1 through 8, and we're slowly getting back to the beginning. Life is a cycle and the Nation of the Gods and the Earths is no different. Don't believe me?

0. Cipher is the completion of a circle consisting of 360 degrees (Knowledge=120°, Wisdom=120°, Understanding=120°). All in existence pertains to a cipher.

See...told ya

Flashback for those of you who haven't been riding with me that long...

Manifest Destiny Pt. 1

manifest destiny
n.

1. the belief common in America in the early 1800s that it was the destiny or fate of the US to expand west to the Pacific Ocean. For many Americans, the belief had an almost religious intensity, and was often considered an obvious part of God's plan for America's future. It was with this feeling that settlers pushed west into Indian and Mexican controlled lands, confident that they were justified in doing whatever was necessary to spread the American flag and system of government.

2. a policy of imperialism rationalized as inevitable (as if granted by God)

The aforementioned definition is just a guide to make sure everyone understands what I mean when I go into detail about my manifest destiny.

To further grasp my manifest destiny, you must understand my situation. I wake up angry every day, I`ve done so for the past 10 years. I have virtually no family life whatsoever. I do whatever necessary to maintain. Being hood is a situation, not a state of mind. My way of getting money is out of necessity because I`m trying to survive. That being said...

I will...

live comfortably.

be viewed and judged for who I am, not what my background.

acknowledge that I am condemned to be free because once thrown into the world I am responsible for everything that I do.

abandon the fixation that i need to be rich, I just want to have enough money that I never have to say that I`m just scraping by.

be judged based on what I have to offer and what I can do to the best of my ability, not on the fact that I am Grenadian. There is far too much emphasize put on people`s backgrounds, in fact, upon meeting people itis almost always the 3rd or 4th question being asked of me. Ideally, I`d like to be looked upon as just a man but I do understand that this is the real world so I`ll accept being viewed as just a black man. People form expectations of what you should be based on your background which I find so ridiculous, they form prejudices against certain groups of people based on bad experiences with people of the same ancestry. I`ve been experimenting with throwing people curves and mixing up my ancestry when people ask, even telling people I don`t even know what my background is because I`m adopted (which is my favorite choice because I find it hilarious the various reactions you can get from people when they hear that you`re adopted).

do whatever it takes to get out of this place that I`m in.

do great things. After all, it is my God given right...right?

I will...

I am the stone that the building refused. I am the visual, the inspiration, that made ladies sing the blues. I`m the spark that makes your idea bright, the same spark that lights the dark so you can know your left from your right. I am the ballot in ya box, the bullet in the gun, the inner glow that lets you know to call your brother son. The story that just begun, the promise of what`s to come and I`ma remain a soldier until the war is won.

At this point in my life, survival is my main priority. In the real world, I`m going with theory over faith. Everything we know is "only the strongest survive" and if that`s the case I`m banking on Natural Selection, not Divine Intervention. Face it, when you`re asking me to put Jesus up against Darwin, Darwin wins every time and that has nothing to do with me being an Atheist it`s just survival of the fittest.