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Black Leadership Analysis

This is an unofficial Spiral Dynamics blog. It is not endorsed by D. Beck PhD.

Author

David Hartful Jr.

This site will use Ego Development Theory to analysis various leaders and problems in the black community. Ego Development Theory is a value meme classification first invented by Clare W. Graves and expanded by Natasha Todorovic, Christopher Cowan, and Don Edward Beck.

Why Black People should not listen to Tai Lopez

Tai Lopez is a financial wizard that currently sells business advice and self-help books on improving a person’s career. His most famous book is 67 Steps. One of Tai Lopez’s central tenets is finding mentors. Networking is at the forefront of his philosophy. Lopez sells numerous books and internet programs on how to make good first impressions.
 
Lopez is not the only self-help guru for success in business that puts a premium on networking. Wade Alters sells a program to inform students on how to determine which people offer the highest benefit and how to get in front of these high-value people. How to win friends and influence people originally published in 1936 first detailed the importance of building a support group. The book describes how to handle various interpersonal issues and common pitfalls to avoid.
 
This type of advice is useless for black people. A black person’s ability to interact with co-workers depends far more on their co-worker’s mental programming on racial issues than any personality flaw or lack of social skill. The racial complications of interpersonal relationships do not mean a black person should not attempt to interact and get along with coworkers and superiors. It is to say that blacks have very little control over how these people ultimately view them. There needs to be specific career help for blacks that addresses the specific issues common to our race.
 
I have been working in the field of Engineering for twelve years. I have always held non-supervisory positions. Here are a few pieces of advice I would give to a new engineer of business professional on how to interact with coworkers.
 
1. Focus on the mechanics of the job first
 
The most important thing on a job is doing it well. It is important to explicitly say this because of the idea that relationships matter more than performance is the basis for most “success-in-business” advice. It assumes that there is no difference in the performance of employees.
 
As a black person, your performance will always be hyper-analyzed. That is why your performance always has to be excellent. Take time to fully understand what is being measured in each task requirement. Find out where information is stored and how to find out how problems have been solved in the past. Remember most of the people will not help someone that is black and if they do they will see your need for help as a burden.
 
2. Do not compare yourself with others
 
Remember the struggle of black people is unique. We are entitled to make mistakes and have a difficult time. If co-workers or friends of other races begin to berate you or your performance, analyze what was said and evaluate if it is applicable. Make the correction where needed and if needed. However, understand that success in Corporate America is a challenging endeavor for a black person. You are going to make mistakes, and the consequences will be higher than you white counterparts. Never let the difficulty affect your core self-esteem.
 
3. Human Resources is not your friend
 
Inevitably, you will have a serious problem or disagreement with a co-worker. Sometimes the issue will be racial, sometimes it will be a personality conflict, and other times it is a personality conflict with a racial aspect. Avoid taking this to human resources. I have seen many people get angry and march someone into the human resources office. Human Resources is not there to handle personal disputes between co-workers, HR is there to protect the company. HR will document the incident and make sure to free the company from liability; HR will shift the blame to the individual employee in a court case. If a worker frequently goes to HR, the company will perceive them as a liability and work to get rid of the person before he or someone around him files a lawsuit.
 
It is important for blacks to understand the psychology of conflict and how to de-escalate an argument. Don Beck’s work on value meme’s and business psychology is an excellent resource to understand conflict. Transactional Analysis psychology is another resource that will allow a person to recognize, address, and avoid conflict. The last resource I will mention in Non-Violent Communication in regards to business. Keep conflicts with people at work to yourself. Most people view blacks as belligerent and argumentative and will use information on your conflict to reinforce their perception.
 
4. Other black people at work are not in a position to help you
 
Most black people are intensely afraid of losing their job. Their experience in Corporate America has shown that they have a small margin of error before serious consequences arise. Even black people in supervisory or human resources positions are diligent in demonstrating that they do not show favoritism to blacks. The power structure of most companies is completely white. If one or two black people make it into a supervisory position, they know everyone is watching them and that if they make a mistake, they will be easily demoted. Therefore, most black people will not give inside information on jobs to apply for or give pointers on how to improve. Most black people are working diligently to keep their position.
 
Unfortunately, there is still an unwritten rule that only allows one or two black people into a supervisory position per company. All the black people know they are in competition for a few coveted positions. No one is going to roll out a carpet and let another person pass them.
 
Black people will be a moral support. When building a network of black professionals, that is what you will get from the situation. A black professional network will not result in insider information. Many black professionals are kept “out-of-the-loop” and don’t even have this information even when they are in a position to know.
 
5. Build a network of friends outside of work
 
Corporate America is unfulfilling by its very nature. Most jobs, especially entry level jobs, are monotonous and unrewarding. Having a vibrant social and family life will facilitate the positive reinforcement that is lacking on the job.
 
I recommend artistic communities for building a social network. If there is a local theater, poetry, or dance community attempt to join. Art can be a great outlet for venting frustration. Black people have historically been instrumental in the development of art and individuals involved in art generally, have respect black people. Differences are not always looked at in a negative light.
 

Corporate America is completely different for white and black people. Even non-black minorities have an easier time. Keeping your job in perspective is the best advice for blacks. Your job facilitates your life. Your core self-worth is not your job. Keeping the proper perspective will allow a person to see things as they are.

How to Meditate If You Have NO TIME!!!!

This is the excerpt for a featured content post.

Source: How to Meditate If You Have NO TIME!!!!

Why Wilber’s views on the Incas and Mayans are offensive

This post was written after reading Boomeritis. In this book, Wilber expounds on many issues in academia that detract from furthering intellectual pursuits. He sees this issues collectively as an u…

Source: Why Wilber’s views on the Incas and Mayans are offensive

Before learning Pick-up, do this.

My love life severely suffered due to suffering from depression for five years. When I began to heal my depression, one of the areas of focus was building friendships and romantic relationships. I started to read and watch videos on Pick-up. Pick-up is a self-help technique for men to get women. After two years I no longer subscribe to the philosophy. Most of the techniques and coaches are misguided. However, I did learn many things from delving into the culture. This article will serve as a guide for people that want to use self-help techniques to improve their dating life.
Not looking needy is the principal focus of the pick-up community. Not looking needy is also a focus of women’s self-help on how to get a man. The need to not LOOK needy leads to advice such as, “wait three days after getting a girls number to call” or “don’t have sex until the third date.” The self-help gurus are giving mechanical advice for deep psychological problems. The mechanical advice will lead followers into doing “all the right moves” and not getting the intended result. For example, a guy will wait three days to call, and when he finally does, he sounds needy and desperate. He then does not understand what he is doing wrong and why girls still do not like him. For a woman, she will have sex after the third date, get overly attached after sex, become needy, and frighten the man off. So these are things a person can do to remove neediness from there life.
Guru’s in the pick-up community will never tell a person how to remove their neediness. If the gurus did tell people how to remove the neediness, then the guru’s could not sell pick-up seminars a $3,000 a session and comedians could not sell women books on how to get a man.

BuildIng self-esteem is the most important weapon against neediness. To understand and build self-esteem I recommend the book Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Brandon. Brandon breaks self-esteem down into two components self-confidence and self-worth. Self-confidence is the belief that you are capable of finding love. Self-worth is the belief you are deserving of love. Brandon provides many exercises to uncover the root of an individual’s low self-esteem and how the person can raise the self-esteem. I recommend that the reader chooses one pillar to work on each week for six weeks. Once the process of building self-esteem begins, a person will be able to determine why an aversion to people exists.
The inability to have romantic relationships is rooted in low-self esteem. If a person learns to pick up with low self-esteem, they will simply self-sabotage all the relationships that they create. The sabotage will happen at the point in the relationship in which they feel unworthy. In other words, if you feel you are not worthy of sex, then you will sabotage before the sexual act. If you do not feel worthy of marriage, you will cause a big fight before the wedding. The reader’s love life will spin in circles until he or she attains adequate self-esteem.

Having high self-esteem will make a person more comfortable being single. People will properly vet their potential partners once they are comfortable with being single. A person will not rush into a relationship or feel like a relationship is the end goal. Being comfortable with being single will not only reduce the appearance of being needy, but it will also actually reduce the need to have a relationship.
After a basic level of self-esteem is attained a person should work on having the ability to hold a conversation. There is only one way to build conversation ability, talk to everyone. I recommend that whenever a person leaves the house, make it a point to strike up a conversation with at least one person. It doesn’t only have to be women or men that the individual is specifically attracted. Everyone should learn how to conversate with anyone, and it should not be contingent on getting a date. People often wonder how some people can talk to anyone, well they practice.
After a person can hold a conversation, they should concentrate on talking to people whom they find attractive. The person working on their conversation ability should let it be known in the first conversation that they find the person attractive. Talking to someone that is attractive on a romantic level is a more high-risk activity because people fear being rejected by attractive people. With that said, a person must overcome this fear. I would not suggest working up to asking a girl out too quickly. Get to know the person and let them know you are interested. Get comfortable in conversations that have sexual tension. Being able to hold a conversation with sexual tension long enough for the other person to feel comfortable with the tension is the real key to starting romantic relationships.
If a person does dive into pick-up culture, it will be to fine-tune aspects of their game. The person will not be desperately looking for a relationship. Again, a desperate need for a relationship is a sign of low-self esteem. Once a person’s self-esteem is higher, and a person feels comfortable being single, then potential partners can be properly evaluated. Then a person must be able to interact with people in general. Once a person can conversate with people in general, then a person can concentrate on romantic relationships.

Brother P.O.L.I.G.H.T

Brother P.O.L.I.G.H.T is a debater, linguist, inventor of his own language, celebrity mentor, UFO proponent, and real estate mogul. The moniker P.O.L.I.G.H.T stands for Pride, Optimism, Love, Integrity, Gallant, Honesty, and Trust. He is the founder of NuCovenant a spiritual community that is based on Egyptian Mythology which will be referred to in this post as Kemetic Science. Kemet was the name of Egypt used by Egyptians. The word Egypt is of Greek origin and was not used at the time of the pharaohs. NuCovenant also aids members in obtaining financial success. The motto of the organization is “Where Consciousness meets Commerce.”

Significant accomplishments include

  • Mentoring numerous celebrities including Metta World Peace (Ron Artest)
  • The UFO Conference for Melenated People
  • 2016 Speaking at Black Lawyers for Justice rally in Cleveland Ohio a Black Lives Matters Protests
  • Numerous debate wins against Hebrew Israelites, Moorish Scientist, Nation of Islam, and others
  • Married to four women simultaneously (Supporter of Polygamy)
  • Speaks seven languages
  • Invented the Nuwaubian language

Early Life

Brother Polight was born in the Brownsville housing project in Brooklyn, New York. His father died when he was eight years old. He did not meet his mother until he was seventeen years old one week before she died.

Brownsville Projects was rated one of the worst projects in the world. At thirteen years old, Polight had a gold chain stolen by a Blood. Polight joined the CRIPS gang for protection and pride. Polight’s leadership ability in the gang lead to him becoming CRIP Superior. His criminal activity culminates in incarceration for gun possession and assault.

When Polight left prison he opened an organic restaurant and began taking classes from Dr. Sebi. Dr. Sebi is a well know Afro-Latin holistic health and medicine guru. Sebi has been reported curing dozens of AIDS patients with herbal remedies. Polight underwent treatment for diabetes under Dr. Sebi. Polight credits Dr. Sebi for curing his diabetes.

Brother Polight has studied numerous spiritual and black empowerment movements. Polight began speaking on behalf of the New Black Panther Party and introducing Malik Zulu Shabazz. However, his main spiritual influence is Dr. Malachi York. Dr. York created the Nuwabian school of Kemetic Science that mixed UFO science, black nationalism, and conspiracy theories into a philosophy for black empowerment. Dr. York was disgraced by a conviction of child molestation in 2004. Brother Polight believes Dr. York is innocent and that the government simply wanted to stop the movement.

Black Sovereignty

The focus of Brother Polight’s work is black sovereignty.  Black Sovereignty is black people controlling our financial security, mental health, spiritual awakening, and education. Black people should fully divest themselves from any institution that is controlled by white people. Black Sovereignty means pulling children out of public schools, leaving monotheistic religions, and starting black businesses. All of Polight’s views on other issues returns the follower back to sovereignty.

The basis for full sovereignty will be a spirituality rooted in a positive conception of black people. The spirituality from inception must be controlled by black people and free of white interference. The spirituality must also have practical applications that allow a follower to fight and maneuver around white supremacy. Kemetic Science offers all these elements. Kemetic science was born in Africa, built in Africa, and serves Africans.

The idea of black sovereignty is the focus of spirituality of NuCovenant  Kemetic Science. The Kemetians did not believe in G-d. G-d meaning an all powerful being that can deliver a person from bad situations or reward a person for good behavior. The Kemetian Gods were archetypes or examples that people should emulate. Kemetian Gods represent standards of behavior. The individual is the most powerful entity in Brother Polight’s spirituality, and the individual is in charge or his or her destiny.

If a person needs a G-d, then the black woman is G-d. The black woman creates life and this is something that you see every day. The black woman is the creator and should be revered as such. Because the black woman is G-d the black man should serve her. A black man’s actions should always be in the best interest of his woman and the women of the community.

The White man and how to build proper relations

The cause of white aggression and racism is genetic. The history of white domination has gone back over 400 years. In this 400 years, there was no large-scale concerted effort to stop the oppression or reimburse black people for materials stolen from them. Even the abolition movement was meant to keep black people oppressed while giving the illusion of freedom. In short, the intentions of white people should never be trusted due to being genetically predisposed to hating black people.

Due to the fact that the white man’s hatred of black people is in his DNA, black people should not make babies with white people. The children of interracial couples will have DNA that will cause self-hate. The mixed race children will also not be able to focus on black empowerment due to their sympathy to their white parents.  White people will also be able to use mixed people to promote a white agenda and confuse black people into thinking the agenda originated with black people.

In spite of all the problems with race mixing, mixed people and black people with mixed race children can join the NuCovenant community. Mixed people and black people with mixed children will have to cut personal ties with white people and completely focus on black empowerment and identity.

Black people can do business with white people and learn from white people if the service cannot be provided within the black community. The relationship should always be mutually beneficial. Black people should always be careful in these relationships and verify they are not being used.

The focus of the NuCovenant community is to build a strong Black America. This means removing the influence of white supremacy from our minds, relationships, and institutions. Once the legacy of white relationships has been removed, black people can rebuild a truly Afro-centric society.

What Polight has right and wrong

Polight has more wrong here than right. First, he presents no scientific evidence that racism corresponds to a gene and this gene originated in Europe. He references epigenetics often which is a science, but not a specific finding or study to support the claim of racism having a genetic origin. Therefore, the claim that racism is genetic is unscientific.

There is far more evidence that racism is a social construct that was invented to solidify power around white men. Because it is a social construct an individual can invest in it or divest in it. So an individual white person that realizes racism is a social construct, that the social construct has created pathologies that affect his life presently, and are working to remove those pathologies can unite with black people.

The idea that racism is genetic in origin will always lead to mixed people being viewed with suspicion. If racism in a gene in white people and mixed people have white genes, there is a good chance they will be racist and should be viewed with suspicion. The idea that racism is genetic in origin will always lead to division in the black community.  In addition to the claim racism is genetic, the claim can be easily disproven by the amount of mixed race people that are in the forefront of the struggle.

Health

Diet is a huge part of Brother Polight’s philosophy. He is a supporter of an Alkaline diet rich in live vegetables and herbs. Polight has an online herbal store and numerous books on herbal remedies. He supports eating bitter foods as they help to prevent cancer.

Foods to avoid are all processed foods, hybrid plants, and white foods. Hybrid plants have such as carrots have poisons that build up in your body due to them being unnatural. Included in hybrid plants are all seedless fruits. White foods such as milk and potatoes increase puss in the body. Milk is especially bad for health due to the fact it is irradiated during pasteurization.

Neural development is another area of Polight’s expertise. Speaking multiple languages increases neuro connections between the right and left hemisphere. Tonal languages ,primarily from Africa, have the added benefit of increase overall brain wave vibration. Another method to increase brain wave vibration is listening to music in the key of middle C. Most current music is in A. A healthy brain will vibrate from 72 – 90 MHz and vibration above 80 MHz is genius level.

Childbirth is very important in building a strong sovereign black community. Women should not give birth lying down as it damages the spine. Women should also avoid epidurals because it drugs the baby. If the baby is born from an epidural the baby’s eyes will be closed. This is evidence of the baby being negatively affected by epidural drugs. The placenta is essential for baby’s health. The placenta should be left attached to the baby. The placenta will naturally dry up and fall off after a few days. This allows all of the nutrients and stem cells to enter the baby and aid in neural development.

Black people must avoid exploitation by the healthcare market. Placentas should be kept by the parents after childbirth. DNA extracted from the placenta is used for medical research to develop cures that black people can not afford.  Polight’s cites the Henrietta Lax case for an example of the DNA of black people being used to create many cures that most black people cannot afford.

Brother Polight is also against vaccines. Vaccines are filled with various toxins and the fetuses of dead babies. Black people should use an alkaline diet and herbal supplements to prevent disease.

Polight’s  lists the dangers of promiscuity. According to Polight, semen consists of spinal fluid. As a man ejaculates, he diminishes his spinal fluid. If a man ejaculates too often he can deplete his spinal fluid and reduces his cognitive abilities. On the same token, if a woman absorbs spinal fluid from too many men she can bring on psychosis. The personalities of the different men can infect her brain and put her at war with herself. Men should be mindful to not ejaculate quicker than their body can replenish the spinal fluid. Women should limit sexual partners and make sure lovers are mentally and emotionally stable.

Mental health is also affected by sensory intake. Black people should not listen to negative music. Music that degrades black people should be avoided. The actual frequency of the music matters. Ideally, music should be in the key of middle C. Most modern music is in A. Drum music improves mood because the drum units the plant and animal kingdom due to the fact it is made with animal skin and tree bark.

What Polight has right and wrong

Polight is correct on the importance of a healthy and plant-based diet. Numerous nutritionists support the validity of the alkaline diet. Herbal supplements are proven to be extremely important to proper nutrition and disease prevention.

However, healthy eating and herbal supplements cannot be used to replace traditional medicine. The most dangerous advice given by Polight is not taking vaccines. Vaccines are a low-cost way to prevent diseases that are deadly and expensive to treat. If large percentages of the population do not get vaccines there could be outbreaks of serious diseases.  If large a percentage of the black population becomes ill, then community building will be halted.

Polight also conflates Kemetic mythology with Western science. One of the more outrageous claims by Polight is that the heart is an electromagnet. He claims that because the blood circulates and the blood has iron in it, a small current is induced around the heart. The electromagnetic force created by this current is visible to some people as an aura.  The claim of the heart being an electromagnet is not supported by any western scientist. The claim can also be easily checked with a gaussmeter or magnetometer. Polight makes numerous unfounded scientific claims due to the conflation of science with Kemetian mythology.

Another wild claim of Polight is that ejaculation depletes spinal fluid. There is no medical evidence for this claim. Semen is produced in the prostate. The prostate is not connected to the spine. The production of spinal fluid and semen are separate processes. Polight has demonstrated that he does not have a basic understanding of anatomy. In addition, there are many reasons to not be promiscuous that can be backed by science.

To put it simply Polight should not be used as a health guru. He does not understand anatomy and he mixes science with mythology/morality from Kemet. He has some good advice on diet, but there are numerous other sources for this information that can be backed by hard science. Polight also advises against Western medicine.

Economics

Financial Stability is necessary to allow a person to spend a proper amount of time to focus on spirituality. The capitalist debt economy caused people to be overworked and reduces the amount of time left for spiritual pursuits.  Entrepreneurship can allow a person to be financially secure and reduce time spent at work. Working for a corporation, by its very nature, will consume all your time for modest financial benefit.

Real Estate is a field that can offer true financial stability with moderate time investment. To be successful in real estate, it is important to avoid mortgages.  Mortgage are insured by an entity that collects money from prison labor. So the mortgage market and the private prison system are closely connected. Details on how to invest in real estate without mortgages are available in Polight’s book. The writer of this article could not find details on how to do this online.

Being able to receive and manage credit is a large component of financial stability. Credit Card companies do not discriminate directly on race. However, they do discriminate on the location of the home of the person applying for credit. So a system similar to the mortgage redlining of the 1980’s and 1990’s is alive in the credit card industry. Most black people live in low-income neighborhoods, therefore the discrimination based on location is indirect racial discrimination. To avoid discrimination, black people should have a P.O. Box in a neighborhood with an average income of more than $150,000 a year.

Brother Polight also supports community crowdfunding to pool large amounts of capital. He illustrates how if 10,000 people give $10 a month $1,000,000 can be collected in 10 months. Black people also spend more than any other community. Black people do not need reparations or any other help from the white man. We simply need to spend our money wisely.

The lack of financial stability in the black community that spans many generations can have a negative effect on our psychology. The pathologies surrounding generational poverty are labeled Post Traumatic Poverty Disorder (PTPD). There are three major ways PTPD plays out. The first is a person asserting themselves in areas of life that are not contingent on financial success. A person can become promiscuous, aggressive, or argumentative to prove to themselves that they have value. The second way is suspicion of black people that have money. In times of slavery, slaves could secure better lodging, more food, and reduce work schedule from providing sexual favors for slave masters and providing information on slave revolts. This mentality was deeply embedded in the minds of slaves and has not been eradicated. Black people need to be mindful of how their feelings about successful black people could be rooted in the suffering of slaves. The last way PTPD plays itself out is in the need for black people to show off wealth. Polight says that this can be healthy and something black people with money need to “get out of their system”. The flaunting of wealth should be done in a way that does not put the person in debt. Make sure you got it before you flaunt it.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight has correctly identified the problems, yet does not have any viable solutions. He details how credit card and other financial institutions can discriminate against black people without explicitly racist rules. However, the solution of getting a PO Box in a rich neighborhood can be easily thwarted by credit card companies requiring physical addresses. Polight recommends the I-Space solution of having a PO box in a rich neighborhood for an IT-Space problem. The I-Space solution can easily be countered by the credit card companies requiring a physical address for all applications. I-Space solutions will always be incomplete for IT-Space problems.

The NuCovenant websites presents numerous I Space solutions for IT Space problems. The NuCovenant website offers services to members and non-members to restore credit and create independent trust to hold real estate through declaring sovereignty. The services range from $550 – $1500. The idea behind all of these services is that declaring yourself independent of mainstream society a person will be allowed special legal privileges that will increase financial freedom. However, if Black people  implement these solutions en masse, the law can be changed to disallow people to participate in the economic after sovereignty is declared.

In addition to Brother Polight’s solutions to systemic financial disenfranchisement being short term, the solutions do not work. Many people accuse Brother Polight promising relief from foreclosures and bankruptcy and not coming through on the promises.  Youtuber A. Victor details how he gave Polight many thousand of dollars to prevent his foreclosure. Victor claims that Polight will not even return his calls. Polight uses Victor’s case as an example in his seminar. Victor’s property was sold a year after getting Polight’s services.

Polight is also known for not fulfilling his online orders. Many people have claimed they waited three and four months for his financial self-help books. The books are not copy written and are simply cut and paste from other people’s work. Polight has no formal training in finance or any real world experience in finance.

Polight is not an authority on financial matters. He should not be trusted and people should not pay for his services. The people that have paid for his services do not get the results that they intend.  Polight does not have solutions for black financial empowerment.

Homosexuality

The acceptance of homosexuality started in Greek and Roman Culture. The cultivation of the lifestyle was promoted in European cultures. No African cultures accepted homosexuality. In Kemet, homosexuality was forbidden in many scrolls that can be referenced today. No indigenous African or Middle Eastern culture accepted homosexuality unless they were conquered by Greeks or Romans.

Homosexuality was forced on male slaves in the United States through sex farms. Male slaves were bought and sodomized by white slave masters. White slave masters also molested the male children of slaves and castrated slaves that were rebellious.

The current power structure supports homosexuality in black men for two reasons. The first is homosexual men do not have children, therefore reducing the overall number of black people and allowing for whites to be the majority population. The second is gay men are more effeminate and docile making them easier to control.

Black men are not homosexual by nature. However, there are factors that can reduce a man’s virility and induce homosexual tendencies. The first is trauma from slavery that was passed on for generations. The second are various medications that can reduce virility through inducing a hormone imbalance. The third is a need to avoid the responsibility of building a strong family. The fourth is to get concessions and aid from white men. Gay men have an easier time in corporate America because they are passive and easier to control. The passivity of gay men allows for inclusion in a company with no threat to the white power structure.

Currently, the white power structure is attempting to teach homosexuality in schools. Homosexuality has been added to the high school sex education in many states. This is especially dangerous in the black community because we have many single parent households.  Black children see relationship dysfunction played out in the home and in the homes of their neighbors. Introducing homosexuality at an early age could lead a child to give up on heterosexual relationships completely. An increase in homosexual relationships will reduce the black population and allow white people to retain power. Sex education should be done at home by parents.

Ultimately, homosexuality prevents the building of strong families. The black man’s purpose is to serve the black woman. Homosexuality is no better than drug dealing or prostitution. In addition to the practical problems it presents to the black community, it was forbidden in Kemetian law. Kemet is our example par excellence for building a strong nation.

Brother Polight does not support violence against homosexuals. Homosexuals can also be a part of the black empowerment movement. However, homosexuals cannot lead are be at the forefront of the movement. Homosexuality is a weakness and homosexuals will need to concentrate on healing themselves first.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight attempts to assert black people are not homosexual by nature. He never presents any scientific evidence that homosexuality is genetic in nature and that this gene originates in Europe. Even if it is genetic and originates in Europe many black people have white people in their ancestry. Therefore, it could be natural for some black people to be homosexual.

Also, the prohibition of homosexuality in Kemet and other African cultures  does not mean it does not naturally occur in black people. In fact, the prohibition of homosexuality proves there were homosexuals in these cultures prior to European intervention.

The idea that gay black men have an easier time than straight black men cannot be proven. The success of men like Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels are cited as an example of gay black men having an easier time making it in the corporate world. The root of this idea is gay men are inferior to straight men, therefore their success has to be due to them being gay. The idea of heterosexual superiority is no different than a white man attributing a black man’s success to Affirmative Action or men accusing women of sleeping to the top. This is just another thing to divide the black community.

There is some evidence that black gay men make more that black straight men. However, all the other factors were not isolated. Do black gay men have more education because they are not starting families? Do black gay men have more job mobility because they are not tied down with a wife and children? These are factors that need to be evaluated. The disparity between black gay men and black straight men could have more causes than black gay men being perceived as less threatening.

Ultimately, attempting to marginalize homosexuals causes more division in the black community. Many homosexuals have things to offer the black community and if they feel ostracized then they will avoid black people. If the black community needs to be strengthened, then all members of the community need to be enfranchised. Saying no homosexuals can lead the community will disenfranchise people and cause the community to suffer.

Women’s rights and role

A major tenet of Brother Polight’s philosophy is the black woman being G-d. The black woman creates life every day and this is verifiable. The black woman is the backbone of the community and ensures the continuation of our race. Due to the black woman’s importance, the black man should serve his woman, and all of his actions should be in support of his woman.

Men should not regulate how women should dress. If men want women covered up, it could show undercurrents of homosexuality in the man. If women are allowed to dress in clothing that is tight or revealing, this will aid in combating homosexuality in the black community.

Women should also be allowed to lead and become spiritual teachers. Spiritual philosophies that teach that women are the weaker vessel will damage the psychology of young girls. These young women will have less confidence and seek to latch on to a man.

Polygamy is also beneficial to black people. At this time there are more black women that are single . If they are all supposed to get married, then polygamy is necessary. However, men should prove they can sustain a monogamous relationship first and become financially stable before securing multiple wives.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight does present a somewhat positive display of the value of women. He also gives women the flexibility to dress as they want. The best part of this philosophy is that women can be leaders in the movement.

The value of women is still based on their ability to have children and create a family with a man. There is not much mention of the place of women that do not want children or can not have children. Polight’s philosophy is ultimately typical for blue meme thinkers. He thinks the family structure is more important than anything else. Therefore, traditional roles are more important than anything else and people have value due to their role. A truly integral view allows people to have inherent value.

Because people have to fit into roles and these roles have a hierarchy of importance, people then need to play their role instead of finding themselves and living their truth. Polight can then use the hierarchy of roles to berate homosexuals and people in interracial relationships. He assumes that the people in non-traditional relationships could have traditional relationships if they try hard enough and they should try harder because the betterment of the community depends on it. He does not allow people to actually find themselves and live their truth.

Judaism

Black people cannot claim to be part of Rabbinical Judaism. The current state of Isreal has very few black people. The few blacks that are there, Beta Isreal descendent from Ethiopian Jews, are discriminated against. Isreali law prohibits education for Ethiopian Jews after fifteen years. Isreali blood banks dump Ethiopian blood to prevent contaminating European Jews. Ethiopian Jews were sterilized without consent through fake vaccinations.  The discrimination was so bad the Ethiopian Jews organized into an organization similar to Black Panthers. The group is called Mizrahim.

The Talmud explicitly states that a Jew does not have to treat a Gentile in a moral manner. Also, numerous verses in the old testament show that a Jewish person should not share their G-d with other nations. There is some evidence that people from Isreal settled in various places in Africa after 70 AD. However, their numbers were so small it would be difficult from their genetic markers to exist more than 2000 years later. So a Black American can not definitively prove he or she has a Jewish bloodline. Therefore a Jew has no moral basis to treat or unite with a Black American.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight is correct to point out systemic racism in the Jewish community. This information should cause black people within the religion to fight back and open the eyes of people thinking about converting to the religion. He applauds the efforts of the Mizrahim, as he should. Judaism needs to be more active in fighting racism.

Polight is wrong for his mischaracterization of the Talmud. The Talmud is a many-volumed work written in many places over many centuries. To take one quote and use the one quote to nullify relationships between Gentiles and Jews is unfair.  Polight is not a Talmudic scholar and could not possibly know much about the work. Sweeping statements reduce the validity of the argument.

Ultimately, a person needs to find their spiritual path. If that path is Judaism, a person should pursue it. At the same time, a black follower’s eyes should be open to what is ahead of him. A black follower must be secure in the fact his membership is valid. This is especially true for Judaism, where many people will question your relationship to the chosen people.

Hebrew Israelites

The Hebrew Israelite religion is a religion for black people based on Ancient Biblical Judaism. According to the Hebrew Israelite religion, the original Israelites were black. Therefore the people currently identifying as Jews could not be related to the ancient Israelites and do not have a valid claim on the religion. White people cannot join the Hebrew Israelite religion. Members refer to themselves as Hebrews.

Brother Polight’s main argument with the Hebrew’s is their depiction of women as weaker than men. By teaching women are the weaker vessel it will reinforce a negative self-concept in young women. This negative self-concept will lead to codependent relationships.

The idea of women as a weaker vessel is also not substantiated by the Bible. In the Genisis account of the garden of Eden, Eve is offered the apple first. This shows that Eve was more important to corrupt than Adam. If an entity wanted to control and harm a people the women will be attacked first. The Garden Eden story serves as a great metaphor for the current state of Black America.

The idea that women are the weaker vessel also does not explain why more violent crime is committed by men. Polight describes the fratricidal war that is ongoing in the inner city as complete perpetuated by men. Men believing that they are inherently stronger or less susceptible to strong emotions is not supported by fact.

Polight also points out the Bible is outdated. The most important issue in the black community is a lack of Capital. There is nothing in the Bible about building an economy. The Bible also causes divisions in the black community as evident in all the Hebrew Israelite factions. Hebrews spent time arguing the fine points of the bible instead of building a community. Many proponents of the Bible point to all the prophecies in the Bible that have come true. Polight rebuts this argument with the fact that people are capable of psychic ability. The presence of true prophecy does not prove the existence of G-d or validate a religion. Any book separates people from the direct experience of G-d. People should interact with the divine directly.

Hebrew Israelites also exclude black people that want to help in empowerment because they do not want to join the Hebrew Israelites. Polight preaches “race first”. The inclusion of all black people that want to be active in the community is paramount.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

The arguments that Polight makes against the Israelites are relatively common. The Bible is an old book and many aspects of the Bible are antiquated. There is no large-scale economic plan in the Bible. Also, many Biblical views on women will not be compatible with today’s society.

Even considering all these issues, the Bible still has  validity. People need to supplement their knowledge of the Bible with information from modern sources. Polight expresses an adequate understanding of the Bible and his advice on the religion should be taken seriously.

Islam

Islam began in Arabia and was meant for Arabs. Black people or Africans were never intended to be included. The propagation of Islam spread the idea that Arabic civilization is superior to all other cultures. Indigenous African religions began to be suppressed.  The Africans that adopted Islam devalued their native civilization and countrymen and aided Arabs in the slave trade.

In addition to the subjugation of Africans in Islamic culture, no one can be sure if Muhammad actually lived and if he did live what he actually said. Arabic was not a codified written language at the time it was purportedly transmitted. Muhammad spoke a form of Proto-Arabic called Al-Fusha. His original seventy-two followers wrote the transmission in Syriac, the only codified written language in the area. By all accounts from Orthodox Muslims, Muhammad could not read. Therefore, he could not verify if the written account was accurate. Arabic was codified into a written language sixty years later. Later Califs forced the Koran to only be written in Arabic.

The word Muhammad is also a moniker, not a name. Polight cites instances of the word Muhammad being used to describe great kings before The Prophet was alive. He also points to a Byzantine coin that depicts Jesus with the moniker Muhammad. The written account of Muhammad’s life, The Hadith, was written 200 years after his death. It is possible that The Profit Muhammad was an amalgamation of various great leaders and spiritual teachers from 500 AD to 650 AD.

The Arab slave trade lasted longer and was more brutal than the European slave trade. The Arab slave trade lasted 800 years longer and transported six million more people. The most brutal aspect was the double castration of all male slaves. The double castration resulted in very few living descendants of slaves in Arabia.

Historical records prove Arabs felt their African slaves were less than human. IBN Khaldon a Muslim slave trader said Africans have no family structure and are naturally submissive. Muhammad was a slave owner, and there are no records of widespread opposition to slavery from any of his followers. Mulay Ismail Ibn Shariff fathered eight hundred children by slave women and castrated the male children. Also, Africans that converted to Islam, such as Tippu Tip, sold his countrymen into slavery.

Islam was adopted by Black Americans to fight against White Supremacy, not because the religion was properly analyzed and questioned. Black people needed something to fight against the white power structure. The largest and most successful American Islamic organization is the Nation of Islam (NOI).  The NOI has independent news outlets, financial assistance for members to start businesses, and agreements with foreign governments to provide educational support. The economic success of the NOI is not due to Islam, due to the fact there are no economic plans in the Koran. The success of the NOI is not due to Islam; the ingenuity and perseverance of the membership are the reason for success.

As stated earlier, Brother Polight does not believe that Islam is a religion that was cruel to black people. The success of Islam in Black American as due to hard working members, not divine intervention. It is time for blacks to cast off foreign gods and return to themselves and their ancestral heritage.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight’s arguments against Islam are similar to his arguments against Judaism. However, the racist past of these religions should not prevent people from following the path. Each follower must fully understand how the religion has treated his people and how he will relate to the path. Everyone reinvents their religion to fit their life.

The NOI is a perfect example of how to take a religion and reinvent it to be useful in a personal struggle for freedom. The members were able to create a semi-insulated economy because they were grounded and united in Islam. Despite there not being an economic plan in the Koran, members were able to invent an economic plan rooted in Islamic values.

It is also important to remember that Kemet is one of the oldest slave societies. Many of the arguments used by pharaohs to keep Hebrew, Cushite, and Nubian slaves is similar to arguments Arabs and Whites used. Polight has reinvented the Kemetic religion to fit his present day needs. He should allow others to do the same.

Scientology

L. Ron Hubbard invented Scientology to control Africans in South Africa. Derogatory statements of Africans fill Hubbard’s original works. The statements center around Africans being unable to learn, needing constant supervision, and imbuing inanimate objects with personalities (hyper-superstition). These views were common in the 1950’s  among white people.

Scientology has made no effort to denounce these statements and make sure members do not hold these views. However, they are making efforts to proselytize black people in New York City. When proselytizing, they do not make it know that L. Ron Hubbard was racist. They evaluate the mental health of black people, various diagnosis pathologies, and prescribe therapy based on Dianetics. The psychological evaluation does not take into account the effects of living inside a culture that is often hostile toward black people.

Dianetics has also been proven ineffective in various court cases in numerous countries. Hubbards Ph.D. in psychology was a University founded by Hubbard. He awarded himself and close companions PhD’s as soon as the Univeristy was established.  Independent research of Dianetics shows no significant improvement in the mental health of patients. Reviews from psychologist show Dianetics over-simplifies the human personality and make wild generalizations that can not be backed by facts.

Scientology is not a valid religion for a black person because the founder was a racist. No effort has been made to remove racism from the religion and make amends for past damage done. Scientology is not open with the racism in the religion with new members. Therefore, black people should not only leave the religion. The religion should not be allowed to proselytize in the black community.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Again Polight does a good job pointing out flaws in the religion of another person. As stated earlier everyone has to reinvent the religion to suit their needs. Scientologist should be working toward a more racially inclusive philosophy.

Extraterrestrials

Brother Polight put on the First UFO Conference for Melanated People.  When Brother Polight speaks of Extraterrestrials he is not talking about little green men. Polight considers an extraterrestrial any being or consciousness outside of earth. Therefore, if a person believes in G-d, then that person would believe in an extraterrestrial. G-d exists outside earth therefore, G-d is an ET. Polight explains if a Christian believes Jesus is coming back, then he is not currently on earth and is extraterrestrial. UFO’s and extraterrestrial consciousness give a physical mechanism and explanation of how many spiritual prophecies.

When Brother Polight speaks of being abducted he means that he was infected with a consciousness greater than the surroundings around him at that time. An ET consciousness allowed him to turn away from gang life and study holistic medicine. In the same way, the ancient Egyptians had to have access to a consciousness outside of earth to build the pyramids. The technology available at the time would not allow for a building to be built with such precision. Polight cites other civilizations with extraordinary knowledge of astrology as having access to extraterrestrials.

The government and religious organizations keep knowledge of extraterrestrials away from the public. If celestial beings exist in the physical realm then they are accessible to anyone. This will remove the need for priest and pastors. If people en masse learn to communicate with ET’s then people can get aid in fighting and overthrow their government. This is why the government jails people that expose ET’s.

To be completely clear, Polight does believe there are actual physical beings on other planets that visited earth, but the definition of extraterrestrial is not limited to physical beings. Polight claims the sports and entertainment industry is used to hide extraterrestrial hybrids in plain sight. An example is the NBA. In the NBA, a person can see numerous people above seven feet in height. People of this height are rarely seen in normal life. The circus may have people with hair all over their body, again something rarely ever seen. However, putting these people in the circus and telling the masses that they are just odd humans reduces the likelihood that people will question the origins of these people.

Polight believes that ET’s have influenced and contacted human beings. An example is the Dogon tribe of Western Africa. This tribe has had knowledge or a star called Sirius B which was not known to western scientist until the early 1900’s. The pyramids are another example of possible ET’ intervention, due to the fact no one can build anything that precise and that large with modern technology.

Polight also contends the major world governments know about ET’s and purposely hide information on ET’s from the public. Polight references the NASA program named Search for Extraterrestrial Life (SETI). The United Nations creates land grants for areas of Mars and the Moon. The world governments also control the media and ensure that portrayals of extraterrestrial life and contact border on the absurd.

Polight’s views on extraterrestrials put him at odds with most Kemetic Scientists. The idea that the Kemetians were not solely responsible for their civilization reduces the grandeur of the civilization is very offensive to most Kemetic Scientist. The argument that aliens built the pyramids has also been used by white supremacist to prove a civilization of black people could not do great things. The Nuwuabian and NuCovenant schools are on the fringes of Kemetic Science in that regard.

What Polight has right and what he has wrong

Polight berates Muslims, Christians, and Isrealites for believing in things they cannot prove. Then he presents a UFO philosophy that is completely conjecture. There is no verifiable evidence that UFO’s have interacted with ancient man or modern man. His persistence and belief in UFO’s should invalidate Polight in the eyes of most people.

If UFO theory needs to be debunked, the following ideas will be presented. If aliens came the ancient world, why did they stop coming. If they have technology to travel through the Cosmos and they discovered earth, they would come and go as they please. The government could not find evidence of their presence because they would be landing on earth all the time. Contact with alien life would be impossible to hide.

In Conclusion

Brother Polight is a blue meme thinker. He has made an idealized version of ancient Kemet Utopia. His solutions are heavy in the WE- Space. He does not have a basic understanding of science and the reader should thoroughly check his sources. The reader should not buy or take his financial advice. Polight has detailed my problems, but his solutions are sketchy at best.

Brother Polight is somewhat proficient in his analysis of religion. He will, at times, make sweeping statements, but his overall methodology is correct. However, Polight should take a more critical look at his own religious beliefs and understand how much faith is required in his beliefs.

More Information

For the playlist used to create this article follow Spiral Dynamics and Race. Playlist is entitled SD Brother Polight.

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The page above is a personal blog that is not an official Spiral Dynamics Blog. The work of Clare Graves and Don Beck is the basis for this article. For more information on Spiral Dynamics, please go to the website below.
http://www.spiraldynamics.net/dr-don-beck.html

A Primer on Spiral Dynamics

Spiral Dynamics and the Chicago Bulls

This blog is for anyone that wants Spiral Dynamics explained in layman’s terms. The 1990’s era Chicago Bulls can embody each stage in Spiral Dynamics. The illustration will facilitate understanding and give a tangible example of how each stage plays out in real life.

Red Stage (Ego – Centric)

Benefit: Building and Solidification of Ego

Possible Downside: Self-centered behavior

Embodiment: Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman is the embodiment of Red level value systems. Rodman valued self – expression over everything else no matter what the consequences. While he was in the NBA, he wore a bridal gown, admitted to kissing men, and said Larry Bird respected as a basketball player because he is white. Through all of this, Rodman never backed down or apologized for what he said. He came to the games with dyed blonde hair and had a body covered with tattoos. In the 1990’s few players had visible tattoos.

If you are at Red level of development if you answer yes to these questions.

Do you always speak your mind no matter what the consequences?

Do you feel it is weak to change the way to dress or talk at work not to offend people?

Do you hate political correctness?

Your group of friends is people that act and think just like you?

Do you like touchdown dances?

Blue Stage (Ethno-centric)

Benefit: Building close relationships with those outside your family.

Possible Downside: Racism, Homophobia, Xenophobia

Embodiment: Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr is now the coach of the Golden State Warriors, but before that, he scored the winning basket in game 6 of the 1997 finals for the Chicago Bulls. He is a textbook role player on the court and plays the games as James Naismith would want it played. Kerr did not celebrate on the court or wear gold chains off the court. Unlike his other teammates after the game, he would go home to his wife and kids. When asked how he felt when making the game winning shot he gave all the credit to his team.

It is not surprising Steph Curry is doing well under his current coaching. When Curry responded to a compliment on his exceptional play, he said, “All of the glory goes to G-d.” Both are blue value system thinkers. On a team run by another blue value system thinker, Steph feels more comfortable expressing himself. The compatibility of values could be the reason he is now doing so well.

If you are at Blue level of development if you answer yes to these questions.

Does the Bible, Koran, Vedic Scrolls serve as the basis for your value system, etc.?

Your group of friends comes from the church, synagogue, sangha, etc.?

Do you believe the team is always more important than the individual?

Do you feel it is right to suppress your feelings for the good of the group?

Do you feel once rules are bent or broken it will lead to the entire system falling apart?

Do you severely dislike touchdown dances?

Orange Level (Goal – centric)

Benefits: Cultivate the ability to be successful and meet your survival needs in a competitive world

Possible Downfalls: Workaholism, Conniving behavior

Embodiment: Michael Jordan.

No player in the 1990’s was more successful than Michael Jordan. On top of numerous NBA records, he amassed a fortune. He was able to own his shoe company and was one of the first black men to own an NBA franchise. No one in basketball history can match his success on and off the court.

Unfortunately, his focus on goals led to some poor decision-making. In 1996 a known racist Jesse Helms ran for governor in Jordan’s home state,  North Carolina. Jordan was asked to endorse the Democratic candidate who happened to be black. Jordan replied “Republicans buy sneakers too” and did not support the Democratic candidate.   

For more on this issue read:

http://providencedailydose.com/2008/07/06/michael-jordan-on-jesse-helms/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/07/06/547154/-Republicans-Wear-Sneakers-Too-Michael-Jordan-endorses-Harvey-Gantt

The other well-known controversy in the 1990’s was black teens being robbed or killed for Nike basketball shoes. Jordan was asked to convince Nike to cap the price of shoes or at least speak out against the violence. He chose not to do either. He could not see past his goals.

If you are at Orange level of development if you answer yes to these questions.

Do you feel it is ok to bend or break rules to facilitate achieving a goal?

Are most of your friends are people that will give you some skill needed to meet your goals?

Do you have a five-year plan?

Do you like touchdown celebrations as long as they are not ostentatious enough to draw a flag?

If the team is holding you back from your best performance, will you change teams?

Are you often told by family and friends that you neglect them due to work or other commitments?

Green Value System: (World-centric)

Benefits: Understanding encompasses people of many walks of life

Possible Downfalls: Exalting other cultures and putting down your own.

Embodiment: Phil Jackson

Coach Phil Jackson is called the “Zen Master” and he is known for getting many big egos to play together as a team. He favored letting each player find their voice and role. He believes in giving players enough freedom. When a player is constrained, they will spend too much time bucking the system. He led the players from where they were and not where he thought they should be.

One of the many things Phil Jackson was able to do is get his players to take up mindfulness practice. What he taught is player how to meditate, and he showed them how it could be useful while sitting on the bench. The development of mindfulness prevented outburst on the court that draws extra attention from the referees. He also attempted to incorporate yoga into practice. When players started to complain, he stopped extending practice for yoga. His leadership style was firm but flexible.

If you are at a Green level of development, you will answer yes to the following questions.

Do you take time to learn about cultures other than your own?

Do you try to keep everyone happy when in a group?

Are you looked at as a “peace-maker” within your group of friends?

Do you feel building strong relationships are the best way to enrich your life?

Do you spend time evaluating what other people are thinking about you?  

This article illustrates how people in all stages were vital to the success of a team. When studying Spiral Dynamics one must remember the point is not to find out where you are and how to move up. That philosophy will only lead to more suffering. The goal is to have a fully healthy manifestation at the stage you occupy. A person should also be careful in characterizing one level as totally bad or totally good. If you analyze each level, you will see healthy manifestations and unhealthy manifestations.

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The page above is a personal blog that is not an official Spiral Dynamics Blog. The work of Clare Graves and Don Beck is the basis for this article. For more information on Spiral Dynamics, please go to the website below.
http://www.spiraldynamics.net/dr-don-beck.html

Why I disagree with Dr. Umar Johnson

Dr. Umar Johnson is a black scholar that speaks for the two parent household family model. He bases his theories in psychological defects caused by the absence of the father. One of his frequently used theories is that black people that do not have a father in the house will search for their father’s love elsewhere. In women, this will lead to promiscuity. In men, it will result in homosexuality. He also says that the black church derives its power from black women looking for a surrogate husband. In Johnson’s philosophy issues in the black community stem from promiscuity and a breakdown of traditional families.

There are many problems with his philosophy that I have heard repeated by numerous people in the black community. Johnson’s philosophies divided and ultimately weaken the black community. One, it excludes gay people that could be helpful in the overall movement. Two, it leads black people that are in traditional families shaming black people that are not in traditional families. Third, encourages hypermasculinity that is not conducive to today’s society.

DSM removed Homosexuality in 1973. Dr. Johnson as a psychologist should not still be treating homosexuality as a disease. Homosexuality, according to Johnson, is a problem in the black community and is a result and leading to single family households. He acts as if the goal of the black community should be procreation. Many people of all races decide not to have families. Many people of all races have gay people in them. If we as a community continue to promote homophobia we are only going to ostracize numerous black people and we will ostracize ourselves from the rest of the country.

Dr. Johnson does not hold his views on homosexuality due to psychiatric research. His views are solely based cultural biases. The idea that absence of the father causes homosexuality can be easily tested. Dr.Johnson presents no polls conducted by himself or others showing a statistics on homosexuality and single parent households.

In America in 2016, people are beginning to experiment with various types of relationships. Women and men are in open relationships or having non-traditional families. The shaming of these people only weakens the community. As the amount of people in traditional relationships decreases the “strong family” model will be less and less viable as a basis of black liberation.

All the women that are in non-traditional relationships are not there because they could not find a man. Dr. Umar Johnson does not make any concessions for a woman that is a single parent or just single due to a conscious decision. Everyone is not looking for the same type of relationship anymore. People evaluate all types of relationships and which ones best fit her personality. A woman can logically decide that she wants many lovers throughout her life.

It would be difficult to prove scientifically that a single parent household causes psychological damage. Other factors such as income, mental health of the parent, neighborhood, etc. would need to be controlled. Also, each case must be analyzed to see what options the mother has available to her. If he father is emotionally under developed, then a single parent situation could be better. All these issues need to be addressed and accounted for in Dr. Johnson’s methodologies.

Dr. Umar Johnson calls for black men to step up and control the household. He wants the “old school” model of the family. The “old school” model calls for a man to be dominant and a woman to be passive. Much of Dr. Johnson’s rhetoric sounds like advice from the 1950’s. These old models of relationships were discarded long ago. Attempting to artificially force them on people that know relationships are far more complex than this will not work. If anything it will lead to a form of hyper-masculinity that is juvenile and sexist.

This juvenile form of masculinity was on full display with Dr. Boyce Watkins challenged Dr. Umar Johnson credentials. Also, a person on Dr. Watkin’s youtube challenged Dr. Johnson on his plans to create a school. Dr. Watkins who has a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky asked Dr. Johnson where he received his doctorate from and if he could get a copy of his thesis. The social media battle is well documented and can be googled if the reader has not already heard about it. It ultimately resulted in Dr. Johnson making a ton of negative memes on Dr. Watkins.

Depression is not to be cured

I recently posted on Facebook the following status:

I am really realizing how much of my life has been ruined by wrong perceptions. It is still hard to change how you behave. I really am at a loss for what to do next.

I was attempting to convey that after studying Buddhism I understand that my perceptions create my reality. Even with this realization I cannot change my behavior and I was not sure what I needed to do. I was not depressed when I wrote it. I was disappointed in myself for some things that happened earlier in the day.

I got a couple of private messages asking if I was ok or if I was depressed. I responded that I was ok. Then I realized that the same place in my mind that created the post also caused my depression. I was “depressed” yet my depression is manifesting itself in a different way.

I suffered from depression for around 10 years the ages of 22-32. I withdrew and isolated myself. I began creating an entire drama around my life. I felt I was not good at dealing with people and that no one wanted me around. I felt I was deficient. I then created a ton of goals for myself and I thought if I achieve those goals I would then feel worthy of love.

I went and accomplished many things, but the underlying sense of unworthiness persisted. The underlying feeling of unworthiness. The feeling of unworthiness prevented me from enjoying my success and gaining even more success. It created disintegration in my psyche. One piece of my ego felt I should not be doing all the things that I am doing. Another part felt I needed to go further and nothing that I was doing was good enough. I was miserable all the time.

I am now realizing that my depression caused many mental constructs. The mental constructs shaped my reality and then resulted in the reinforcement of negative beliefs. This strengthened the depression and caused the depression to control my life. I am not sure what to do next though. I am not sure of what actionable steps I need to take to remove the effects of depression from my life.

With that being said, I realize the depression caused my suffering and my introspection. They are two sides of the same coin. I feel the current understanding of depression as a disease is incorrect. I am not saying it is not real or that people should stop taking medication. I am saying that depression is a multifaceted phenomenon with good and bad elements. It is not a disease. I think it is the result of understanding the difference between reality and what society wants you to believe.

My depression caused me to question reality and really start looking, searching for real answers. I looked into psychology, mindfulness, and finally Buddhism. My life has grown so much, I have met so many people, been to so many interesting places, and grown so much in real knowledge. I would not trade depression for the world. I hope everyone gets depressed at some point.

Jordan vs Ali

The video above is a critique of Dr. Boyce Watkins criticism of Michael Jordan. Scoop Jackson article praising Jordan for his contributions to the black community inspired both videos. Jordan has always been a controversial figure in the black community due to his lack of activism specifically on robberies committed to acquire Jordan basketball shoes. Many in the black community thought Jordan should speak out and hold events to stop these robberies. Jordan’s protest never happened.

Another issue Jordan did not speak out against was the election of Senator Jesse Helms in 1990 and 1996.  A black Democrat Harvey Gantt opposed Helms. Helms was known as a racist and regressive Republican candidate. If Jordan had endorsed Gantt, there is a possibility he could have won and removed a candidate that was not at all sympathetic to black people.

In spite of Jordan’s lack of social consciousness, he has made great strides in business and pioneered financial achievement. He is the only player to transition from player to principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets. He also owns the sneaker brand Air Jordan which is a subsidiary of Nike. These accomplishments have created $1 billion in wealth for Jordan.

In the Watkins video, Muhammad Ali represented a model black athlete. Watkins praised Ali for speaking out against the Vietnam War and a myriad of other black issues. Black Patriarch’s video criticized Ali’s activism. Black Patriarch pointed out Ali has left no institution behind to employ black people, and Ali has not created wealth for anyone but himself. Ultimately, Jordan created tangible benefits as well as inspiration. Ali only provided inspiration.

The goal of this article is not to prove that one athlete is a “liability and one a possibility” as Dr. Umar Johnson would say, but to show that they are just operating out of different value memes. Muhammad Ali operating from the red or ego-centric value meme and Michael Jordan is operating out of the orange or goal-centric value meme. Both men’s contribution within their value meme is worthy of praise.

I classify Muhammad Ali as ego-centric value system due to steadfast rhetoric in the face of harsh consequences. His most notable example of this was his opposition to the Vietnam Draft.  As a member of the Nation of Islam, they did not believe in fighting in a war not started by a Muslim. He not only refused to report for the draft, but he also spoke boldly on the invalidity of the war. His refusal to join the war effort ultimately led to Ali not being allowed to box from 1967 to 1970, which could have been the prime of his career, in addition to five years in prison.

It is important to remember when someone speaks about an ego-centric value system that is not the same as a self-centered value system. Ali did not report to the draft because he felt the war was unjust. The NOI influenced him, but even his decision to join NOI was based on his assessment of the movement and not what was socially acceptable. His ideals created the basis for his value system. His decision to not join the draft gave voice to millions of disenfranchised black people fighting and not fighting in the war. Ali’s life shows when a person is acting from his core principles; he is a benefit to everyone.

One of the drawbacks of operating in the ego-centric value system is unintentionally hurting others with your actions. After Ali’s boxing exile he made one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. The culmination was the rivalry between Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali taunting Frazier through the media preceded each of their three bouts. The insults hurled against Frazier included calling him stupid, claiming all the Frazier fans were Klansmen, and calling Frazier a gorilla. These insults are reminiscent of the most hurtful stereotypes of black men. Also, Frazier grew up in the slums of Philadelphia, and his contribution to the black empowerment struggle should not be discounted. Ali made the same mistake many other people in the red meme make, self-aggrandizement and unintentionally hurting other people with your actions.

I classify Michael Jordan as goal-centric. My assessment is not solely due to his six championship rings, achieving his goals were always first in his mind. As mentioned earlier, Jordan did endorse Harvey Gantt and help to remove Jesse Helms from office. It is questionable how much good it would have done. North Carolina was a heavily Republican state, and many people would not have voted for a black senator at that time in North Carolina. However, his quote will live in infamy “Republicans buy sneakers too”. Understand he did not evaluate the situation and determine what decision best fits his core principles. He decided what move will not hinder the building of my billion dollar brand.

Now that we have solidified he is goal-centric let us look at the results and see if he accomplished his goals. As mentioned earlier, he is now worth 1 billion dollars and owns two major businesses, Air Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets. He has given today’s athletes a blueprint on how to convert their physical talent into a brand that can create inter-generational wealth. Owning a sports team may never enter the consciousness of a young black athlete if it was not for Michael Jordan. His businesses are currently providing jobs for numerous black people. He has left behind a tangible legacy that many black people can emulate.

In conclusion, both these men did things that helped and hurt the black community. They are just people like the rest of us. When observing them, we should keep in mind the social context they were working within and the values that drive them. One man will never fully embody our aspirations. It is important to see things the way they are and not through some overarching ideal.

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