Our inherent greatness

From time to time you and i need to be reminded that we truly do not know our selves. We will never fully comprehend who we are because there are too many factors about us that remain outside our control. We will never know when we have maximized our abilities and full utilized our potentials because there will always be more goals to explore and a little farther to go.

The genes in our blood goes back into infinity and there is no machinery as yet to calculate the qualities and characteristics in the genes that we have inherited. Consider for example the fact that a female’s ovary matures one ova each month while during copulation a man may release more than a billion sperms and of this number only one will fertilize the ova. This in itself make you and I rare because of the odds. Coupled with that fact is is another fact that no two of a man’s sperm cells contain the same genetic traits. If this was so then all of a man’s children should have been clones of each other. This also is enough for you and i to see how special we are and allow us to determine our value because we are just as likely to have better potentials that those that we look up to. it is very rare that someone will inform you how to become his equal.

You and I cannot determine what character traits that we inherited from our fore parents will manifest itself in us. It is a proven facts that to allow for a happy and meaningful life then follow the path of our natural talent or have a natural leaning. Perhaps, just nourish the character  traits and let them grow if they are positive. Our own character trait make it difficult at times to determine who or what we shall be. Some character traits are needed early in life while some are required later in life.

There is a lot of onus that lies with us as individuals because ultimately we shall determine our destiny. Being talented is no excuse not to get trained and certified or to make use of the knowledge of those who are more skilled and experienced. Knowledge and training along with talent will always make a better individual. This does not negate the fact of many having the knowledge but not the talent and they become comparable to square pegs in round holes. Ultimately the path of our lives is determined by our decisions and choices. In our minds we determine the heights that we shall ultimately reach. It will be difficult to surpass the mental limits that we have set.

In life there is a point where our teachers can take us and no further. This is because there is a limit to our teachers knowledge and this is the farthest point that our teachers can take us. Our responsibility is to allow our teachers to take us to their limit then go on to explore the unknown. The great discoverers were those who refused to accept the given and were willing to venture into the unknown. It is easy to deceive oneself and think all that is to be invented and discovered have already been invented and discovered but this is not true.

Each new generation has its unique challenges and need to produce its own heroes,inventors, discoverers etc. The accomplishments of the past must be equaled and surpassed by those living in the present. There has to be a legacy for future generations to wonder how it was done. In a similar way to how  we continue to look at ancient restructures and wonder about the technology that was used.

There are countless stories of teachers, coaches, experts etc. who never recognized the potential in an individual and declared them hopeless. These individual later went on to become geniuses, top players etc. There are also stories of teachers, coaches, experts etc. who recognized the potential in individuals and invested in these individuals while providing them with the best opportunities.

In life most of us are simple ordinary individuals or that is how we class ourselves but if we were to check our genealogy then we will discover that there were great individuals in our past. These individuals can become our source of inspiration. If there was none there is no reason why we cannot be the one. We can become the person that our children and those coming after aspire to better.

If you believe that I can’t, there is nothing that I can do then you rightfully deserve to be where you are.

Nothing is new.

My wish is for you to have a Happy Monday.

One ancient writer wrote a long time ago that there is nothing new under the sun because life is following an endless cycle and that writer issued the challenge to produce something that is new. We create new things daily but then our creations utilizes preexisting material so in reality it is what already existed but in a new shape or form.

The recent explosion of invention and creations begs for the questions to be asked what have man been doing for the millions of years prior to now? Where will this newfound  explosion of knowledge take us? This is in light of the fact that man has shown an uncanny ability to survive. Prehistoric dinosaurs have become extinct, the many races of giants that once lived on the earth have become extinct, there are many species of fishes, birds and animals that have become extinct but man continue surviving to the point where one country have seen it fit to limit couples to having only one child.

In this march into the future man has eradicated countless diseases and have also become immune to many diseases while new and even more deadly diseases are emerging . I read recently that there are tribes in the Amazon basin that the Brazilian government has made it illegal for outsiders to contact. These tribes present an interesting scenario in that on the one hand they have survived as long as other mankind. On the other hand our so called civilized man carry diseases and germ to which these tribes have never been exposed and so poses a real threat to the health of these tribes. It is possible that both the civilized and uncivilized could learn from each other.

Although the claim is that there is nothing that is new under the sun we have to pause to wonder at the new things that occur. One of our present boast is the reduction of infant mortality and the eradication of numerous childhood diseases. However, in recent times there are billions of dollars that are being pumped in research and to develop vaccines because of previously unheard of diseases. The ease and rapidity of travel in recent times make the spread of these new disease even more devastating.

One of the things that should not be ignored with all that is going on are those people that does things with malicious intent. One of the greatest teachers that ever walked this earth told a story of a farmer who sowed wheat in his field. The farmer had an enemy and the enemy at the same time went in and sowed tares among the wheat and went about his business. The enemy did not have to do anything after that because he knew that those tares would thrive. It was only when the wheat began bearing that the farmer realized what had been done.

In recent times there has been a lot of talk about invasive species. These are plants, fishes, birds, animals etc. that are thriving in places that are outside their natural habitat. Often times the question asked how did they get there in the fist place.

The answers are many. This may have come about through ignorance, accidental, maliciousness or even possibly for monetary gain. It has been noted that some persons have a penchant to circumventing laws because these persons believe that laws should be broken. They are somewhat like Pandora of Greek legend. The gods gave Pandora a box and told her that under no circumstance was she to open it and one god as an act of mischief bestowed on Pandora the gift of curiosity. Then there are things that happen as a result of an accident (The introduction of the mongoose into Jamaica is recorded as a great mistake. The mongoose were introduced to kill snake but the snakes are nocturnal and mongoose hunt during the day). Finally there are those persons that does things out of malice and for monetary gain. An ancient writer wrote that the love of money is the root of all evil. If cures were found for all the disease afflicting mankind than a lot of persons would go out of business. In a similar way someone will get paid to hunt and destroy invasive species.

In life we have at least four  groups people. There are the neutral because they are neither good or bad. There are the good in that they aspire after the best for mankind. There are the bad in that these choose to be the opposite of the good. There are also the bad which are corrupt and evil but pretend to be good and offer themselves as an alternative to the good.

At present I am forced to use the internet for business and other matters. I am aware that some information that I would rather others do not access is being accessed. This for me is an headache because I have no idea who or what is being accessed. I consider myself as being of relatively little importance but when I hear of organizations and governments experiencing the same thing it lead me to wonder where is our world heading?

The Rio Olympics

My wish as always is for you to have a happy Monday.

I can think up a number of things to do instead of sitting in front of a television to watch the Rio Olympics and I do. It should easy for you to guess that I am neither an avid television fan  nor sports fan. In spite of my best effort I did watch some events at the Rio Olympics. I got royally treated to good doses of American classism and bigotry.

I had the good fortune to have only one television channel carrying the Olympics and the commentators were committed to extolling the superiority of the American team. That was not a fair statement because the American team comprised two classes the Americans and the African Americans. It became clear that the gold medals won at the Olympics made the Americans proud but some would prefer if they had been won by the other class of Americans.

I noted in the past week someone taking offence with being referred to as an African American. My curiosity was once again stirred to a question that I have been pondering for some time. I logged into Google and typed in "Which countries make up North America?".

I was pleasantly surprised when the answer that came up was that North America is the third largest continent and it comprises 23 countries and dependencies. These countries include Mexico,  the US, Canada, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Greenland (the largest island) among others. This answer was not getting me where I desired so I typed "Why do citizens of the US exclusively use the term American?" That question had too many definitions and no conclusion.

The best answer appear to be that American was a term used by the British to denote those belonging to the colonies of the Americas. This seem the only plausible answer to explain the class system that exist in American laws. (Some feared losing the British identity because at some point in the future the Native American will revive and the Africans will sooner or later gain power). Entrenching African American becomes the way to entrenching white supremacy. These guys were smart and foresaw the day when Africans would begin to dominate and sought to preclude it.

As previously mentioned there were two notable classes in the team to the Rio Olympics the superior class that descended from Europeans and you know who.

The African American population comprises 15% of the population of the USA and the US team to the 2016 summer Olympics is approximately 500. This mean that if the US team had 75 African Americans in the team then everything is in a right proportion. If there are less than 75 African Americans in the team then it show discrimination against the African American population and if there are more than 75 African Americans in the team then it shows that the African Americans are superior to their counterparts.

It was interesting listening to the sports commentators at the Rio Olympics. They were not off because the reports online were similar. The US was proud of the gold medals that are won but how dare these African Americans to win gold medals. This was privileges reserved for their superiors. This was why reporters were flabbergasted with Simone Emanuel winning a swimming event. Another fact that the reporters had to contend with was the feats of  Simone Biles. She has done what no female gymnast was able to do in more than one hundred years of Olympic history.

Every mention of these names has to be accompanied by the fact that they are African American.

One of the highlight of the modern Olympic game is the final of the 100 meter sprint. For more than a year the great American hope has been giving off a lot of empty air that he was the best. It may have been fortunate for him that he was not privy to the sports commentators because they did not give him a chance. It is not often that one get to hear American commentators express hopelessness. Maybe if the American hope was in the other class they would have sworn that he would win until he lost.

I  readily  confess that I am no good at math but it would be nice to do some math here based on the population of the US. The US team to the Rio Olympics is 500. The US had the largest team so it should be no surprise that the US won the most medals. Based on the US population if 75 of the 500 are African Americans then it is fair for African Americans to account for 15% of the medals won. So far the African Americans are holding their own. At the end of the Olympics it will be interesting to tally the medals won by African Americans and compare that to African American Americans as a percentage of the US population and the answer will give an idea to their problems in the US.

Emancipation Day

Today Monday August 1st is celebrated as Emancipation Day in Jamaica  many former British colonies while other countries that participated in the slave trade or were former colonies of European colonizers have varying days that are celebrated as Emancipation Day.

Today August 1st is then the day when the continent of Africa should rejoice because the colonial powers of Europe and the USA after forcefully transporting Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to be slaves for over 300 years declared that those of African origin who were in slavery were finally free. It is the day when those of us who are of African descent should feel grateful to our colonial masters for granting to our fore fathers freedom from slavery.

Since today is Emancipation Day it becomes a day for reflection. The only thing that those of us who are of African descent have to feel ashamed of is the docility with which our fore fathers accepted their role and allow those who were their inferior to dominate. It is this passivity which cause us who are of African descent to continue being treated by governments with injustice while we are continually accused of being violent. This will always happen when those who are inferior lord it over their superior.

Each Emancipation Day becomes a day for those who are of European descent to stop and reflect on who they really are. Those who are of European descent continue the blood line and have the genes of those responsible for genocide, murder, rape, stealing and a list of ills that will take up too much space. Those of us of African descent can rise above the enslavement of our forefathers and prove to those of European descent that we are their equals and betters but those of European descent cannot purge their blood or their genes of the crimes against humanity that were carried out by their forefathers.

Today is Emancipation Day and therefore today it is a good time to look at the factors and institutions  that were responsible and which led to such a day as this being commemorated.

The church

I was taught in school that the slave trade began at the suggestion of a Roman Catholic Priest, Bartholome de las Casas. The priests came with the colonizers from Europe to convert the uncivilized to Christianity. These Europeans were more in need of conversion to Christianity than the uncivilized. It was the extermination and the genocide of the native population by the europeans that led to the priest suggesting that Africans be brought in.
The church sanctioned the activities of these Europeans and agreed with the Europeans that the African slaves were similar to the beast and had no souls. The church condoned the murder, rapes, dehumanizing and all ills practice by the Europeans.
The role of the church was so complicit in the slave trade that at present some church groups are dropping the name of some church denomination in their names.
The church continue to be an institution that is looked on with mistrust because the church continues to embrace those of European descent who advocate that the color of their skins make them superior to those people who are of African descent.

The Africans

I hold no acrimony toward persons of European descent or of any nationality because I am convinced that it were my forefathers in Africa that captured and sold each other to the Europeans. I know that there are claims that this is not true. However, I am yet to be provided with the evidence that the Europeans had the knowledge, skills and manpower to travel into the interior of the continent to capture the Africans.

The Europeans

The Europeans were greedy for wealth and their violence, cruelty and the diseases they brought on their bread and in their bodies to the West Indies and USA decimated the native population of the Americas and the West Indies. The natives of the USA fought until almost exterminated but were never subjugated. What the government of the United States could not do through force it did through trickery. It signed a number of treaties with the natives but never felt compelled to honor these treaties
In the West Indies the rigors to which the Europeans put the natives caused the natives to wilt and some to no longer exist. It was out of pity for the suffering of these natives that the suggestion to bring in Africans originated.
The Africans when they came, in spited of the hardships thrived and survived. This in itself showed that the African although considered inferior were of superior constitution to both the natives of the West Indies and also to the Europeans. This in itself caused the Europeans to fear the Africans and made the African subjected to violence because the Europeans feared that one day the Africans would rise in rebellion.
There were other problems that the Europeans had with the Africans slaves because the Africans slaves embodied the ideals of the Europeans. The Africans slaves were who and what the Europeans wanted to be except for being in slavery. The Europeans also considered the Africans slaves to be less that the beast and animals but still went ahead and satisfied their lusts on the African females slaves. It was punishable by death for a African male to look on a European female with lust but that did not stop the European females from lusting after the African males.
Although the Europeans considered the Africans slaves to be less intelligent than the beast and animals the Europeans recognized that the only advantage that they had over the African slaves was their ability to read and to write so to maintain his superiority The Europeans decreed death for the African slave that could read and write.

The Europeans had two claims to being superior and that was the color of his skin and his ability to read and to write. The reality now is that the gene of the African is dominant and the privilege of learning to read and to write has been adopted as a right to which every living human is entitled.

As we celebrate Emancipation Day today the native population of the former British colonies and the USA have been drastically reduced. In the USA emancipation is not often talked about. The people of African descent continue to be a problem. They comprise approximately 15% of the population but their impact is by far too significant. This impact is so significant that even now those of European descent are fearful. This comes about because persons of European descent believe that they have a God given right to the land. Each time they see a person of African descent it becomes a reminder of the ills perpetuated by their forefathers. A person of African ancestry is a reminder of their history as those descending from those who came from Europe.

It is interesting that a person who is a second generation immigrant can threaten  those who can trace their ancestry to twenty generations or more that he will deport them to their original homeland.

It remain ironic that those of African ancestry should be celebrating Emancipation Day. Especially in light of the fact that they can trace their ancestry back to kings and emperors in Africa while their superiors can trace their ancestry to those responsible for genocide, murderers, rapists, liars and thieves.

The persons of African descent can rise above .their forefathers being slaves but who shall purge the blood and the genes of those descending from the Europeans