Of this, that and the hoidays

May I take the opportunity to wish for Christians a merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah for those of the Jewish faith and also Happy Kwanzaa for those  African Americans who are celebrating their African Heritage and traditional values.

It is easy to assume that our religious beliefs makes us superior and this is reason enough to look down on the religious beliefs and traditions of other people. On the other hand it is obvious that there are many persons who does not observe the religious festivals that take place at this time of the year and so they classify the celebrants as being illiterate and ignorant.

The month of December is fascinating because the Jewish and Christian celebrations that take place in this month are determined by some people to be based on fairy tales and legends. It remain fascinating that the very stories that are being denied, these deniers cannot prove to be not true.

I only recently heard about Kwanzaa and I am not in a position to say anything about the desire by African Americans to celebrate their African heritage and traditional values. I am sure, however, that the heritage and traditional values of ancient Africa have been diluted because the traditions that existed in Africa 500 years ago have certainly been subjected to changes and modifications. Technology and modernization will have rendered many ancient traditions of Africa obsolete.

At the same time keeping the African heritage and traditional values alive may not be as silly an idea as it may appear to some. We who are of African descent and heritage could learn a lesson from the persons of Jewish descent. The Jews are celebrating, Hanukkah, the cleansing of the second temple after it had been desecrated. Historians and Jews maintained that a miracle happened then and remembering the miraculous events are a part of the celebrations. For centuries Jews anticipated a time when they would hold their religious  festivals in Palestine and finally their dreams have become realities. Those of us who are of African descent may one day have to face the reality that we may have to return to the motherland Africa. The motherland Africa may one day have to face the fact that one day she may have to welcome home and accommodate her children of the Diaspora. 

The Christians celebrations of Christmas presents sometimes interesting discussions. Many Protestants take pleasure in denouncing the Roman Catholic Church as being wrong in doctrine and teachings. I once asked a fellow Christian, "If the Roman Catholic Church is as bad as you claim, why do you celebrate Christmas? After all we did get Christmas from the Roman Catholic Church." His response, "Some things are for every Christian and not just the Roman Catholic Church." There are other Christian groups that are quick to point out that there are no commands in the New Testament to keep any day holy or the appointment of any festivals for Christians and so these groups reject every Christian religious festival?celebrations.

One of the things that have generated much debate over the years is the fact that December 25th is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christians continue to take a lot of bashing because they cannot explain this date. There are many critics who are quick to point out that shepherds would not be in the fields in winter and others understanding is of such that they do not comprehend that the weather is not the same everywhere at the same time around the globe.  In years gone by knowledge was limited and many persons who possessed the faith but not the knowledge proclaimed the Christmas message. The information about Christmas can be easily accessed by those who oppose celebrating Christmas and those who celebrate Christmas. 

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December (Copied)

The most loudly touted theory about the origins of the Christmas date(s) is that it was borrowed from pagan celebrations. The Romans had their mid-winter Saturnalia festival in late December; barbarian peoples of northern and Western Europe kept holidays at similar times. To top it off, in 274 C.E., the Roman emperor Aurelian established a feast of the birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun), on December 25. Christmas, the argument goes, is really a spin-off from these pagan solar festivals. According to this theory, early Christians deliberately chose these dates to encourage the spread of Christmas and Christianity throughout the Roman world: If Christmas looked like a pagan holiday, more pagans would be open to both the holiday and the God whose birth it celebrated. (Copied)

One of the dangers in our modern world is to deliberately dismiss the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and the Christian celebration of Christmas as just myths and legends. The reality is that there was a temple in Jerusalem and the fact that the time of his birth was unsure does not any less make Jesus Christ real. 

As a person of African descent Kwanzaa is celebrated in the US and we in Jamaica had our ways of keeping our African heritage and traditional values alive. My ignorance of Kwanzaa is of relatively little value. Keeping the African heritage and cultural values alive in the US may or may not be of lasting value

The celebration of the re-dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem and the attending miracle speak to the fact that God is real and provides the proof also that he is concerned about his holiness. Christianity hinges on the fact of the reality of the God of the Jews. The fact that the God of the Jews is alive and real exposes the world to the dangers of ignoring this God.

The celebration of Christmas is about God intervening in the affairs of mankind. It is celebrating the fact that God cares so much about man that he became a man and experienced what it is to be a man. It is being cognizant of the reality that man is so valuable to God that God voluntarily for a time gave up being God in order to bring man back to himself. It becomes scary for man to mock and ridicule God for doing so by insulting and maligning this God.

It is a common concept that no one knows what happens at death so it is okay to ignore, mock and ridicule the Christmas story when in reality the Christmas story is actually preparation for what happens at death. It is the Christmas story which gives life a sense of meaning and which makes life worth living.

"Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come if you gamble on its truth and it prove false? i you gain , you gain all; If you lose, you lose nothing. Wager then ....."
                                                                                                                             Blaise Pascal

Have a Merry Christmas.

Class and Crass

After 340 years of independence  the United States of America has realized that all its advancements and achievements have very little value and there is now a desire to return to the values held by Europe. The very things that were thrown off and abandoned in order to sever ties with Europe more than three hundred years ago are the very things that the US now realize make the difference between class and crass. This is being borne out through the results of the 2016 US presidential elections. There continues to be a cry "We want to be white again". It is quite convenient to ignore and deny the historical records.

This is not as strange  a phenomena as it may seem because children have a tendency to adopt the values taught by their parents.The US experiment of abandoning the values of Europe have not worked and one only has to look at how the US is fascinated with things British, French and Italian to find the  proof. The values that have been embrace by the US are lacking in substance and lasting effect and these are the things now that the US is seeking. It is time which validate value and permanency but the US is designed to keep the industries going so nothing is built to last. The US is finally learning the lesson that quality supersedes quantity because it abandoned the notion of quality and permanence.

Many centuries ago the Romans empire conquered the Greeks and then discovered that in comparison to the Greeks they as Romans were  boorish. The Greeks were learned, had class and culture and aspired after the finer things in life while the only thing that the Roman empire  had going for it was its military might and prowess. The Romans saw in the Greek the noble traits and qualities that they desired in their children and many Romans citizens had Greek slaves teaching their children how to be classy and have sophistication. It is not by accident that the  Greek  language, learning, philosophy, arts and culture have survived to the present while one of the few things that have survived from the Roman empire is the Olympic games. It has always been known that brains is superior to brawn.

In the US there are many that did not change with the changing times and were left clinging to memories of the "so called good old days". These persons conveniently  forgot that America's wealth was forged through the labor, blood sweat and tears of African slaves. A people dehumanized because they embodied the very qualities that other races envied. The descendants of these slaves continue to be hated and are the scape-goat for those left behind by progress. It is conveniently forgotten that the Africans were enslaved because of their strength. The descendants of these Africans slaves have courage and hardiness in their genes. The fear of many are that with his already superior strength when the playing field is leveled then others will be at a disadvantage because these descendants of former slaves have demonstrated that they not only have superior strength but they are also just as intelligent and brilliant as other ethnic groups. This [laces the descendants of the  former slaves above all other ethnic groups.

The 2016 US presidential election  provided the ideal conditions for a message to be proclaimed that there will be a return to the past or at best this is the hope of some persons. This was at a time when progress was being made into the future. The message embraced was riddance of minorities and those who are different so that once more there will  be a super race. The real problem being that some persons whenever the look at an African American see who he would like to be but lacking in the necessary qualities. The need to prove that you are superior simply means that you are not superior.

Let us forget for a moment the Native Americans who the Europeans found occupying the land and the treaties that the US signed with Mexico and consider the ignoramus. These ignoramus are seeking a return to the past when they need to be retrained for the future. The jobs they once had are now being done by robots. Their jobs have been replaced by technological advancement. However these ignoramus desire to see the heyday of the past. The ignoramus continue gloating and basking  in their ignorance while their inferiors are keeping pace with the advancement into the future.

It was not only the ignoramus that got a glimmer of hope for the future in the 2016 presidential elections because there were many of the educated and elite females who saw a glimmer of hope for the future. It was a glimmer of hope that civility, class and culture may return because if certain classes and groups no longer existed then once more there may happen to appear a semblance of what is in Europe. For these females there was glimmer of a chance to not be seen as a woman but hopefully get a chance to be feminine. The US society long ago rejected feminism and embraced womanhood and now desire to blame other ethnic groups for the lack of opportunity to display femininity. The present culture makes life even worse for these women because not only are they denied being feminine but they are being relegated to being gender neutral.

It remain a pity for the focus was on I and me and  and not we. Quite often it is said if I ever get the chance but no one foresee the headaches that accompany opportunity. The philosophies that were embraced in the early days as being high and noble are now being realize to be equated to cattle let loose in a field to graze.

Can the Evangelical Church be trusted?

 Pathetic

The color of your skin, really

That is your claim to supremacy

You who are a product of evolution

And claim no national origin or group to belong

You originate out of nothing and that is what you are

Oh come now, please try something better

There are multi millions with skins of the same color

Ah it is only to the African that you fell superior

Well, maybe, to a few others

You do not know the origin of the genes of your forefathers

Unlike the Indians, Chinese and Japanese to name a few

Your knowledge extends to those who came

And through deception and trickery stole

Robbed and slaughtered the natives

Then went to the motherland to enslave the African

Bring him here to enrich your pocket and work your land

That was your mistake

The African showed you up to be less than a man

What have you to take to the table?

To show that you are superior

Sophistication belong to the British and Spanish

Romance to the French and Italian

Technology to the Japanese and Chinese

Population to the Chinese and Indian

Need I tell you why the African is the best?

Enslaved you valued the African less that your animals

But lust and passion rise in you when you look at the female African

In her lies the ultimate of what you desire in a woman

And standing beside the African man you fall short

Because he is what you would like to be as man

For the African man is what you never will be

For although you are prouder than a peacock

And more puffed up than Lucifer with pride

Behind mask and gowns you continue to hide

While proclaiming your hate

To the African who you claim is minority

But who shows up your inferiority

And while you clamor and shout that you are supreme

The African take to heights that you will never reach

© Prince W Bradford 2015

(Exert from "Wha'a Gwaan Man?" by Prince W Bradford  published by Create Space

I have lived in the United States for close to seven years now and it is not often than I encounter racial discrimination. It does exist but I do not have to directly deal with it most times probably because I live in South Florida which is a real melting pot of nations.

Today there was an African American gentleman doing his job when an elderly Caucasian gentleman looked on him and declared "Now that we have President Trump, you will have to return to where you came from." This elderly gentleman proceeded to repeat President Trump several times in a way to suggest that he was issuing a warning to the African American gentleman.

I personally remain baffled as to how persons of Caucasian descent are able to lay claim to a section of North America. I take it that those of us who by virtue of the color of our skins are identified as descending from the Continent of Africa, we at least identify our origin. The challenge to those of Caucasian descent will be to identify where they originated and how America became the possession of persons of European descent. Maybe their intention is to make America an extension of Europe.

It is fascinating that the United States has taken on the task to police the world and the State Department of the US issues reports about the faults of other countries but somehow continues to ignore its own back yard. This may partly explain the renewed fascination that the United States should finally become a country of whites only. Even Native Americans (those people the Europeans came and saw occupying the land) are being threatened with being deported to where they came from by these persons of European descent.

Unless what I was taught in history class in high school was wrong it was Christopher Columbus who opened up a whole new world to the Europeans. These persons of European descent in their determination to make the United States whites only continue to conveniently ignore the extermination of the Native American population by claiming that it was not so much acts of genocide that was responsible for the extermination of the native population but that it were the diseases that the Europeans brought on their breaths and in their bodies. The native population had no immunity to these diseases.

It is fascinating to hear the boast "We are the pretest country on earth,  We are  the leaders of the free world." and along came one man who was well aware of the bigotry and hatred that simmered and decided to exploit it during the 2016 US presidential elections.

On a matter of principle I do not publicly criticize Christians and the church but as a black man living in the United State what shall we do when church leaders embrace the man who encourages violence against us and assure us that this man is God's choice to be president. May I remind the church that in the past the same persons who dressed in white hoods and lynched black people in the past were the same persons that were in the church pulpits of  the church on Sundays.

The President-elect encouraged violence  at his election rallies and the violence was aimed at certain groups and sects. 4 in 5 white evangelicals voted for the President-elect. Why should  we as blacks believe what we are being being told by white evangelicals when they support a man who encourages violence against us?

I have fought against black men that have ridiculed and criticized the church and defended the church but what shall I say now that I face the reality that I could possibly be attacked or killed because of the color of my skin and since the man that is ultimately behind it Christians and the church are proclaiming to be God's choice.

The reports are becoming more and more frequent in the news media and on social media of blacks and others being attacked based on the rhetoric proclaimed by the president-elect at his rallies. What consolation shall the evangelical church give these persons?

Somehow I had thought that we have gotten over this thing that black people are cursed by God. Then again the President-elect could be God's choice but for a different reason than the one being given by the church.

Two Principles

Our world have become so overcrowded that new entrants are being encouraged to seek out niche market. The bigger problem is that there are too many people who does not have the desire to put in the necessary work and effort but somehow expect to reap big rewards for mediocre effort or reap immediate success. There are too many people whose greatest dream is to win a multi million jackpot by buying the lottery. Most persons if they win the lottery will in five years end up back where they initially begun.

It is a given principle of life that what is sown will be also what is reaped. The principle extends to the fact that sowing and reaping does not occur at the same times as it pertains to the same crop. There is a time span in between where growth and maturity takes place and then comes the time for harvest. The idea behind sowing is to reap an harvest and this implies reaping an amount that far exceed the amount that was initially sown.  What ever is accumulated over time will most likely last a life time.

The principle of sowing and reaping is supported by another principle, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly. Although the soil may be fertile  where the crop is planted the reality is that there are  limits and sometimes results will be determined not by the fertility of the soil but by the amount that was sown. Planting must take place at the right time and in accordance with whether it is for household use or as a commercial crop.

Our world is being overrun with those who are sowing very little but are expecting great rewards. In addition to this there are novices who are being given formulas by the experts that will guarantee that they never succeed. The novices are being asked to study the experts and based on what is learnt from the experts then give their best initially. This again will require time and effort but our world demands immediate results. Success need a foundation and fuel to sustain it and these are lacking then success soon become failure.

The overcrowding in our world is also leading to mental deficiencies to the point where failure is being rewarded. Mental toughness is being discouraged and shortcuts are created to success. Our world is now overcrowded with qualified people who are lacking in the knowledge that goes along with the qualification. People who now have the qualification must now get certification.

It is a given that children although they share the same mother and father  are most times totally different from each other. Within the genes of a child may be displayed character traits from  past generations. This is why it is important to teach and allow children independence. Unfortunately in a child's early years the child thinks in terms of pursuing a path that pleases parents and teachers. It is often later that the child sometimes begin to discover a natural leaning and sometimes this is not discovered until adulthood. The earlier that a child understand that what is conceived in the mind is possible will be the better for the child.

The principle of sowing and reaping and also that of sowing sparingly leading to reaping sparingly is a principle that should be taught to children. Children should be taught these principle and shown how these principle can be applied to the mind. The mind if  it applies these principles will envision the limitless possibilities that life will offer or at the worst find that niche that although small will provide a life of endless possibilities.

Mind & body

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

It is amazing that where the study of anatomy and physiology goes back for millennia the study of psychology is a relatively new discipline. It is probably even more amazing that the study of philosophy is as old a science as that of anatomy or physiology but relative few persons desire to pursue the depths of the various disciplines.

Anatomy and Physiology is the study of the function of body parts and the body as a whole.
Philosophy is the study about knowledge, truth, The nature of the meaning of life.
Psychology is the study of behavior and mind, embracing all aspect of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought.

We cannot ignore the fact that at present there are tests that have been developed that measure the intelligence of individuals. These IQ test enable teachers to select the super brilliant and to early identify  potential geniuses. It is a pity that those person whom the IQ test show to be at the lower end of the scale remain knowledge reserved for those administering the test. Those who score high are lauded and the low scores are hidden.

If those who score low on IQ tests were revealed then the intelligent would be spared  the ache of having to be attentive to the ignorant. Those  persons who willingly declare that they have no use for learning or knowledge neither do they care for their benefits because it is painful to watch the knowledgeable and wise try to impart wisdom to those who have no desire to learn.

The wise and knowledgeable are partly to be blamed at the same time because it is impossible   to move a man beyond his default mind set. Each time such a man is moved beyond his default  mind set he enters a realm outside his comfort zone and at the earliest given chance he will return to his default mind set. This compares with the man who desires knowledge and learning and has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and learning.

It will help if the psychologist as they study the human mind and human behavior could  determine what makes some persons lack the desire for learning and knowledge. It would be good if these psychologist could possibly develop a science to reprogram the human mind while erasing ignorance and negative thinking.

The study of psychology as a science also confirms what man has always known and it is that man is both a physical as well as a spiritual being. The mind exercises control over the body and ultimately a strong body controlled by a weak mind becomes almost useless. In most instances it is not the body that is so much desired but the mind that is within the body. The body need the mind to take it beyond its perceived limits while the mind need challenges for it to fully develop.

What if we were to form a team comprising the psychologist and the philosopher. The philosopher could focus on the pursuit of knowledge and the meaning of life while the psychologist could harness the thoughts of the mind and focus them in the right direction. Unfortunately we would have to ignore those who don't know and are content to remain in ignorance. This is one way that we could identify super minds.

What shall we do with anatomy and Physiology, they will continue to be the tangible that are seen and handled but the truly noble will be figuring out how the mind and thoughts work while focusing on trying to figure out the meaning of life.

Dynamite, yeast and baking Powder

To deny the desire to become totally independent and not be answerable to even the highest authority is to also to deny a fundamental shortcoming of man. This is similar to a woman denying that she likes pretty things and that she will ignore an opportunity to gain advantage over a man.These are inbuilt desires and denying that they are a part of our core being is one of three things. The first is that we are superior to the most perfect of  man and woman, the second that we are  non-ambitious and is contented to live on pickings  and the third is that we are just plain liars.

Immortality, fame and popularity are most men's dream and those who lack these aspirations most times also lack the ambition for upward mobility.Money is the ever present companion of fame and popularity and  immortality is readily sacrificed for these. An ever present dream for most men is to have a windfall of money because building wealth requires time and effort and many are willing to take shortcuts to the desired goal.

There are many persons who do not realize that the process of building wealth over time teaches responsible money management. Sudden or overnight wealth is quite often destructive because there are too many persons who believe that they can be their own investment advisers. These persons heap up headaches when faced with multiple choices which does not guarantees a profit. There is also the ever present ignorance of how money works.

A sudden windfall of wealth is comparable to being given sticks of dynamite. Dynamite is good but it is used most times for demolition. It is controllable and predictable which make it ideal for use in the quarrying and construction industries. Wealth that is not handled wisely will disappear. Wealth just like dynamite should be handled with care. Wealth is one of the doors to independence.

Baking powder does not act suddenly and its unique quality is that it makes the baked product more palatable. The actions of yeast takes even longer but the idea is bring about changes. In some instances baking powder and yeast bring about the same desired effect but the baking powder is faster acting. The action of baking powder may not be big and explosive but it certainly achieves the desired effect. Yeast is also use in some fermenting process to produce alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is one of life's little pleasures to make life a little more tolerable.

In life there are many ambitious persons who desire to have the dynamite effect. Their desire is to be quick, effective and explosive. The idea of being slow and imperceptible but effective is unappealing.
The idea of building wealth over many years is unappealing because that will take too long because life with its uncertainty demands enjoying immediately what can be seen. What can be is only maybe or at best a possibility.