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Eyes of the past guide future path
Commentary by Gwen Evolution
What does Black History Month mean in a 21st century world facing global warming, extinction of natural resources, economic and governmental failure, and terrorism? In our search for solutions to the challenges we have created for ourselves under the banner of progress, we may find a brighter vision of the future by looking through the eyes of the past.
Let us take the growing issue of food security: with rising transportation costs, viruses and bacteria in meats and produce, and the devastating environmental impact of factory food animals, how will we feed ourselves in the coming years? For an answer, we might look to the early twentieth-century botanist George W. Carver. In the 1930s, while lamenting the destructive effects of unchecked technological development, he predicted that one day humans would be able to supply all our needs from agricultural products - from food to clothing to fuel.
Today's permaculture experts are beginning to do just that: building homes from straw, hemp, and other earth substances, making clothes from bamboo and hemp, and developing processes for creating biodiesel, "greasel," and other alternative fuels from vegetables, grains and hemp.
In addressing the rising costs and ineffectiveness of the health care system, many melanin people today are turning to herbs, oils, and plants used by our ancestors centuries ago. Just as Madame C. J. Walker received the formula for her hair products in a dream and ordered the ingredients from Africa, practitioners today are being inspired through meditation, channeling or revealed teachings to create healing products from the natural elements around us.
Perhaps most important, as we consider the history of black people - from the spiritual mastery of the pharaohs to the leadership of Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - we can be emboldened by faith and inspired by the dedication to freedom, strength and ingenuity that we as a race have contributed to the world. We take from those the courage to move boldly forward in the direction of our choosing.
As we look toward the future through the eyes of the past, we can ask ourselves: "What is the true meaning of freedom? What is it that so many of us have died for, risked everything for and made the focus of their lives?"
Increasingly, we feel the chains that come with affluence and social success. Daily, we can see more clearly how trapped we are by the things that are supposed to make our lives easier. Can we emancipate ourselves from mental slavery long enough to begin to look for a way out of our captivity?
In this pivotal year of 2007 - a "9" year characterized by endings and cleansings in preparation for new beginnings and experiences - we have an unprecedented opportunity to fully participate in the creation of our world and humanity's future. No matter where in our history we look, we can find answers, ideas, and the keys to the universe. As black people shine a light on the true meaning of all that we have experienced as a people, we will illuminate the limitless potential of our planet's tomorrow.
gwen.evolution (Gwynelle Dismukes) is the author of Afrikan Alkhemy: Spiritual and Soul Transformation in America and Practicing Kwanzaa Year Round. Her new book, "Black 2 the Future," is scheduled for publication in spring 2007. She conducts workshops and presentations on spiritual growth, Kwanzaa, and other topics, and shares her poetry in performance settings. For more, see www.kemetworld.com. |
