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I Learn by Doing: A Personal Meditation on the Batak Proverb

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I Learn by Doing: A Personal Meditation on the Batak Proverb "You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down." — Batak (Batiki) Proverb That line hits different when you’ve lived it. I chose this proverb for Day 3 of Tribal Quotes because it calls out something deep that many of us are missing: the wisdom of experience. Too often, we get stuck in thought, tangled in theory, or lost in the illusion of needing to be fully ready before we act. But this proverb cuts straight through the noise. You want to learn how to cut down trees? Then cut them down. That’s it. No Flight School for Birds Flying is complicated. Aerodynamics, balance, wing structure—it’s not easy. But birds don’t have academies. They learn to fly by flying. We learn to walk by walking. We learn to talk by talking. And we learn to live by living. But somehow, we’ve been convinced that real learning happens only in classrooms, through lectures, in books. Don’t get me wrong—I value study. But too many of...

The Power of Imani

I’m in a room of people and I see the strongest black woman I have ever met. She walks with the stride of an African queen and the smile of an angel. She is intelligent, beautiful and powerful beyond measure, but for some reason she does not believe that she is worthy. She does not believe that she deserves to be free from the shackles of systemic racism, or that she deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This woman believes her destiny is in the hands of everyone but herself. She has lost her faith in her ability to positively impact her own life. This woman has lost sight of the power that lies within her. The power to do anything, be anything, and create anything she desires.

This woman needs to regain her faith in our Ancestors, their ability to influence events in our favor, the power of our Kuumba to shape, mold, and protect our lives, and above all else, she needs to regain her faith in herself. For it is this faith that will instill confidence in the actions we take today. Faith that will make it possible for us to walk through this unfriendly land with pride and dignity because we know our goals are greater than any obstacle they can put before us. If we Pull on the power of our kuumba, and back it up with the power of our Imani.


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