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The Hammer and the Vision: Wielding Double Creativity in the Season of Faith

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The Hammer and the Vision: Wielding Double Creativity in the Season of Faith We are deep in the final stretch of 2025, Fam. Can you feel it? The air is thick right now. It’s not just the winter chill; it’s the vibration of completion. We are walking through the 7th Cycle, the season of Imani (Faith) , and we are marching toward the Great Restoration. But today? Today the fractal of time is doing something special. If you look at the map of time, the math is shouting at us. Here we are, standing in the Year of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) —where we define ourselves and speak for ourselves. We are swimming in the Cycle of Imani —believing in our victory with all our hearts. But here is where it gets interesting: We are in the Week of Kuumba (Creativity) , and today, specifically, is the Day of Kuumba . That’s a "Double-Dose" of Creativity. A double shot of that creative spark. Now, I know what the world tells you creativity looks like. They tell you it’s adding more paint ...

The Hammer and the Vision: Wielding Double Creativity in the Season of Faith

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The Hammer and the Vision: Wielding Double Creativity in the Season of Faith We are deep in the final stretch of 2025, Fam. Can you feel it? The air is thick right now. It’s not just the winter chill; it’s the vibration of completion. We are walking through the 7th Cycle, the season of Imani (Faith) , and we are marching toward the Great Restoration. But today? Today the fractal of time is doing something special. If you look at the map of time, the math is shouting at us. Here we are, standing in the Year of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) —where we define ourselves and speak for ourselves. We are swimming in the Cycle of Imani —believing in our victory with all our hearts. But here is where it gets interesting: We are in the Week of Kuumba (Creativity) , and today, specifically, is the Day of Kuumba . That’s a "Double-Dose" of Creativity. A double shot of that creative spark. Now, I know what the world tells you creativity looks like. They tell you it’s adding more paint ...

To Rest Is to Resist: Reclaiming Stillness in a Culture That Fears It

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To Rest Is to Resist: Reclaiming Stillness in a Culture That Fears It    "Even the drum rests between beats. That silence? It’s sacred." *video available  Here We’ve all heard the warning: "An idle mind is the devil’s workshop." For many of us, especially Black folks, those words were passed down like sacred scripture . Spoken in love but forged in trauma, the phrase echoes our people’s long history of being forced to produce, hustle, and perform just to be seen as human. But what if stillness isn't laziness? What if rest—real, intentional, soul-deep rest—is resistance? The Weekend That Asked for Nothing Recently, I did something radical. I laid down. Not from exhaustion. Not because I’d worked two jobs. Not because I earned it. I just… wanted to. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel guilty about it. No rushing to open a building. No helping someone move a couch. No calls, spreadsheets, or space-saving. I just was. And that still...

The Art of Adaptation: Unveiling the Wisdom of The Bat and The Weasels

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  The Art of Adaptation: Unveiling the Wisdom of The Bat and The Weasels “It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.” — Aesop In the world of fables, we often find animals acting out the deepest parts of our humanity. These creatures, symbols of instinct and survival, carry lessons older than time itself. The Bat and The Weasels , retold from the mind of Aesop and reimagined through the lens of Gye-Nyame Journey, isn’t just a tale for children—it’s a guide for those grown folks who still seek mastery. When the World Has You Cornered Here’s the setup: A bat falls to the ground and is caught by a weasel. The weasel hates birds. So the bat, slick with the tongue, says, “I’m not a bird—I’m a mouse.” The weasel lets him go. Later, the same bat falls again. This time, a different weasel catches him. But this weasel hates mice. So what does the bat say? “I’m not a mouse—I’m a bird.” And he gets set free again. Now, you could say the bat was being dishonest. But hold on. Let’s go de...

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...

Walking the Barbell: Tradition on One Side, Revolution on the Other

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Walking the Barbell: Tradition on One Side, Revolution on the Other I’ve been re-listening to Antifragile by Nassim Taleb—and something caught my spirit this time around: the Barbell Strategy . Taleb breaks it down as a life design where you operate on two extremes . On one side, you’ve got extreme safety . On the other, calculated risk . And in between? Nothing. That middle space is where comfort hides and where fragility is born. This idea got me thinking deeply about how well it aligns with the life we’re building through Gye-Nyame Journey —and how it could shape a political campaign if I—or one of y’all—ever decided to run for office. The Safe Side: Cultural Roots, Community Wisdom Let’s start with the grounded side of the barbell —the side that holds our traditions, values, and cultural wisdom. This is where we store our principles: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Nia . It’s the bedrock. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what keeps us whole. This side includes our: Rites of passage Community cir...