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Conservatism, Reaction, and the Elder's Responsibility: A Message to My Age Grade

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Conservatism, Reaction, and the Elder's Responsibility: A Message to My Age Grade Great Day, Fam. This one right here? It’s not for everyone. If you’re not at or approaching Eldership—defined in our tribe as about 55 years old and up—you might not feel all of this. But if you’re curious, or if you’re one of those younger souls already walking with wisdom, you’re welcome to keep reading. This message is for the Elders. For those of us who should know better. And yes—I’m including myself. Let’s Start With the Mirror I’ve got to confess something. I’ve been guilty. Guilty of being reactionary. Guilty of falling into the trap of conservatism. Guilty of romanticizing the past. Guilty of looking at our young people and calling them “soft”—as if we were born warriors, as if we didn’t have to become who we are through fire, failure, and guidance. Many of us Elders are stuck in a loop. We remember only the highlights of our youth—the toughest times we survived, the boldest moments ...

Drop the Qualifier: Reclaiming Our Narrative Without Apology

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Drop the Qualifier: Reclaiming Our Narrative Without Apology We are at a pivotal moment in history—a moment of transformation, of collapse, and of rebirth. Like the mythical phoenix, we are being pushed to redefine ourselves, to rise from the ashes of outdated frameworks. A conversation I had recently made me realize something profound: we have been conditioned to qualify ourselves in ways that no other group does. We say Black man , Black woman , Black history , as if our identity needs an extra descriptor to be understood, acknowledged, or validated. But why? When white people talk about their history, they don’t call it white history . They simply call it history. Napoleon is just Napoleon. The Renaissance is just the Renaissance. Yet, when we speak of our existence, our achievements, and our legacies, we feel the need to prefix them with "Black." But this qualifier does more than just distinguish—it subtly suggests that our reality is secondary to some greater, more dom...

What Are You On? The Power of the Underground Railroad in Our Journey

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What Are You On? The Power of the Underground Railroad in Our Journey Oh man, great, great, great! It’s a powerful day on this Gye-Nyame Journey, and today, we’re diving into question number eight . Now, before we get too deep, let me give you a little history—because, you know, everything we do is rooted in legacy. See, question number eight was actually the first question I came up with when I was putting together the Underground Railroad Rites of Passage Program. That’s right—before all the other questions, this one set the foundation. And for those who might not know, the Underground Railroad (UGR-R) was one of the early organizations I put together—maybe my second, maybe my third. Either way, it was crucial to building what we now recognize as Gye-Nyame Journey . This series of questions we’re working through? These are the original ones , the ones designed to connect us back to our history, our struggle, and ultimately, our mission . Because what is self-mastery without knowing...

The Path to Greatness: What Must the Warrior Do?

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 The Path to Greatness: What Must the Warrior Do? Yesterday, we explored an essential question: How does a warrior learn? Today, we take the next step— What must the warrior do to become great? This question holds weight, not just in words, but in action. It challenges us to examine the very nature of greatness and wisdom. What is Greatness? Recently, one of my elders transitioned to the ancestral realm. During his crossover ceremony, I had the honor of pouring libations and speaking on his legacy. I found myself saying, Elder Tony was a great man. But then I paused and corrected myself— Elder Tony was a wise man. There's a difference. A great person leaves behind holes in reality—gaps so deep that it may take generations to fill them. Their presence, their work, their impact shifts the world around them in such a way that when they are gone, the absence is felt profoundly. A wise person also leaves holes in reality. But they do something more. They prepare others to fill those...

Professionalism Vs. Mastery

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Are you a professional or a master? At first glance they may appear to be the same but when we look at their roots and motivation they are not. When we take a look at the word "professional" it is a person who practice a skill for a  livelihood .  A "Master" on the other hand is someone who pursues a passion, and develops a great skill  in what they do. Today the problem is that we have to many "pros" and not enough "Masters". A Professional can be driven by purely financial gain. They may not have a love for the art that they practice, they do it because it pays the bills. They may have been forced into their  field by life circumstances, they may have showed some natural skill, or just following a family tradition. The key  ingredient of a "Master" is missing, the love of the art. It is the love that  separates  the Master from the professional  . It is the love of the "Master" that generates advancement in his or her craf...

Simba 2012

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Time moves so quick it seems that it was just time for me to leave for Simba, and now it is over. This was a stellar year for the Columbus Chapter (Gye-Nyame Tribe). We had an opportunity to expose 21 young men to a camp that transforms lives, and that is exactly what happened. Simba is unlike any other program/camp that I have ever been apart of, the focus is providing young men with a safe place to transform and see the possibilities of greatness that lie in their soul. While the camp focuses on the young people it remains a transformational experience for everyone involved, from the kitchen staff to the people that care for the camp. The power of Simba pulls people together and forces them to look inward, release pain, and begin to grow. This year was full of spontanaity and emergence. To write about this things is one thing but to watch in action is another. This year due to my age and length of time in Simba I was able to sit back and watch the power of the Nation blossom. If yo...

Why Meditate?

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I breath in and out/ slowly and with a rhythm/ mind begins to clear/ Meditation is a process of learning to measure our thoughts. In measuring them and observing them we learn how to quite or mind so that we can find peace. According to the lessons in Gye-Nyame when we are asked "what is peace?" The proper response is Harmony and Order. So by practicing meditation those on the Journey bring Harmony and Order into: 1. Into there inner world 2. Into their day life Being on the Journey regardless of what system you follow requires you to be able to draw on a source of power beyond your physical being, and meditation helps with this. It helps align you with the "True Self". According to the SelfMastery system that we use in Gye-Nyame the Self is defined as: " the absolute, complete, perfect qualities of being that is not influenced by external circumstances" meditation is a major way to commune with this part of our being. When we cultivate peac...