"We give honor to The Creator, who created us all from speaking things into existence at the beginning of what we know as time. We next give honor to The Ancestors, upon whose mighty shoulders we stand..."
we've all heard a variation of that opening. before speeches. sermons. community events. prayers. it's indeed African. it's indeed proper. it's indeed totally true.
but what kind of pressure does it create for us, the living.
i'm fascinated by the power in Creation. i've spoken/written/sung of it all before, but each time i have a meditation, there is a unique revelation. God/Creator/G.O.D./Ptah/Jehovah/Allah/Olodumare/Yaweh/Universe (et cetera ad infinitum) conceived the world and universe, and spoke things into existence. at least, that is our meager human interpretation of the divine order of things we perceive as reality. and in a microcosmic way, we do the same thing. we perceive of greatness for ourselves, or we perceive the "ordinary" or "normal." we then proceed to make those things manifest. if we are able to accomplish those things (build a great family, build an industry, write a book, be a star, whatever it may be), then we create a legacy.
legacies are hard to live up to, though.
i often think of the things i work hard to create. i'm motivated by the amazing creations of my Ancestors (familial and communal). i mean, really...when i get tired from writing for hours, all i need to do is imagine Harriett Tubman leading a band of runaways through the darkest of night with dogs chasing them and a sure-fire, edge-of-death beating awaiting them if captured, and suddenly, i'm not tired anymore. i'm grateful. i'm inspired. and i work. the same happens when i think about the labor of my mother and father, how they worked their lives away to provide a space for my dreams to come true.
and now i work to establish my own legacy. but not just for me, but for my own child(ren?). so when i think of The Creator, i know s/he's been good to me. when i think of The Ancestors, i know i stand on their shoulders. which begs the question:
what kind of shoulders will our generations have to stand on when we pass from this life to the next?
if we don't work to establish a solid legacy, if we don't fortify every part of our real and ethereal bodies, then our coming generations will fall, collapsing because of our weakness. adversity builds strength. if we "cruise" through this life, leaving and contributing nothing, then we are essentially weakening the future of man and womankind. whether you believe in Paradise, Heaven, Amentet, Olorun, Nirvana, or The Force, we all believe there is something that awaits us when we discard these shells called human bodies. so the hard times we experience here help us in the next life, and we gain an appreciation of being human that, hopefully, will help us do whatever we can as body-less energy to assist those still in the body.
here me out, then, before i get too esoteric: we owe our next generations the same strength, the same foundation we have all benefited from, either by standing on our personal Ancestors' example, or the example of humanity's collective heroes.
what, then, are you doing, right now, to build and broaden your shoulders? are you cursing because you have an obstacle facing you? or are you giving thanks for the workout, knowing that in the end, you will overcome and be all the stronger for the challenge?
i'd suggest doing the latter, because we owe it to ourselves, and to others. am i saying it's easy? oh no. it's hard. do you sometimes need to vent and share aloud? of course, feel free to do it here, with me. but in the end, i want us all to realize that if we attack our obstacles with an open heart and reassured mind, it will result in a fortified spirit of accomplishment.
and some damned strong, battle tested, eternity-ready shoulders.
