The Sankofa Bird

A West African Symbol

The Sankofa bird is flying forward while looking backward with an egg in its mouth. The egg symbolizes the future. "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today." "We should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated."

Personal Responsibility

A friend told me that some writers tend to stay in the middle of the road and do not typically point blame towards one side or the other. My friend expressed that in my writings I tend to point blame on other people or people higher up in society. In lecture, my professor stated that people have to take responsibility. After doing some introspection, I realized that is indeed how I have been writing. While I am by no means recanting what I said, I would like to add that people have to take responsibility for their own actions. In my personal life, I try to refrain from pointing blame on others for my actions and decisions. I am grown. I have values, beliefs and ideas, which allow me to make my own decisions regardless of what is going on in my environment. I do believe that circumstances mold and shape people into the person they ultimately become; and that aspects such as family, environment, society, etcetera also influence one’s behavior and personality.

That being said, I am, you are, we are still responsible for our own actions. Yes, I believe that the media portrays false and negative images of the black community and women. On any given channel, one may find a woman dressed in sexually revealing clothing. One may also see people in the black community, typically men, as unproductive, undereducated and mischievous. Yes, I do believe that some images influence individuals to act in a certain manner based upon what they perceive to be reality. All of that being said, it is still not an excuse to act in such a manner. To use something like the media as an excuse for one’s behavior means that they are incapable of possessing logical, rational thoughts and decision making skills.

“Oh, well he was just a victim of his circumstance.” What is that? That states that we do not posses the ability to better ourselves. That means that we are born into a life that we will never be able to get out because we are a victim. A victim is a bad thing to be. A survivor, however, is a powerful tool. Do not be a victim of your circumstances, be a survivor of your circumstances. A survivor continues on in life’s journey, looking back and remembering, but never lingering. Yes, bad things happen in life. I don’t know why things have occurred in mine, but I do know that it has made me stronger and most important, the person that I am today. We cannot blame others if we want to move on, grow and become better in life. We have to take responsibility.

Whose fault is it really???

"Kids nowadays have no sense. They are disrespectful and run around with no clothes on... I remember when I was young... blah, blah, blah." We have all heard or said something similar to this before. Yes, looking at our children and seeing what they are exposed to and their behavior is an issue. It is sad to see youth essentially throw their life away. But who is really to blame, them with their limited knowledge base or us with a more substantial knowledge base? I have yet to meet a teenage cable tv owner. So, it's the adults putting these images into our youths head and then getting confused when they model the behavior. I'm thinking they need to do a little reading about behaviorism and learning theories. Bandura's social learning theory which states that learning occurs through observation and modeling behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. One can not solely learn by their self, so outside forces influence individuals. So let's see here. We have rappers, I know easy target, but whatever. They are glorified even thought they condone criminal activity, objectification of women, and material possessions. So honestly, what do we as "intelligent all knowing adults" actually think the children are going to do? They do not posses a substantial knoweldge base to help them make a more enlightened decision.
So what can we do? We have to teach our children right from wrong. We have to teach them to think critically, cuz Lord knows the school system wont, but that's another blog. Help them understand reality versus perceived reality. Talk to them, love them, be there for them. Tell them the truth. The real truth not the medias truth.