Re-Imagining Our Reality (Part 2)
By: Pastor, Baba Derrick Jackson, Krst Universal Temple
Alasdair McIntyre in his book “After Virtue” posits this statement “I can only answer the question “What am I to do?” If I can ask the prior question “of, what story of stories do I find myself a part?” We as people of Afrikan ancestry must raise the question of what is “the good life”? Not based on tabla rasa (blank slate) but raise that question and related ones in the context of a definite tradition and a reflection on that tradition.
The significance of our Afrikan high-story (history, sacred experiences) and traditions lies in the fact that it makes sacred our experiences; also, it teaches us to know what questions our ancestors raised and to know “what” their answers were and “how” they answered them. To know what questions, they did not answer which gives us our purpose. Then raise new questions for the next generation to answer. This can only be done when our high-story (history, sacred experiences) and our traditions gives meaning and adds value to our lives.
Let us take for instance that we find in public discourse the idea of people of Afrikan Ancestry saying that there are people “who died for your right to vote.” Nothing can be further from the truth. If one understood the importance of history and tradition, they would know that our ancestors died for the right of self-determination. Voting was a tool they used in their overall quest for self-determination (Kujichagulia).
In order to preserve our high story, it must be done through the creation of Traditions that gives meaning to our experiences (high story) and transmitting it as an eternal (ageless, everlasting, perpetual, unending, unceasing, continuing forever or indefinitely) heritage in the manner of a sacred text from one generation to another. This gives continuity, legitimacy, authority, and authenticity to our existence through being able to claim an ancient past. Because our traditions were and is found in the ancient writings of our ancestors, it gives our theological or moral inquiry more of a quest of recovery than a discovery.
Let us consult the ancient Kemetic sacred scripture (MDW NTR) known as the Shabaka Text which states that King Shabaka restored the Temple of Amon. He did not simply just restore it, he tried to make it better than before. What should this mean to us? In order for our high-story (history, experiences) and our traditions to have meaning and value in our lives, we must restore the ways of our ancestors through explication (the act of making clear) and expansion (growth, increase, enlargement, elaboration, development) in other words make it “Mo’ Better.” This is our mandate for ”Re-imagining.”
Harwa, the High Steward in ancient Kemet (Egypt) who once said, “I am one beloved of his city, praised of his district, kindhearted to his town. I have done what people love and the divine one’s praise… one who gave bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, removed pain and suppressed wrongdoing, who buried the revered ones, supported the aged and removed the need of the have-nots. A shelter for the child and a helper for the widow.”
He then ends by saying, “I did these things knowing their worth from the Lord of Things. To abide in the mouth of the people forever; to be well remembered in the years that follow.”
It is through membership in a moral community and rightful social participation in that community that one learns to be a person of good character and flourishes as a result of it. For it is in community that we develop our sense of the moral self; learn to honor our obligations and cherish our relations and do our duty to God and the ancestors.
It was once said "to whatever extent we value these qualities of person and common life, we will value the conditions that make them possible." Thus, this speaks to both the essentiality of community and traditions. Whmy Msu to become awaken to our realities is what we need to reimagine our place and our role in an anti-Afrikan reality as AUSA (Afrikans in the United States of America) people.
In the sacred text known as the Husia we find in the book of Ankhsheshonqi that service is the highest form human beings can perform in their relationship with the Divine. “Serve God that she may protect you. Serve your brothers and sisters that you may enjoy a good reputation. Serve a wise person that he or she may serve you. Serve one who serves you. Serve any person so you may benefit from it. And serve your mother and father that you may go forward and prosper.” In other words, the only way to serve the Creator is through serving others.
We must once again have a practice that calls upon our high ideas and ideals. A practice that calls for a values system that speaks to our consciousness and our conscience. Service Learning can be both a practice and a process. Servant-Leaders are who we want to develop.
Service Learning is the practice and process of re-imagining our way of serving the interest, the needs, hurts, and pains of people of Afrikan ancestry living in an anti-Afrikan reality. It can be a process where we develop servant-Leaders who know who they must serve and why they should serve them.
Characteristics of Servant Leadership:
Servant Leadership - is a life-long learning process. Some characteristics come more naturally to some people than to others. The characteristics of a calling, Listening, Empathy, Awareness, conceptualization is more difficult to learn and develop. One must already have these to be successful servant leaders; the others are learnable skills, so servant leaders can continually develop these.
Calling - Servant leaders have a desire to serve others, to be effective for other people, they pursue opportunities to impact others' lives, never for their own gain. They believe in mutual cooperation as opposed to competition or the competitive spirit.
Listening - Servant leaders are excellent listeners, genuinely interested in the views and input of others. Listening is a skill that can be learned and is essential for those who desire to be a servant.
Empathy - Servant leaders can "walk in other’s shoes". They can "feel" people and the circumstances that life can bring as well as the problems that occur in life.
Awareness - Servant leaders have a keen sense of what is happening around them. They know what is going on and rarely are fooled by appearances.
Conceptualization - Nurture the ability to conceptualize the world, events, and possibilities. They encourage others to dream great dreams and avoid getting bogged down by day-to-day realities and operations. They foster an environment that encourages thinking big and valuing the creative process.
Foresight - Must develop the ability to anticipate the future. This is not to say they are psychic or always right but that they are adept at picking up patterns in the environment and seeing what the future will bring.
Building Community - Servant leaders have a powerful sense of community spirit and work hard to foster it in organization. They believe an organization needs to function as a community; they instill a sense of community in the workplace.
Servant-Leadership (Higher Order): Represent the interest and needs of the Group, Family, or Political Organization through Honor, Loyalty, and Service. In order to be a good leader, one must be a good follower.
1) Self-less (Higher Order) his/her needs and interest are served through serving the Group, Family, or Political Organization
2) Life affirming through helping the Group, Family, or Political Organization reaches for the higher idea and the higher ideal.
3) Compassion- through knowledge and understanding the needs and interest of the Group, or Family. Also, servant leaders are not consensus takers; they are consensus makers through being on the side of truth and justice
Let us consult the ancient Kemetic sacred scripture (MDW NTR) known as the Shabaka Text which states that King Shabaka restored the Temple of Amon. He did not simply just restore it; he tried to make it better than before. What should this mean to us? In order for our high-story (history, experiences) and our traditions to have meaning and value in our lives, we must restore the ways of our ancestors through explication (the act of making clear) and expansion (growth, increase, enlargement, elaboration, development) in other words make it “Mo’ Better.” This is our mandate for "Re-Imagining.”
References and Bibliography:
KRST UNIVERSAL TEMPLE