Before Any Identity...Energy

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  Elaine Prescott Johnson I had a workshop yesterday given by Dr. Molefi Asante and they featured Lotus Academy in a documentary. They were explaining to teachers and administrators how important it is for African American children to have African centered education. Do you still feel this way? Has your philosophy changed over the years into something more universal? Even after raising 4 African american boys. Sorry for such a loaded question. Just curious.

  14 hours ago · · 2 peopleLoading...
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  Gregory D. Wells

  Hi Elaine, that’s not a loaded question, but an excellent one! I appreciate it, and this will help to draw out the nuances of the Lotus story. My answer is a little long for FB, but please bear with me.
  
  I respect Dr. Asante a lot, and under...stand what he is trying to do to help African-Americans embrace African culture to raise our cultural self-esteem in the midst of pervasive Western or Euro-centric cultural values and standards. In some sense, he is trying to fight the Euro-centric cultural point of view with the Afro-centric point of view.
  
  It’s interesting to note that when Kubu (Lotus) started, it was not Afro-centric. It was more inclusive. It was Afro-Asian-Centric. Thus, its philosophy included many cultures, not just African, and Eastern philosophy was a very strong component. When I left Lotus, Eastern philosophy seemed to leave with me.
  
  The argument between Euro-centricism and Afro-centricisim is actually founded in the functional differences between the 2 sides of the brain - left vs. right hemispheres, (or the frontal-line of the body vs. the spinal-line of the body). European (Western) culture tends to be more left brain, while the African (Eastern) cultures tend to be more right brain. They both have their limitations without the use of the other. The point is to use the whole-brain, and thus, not to be self-divided or in self-conflict. So, before we became African or European, we were already human. Thus, the point is to embrace our total human inheritance from all the world cultures, not just our particular historical "tribe" based on geography or skin color.
  
  So, if I were teaching today, I would start and stay with the absolute non-conditional Truth - which is true education, that will set a person free (and not merely to be a trained “productive citizen” for the Corporate State). Thus, I would teach the children, working from the most superficial level of appearances to the Root Profundity of all appearances, this:
  
  “before you became an African, you were already human; and before you became a human, you were already the mind; and before you became the mind, you were already the body; and before you became the body, you were already Spirit-Energy -- and Spirit-Energy is the Radiant-Force of Consciousness Itself, and everything and everyone that arises is nothing but a temporary modification of this Conscious-Light. Thus, at the Root Profundity, all functional and superficial appearances are Only Conscious-Light - Only You, As You Is.”
  
  Now, that would likely be very controversial, but it is the Very Truth.
  
  Thanks again for your question! Please feel free (you or anyone else) to any question. ♥ Love, g