The noted French naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre placed over a dozen (all underlined words are links) processionary caterpillars in a single file around the rim of a dirt-filled flowerpot. He then placed their preferred food in the center of the flowerpot, within sight and easy reach of the caterpillars. As the lead caterpillar proceeded to move around the rim, it laid down a scent trail and the rest of the caterpillars immediately fell in lockstep behind there self-proclaimed leader. They got so close to the one in front of it, that the head of each one touched the butt of the caterpillar directly in front of it. Once the leader made the first lap around the rim of the flowerpot, it began following its own scent trail and would not deviate one iota, nor would the followers stop following. These processionary caterpillars began marching continuously around the rim of the pot, with their heads stuck up the butt of the one in front for over seven days. Gradually, one by one, they began falling off the rim of the pot, dead from exhaustion, dehydration and starvation.
What was amazing about these caterpillars was that they could all see and smell their desired food, and was convinced that their leader would lead them directly to it yet they could not break away from their ritualistic behavior of following the followers, resulting in all of them dying.
Most humans are aware that all other species of life on this planet must resort to deeply entrenched instincts within their minuscule and primitive brains for the fulfillment of all of their survival needs. Yet, many of us have convinced ourselves that we as members of the human race are entirely different.
Our belief in our innate superiority over those species that are beneath us is predicated on the fact that our brains are highly developed, creating in us the capacity to engage in reasoning, planning and adaptation to our environment. Because of these skill-sets, we are convinced of our uniqueness and superiority over all other living species on our planet. Tragically, often times our behaviors mirror those of the lowest life forms on this planet as we engage in rote behavior without logical rhyme or reasoning.
As a race, Black African Americans believe our life activities are both meaningful and productive. We erroneously perceive activity as progress, even though we are blindly going around in circles, foolishly following whoever is currently leading us at the time. We will readily embrace these individuals as our leaders because they are adept at eliciting emotional reactions from us. They have convinced us not to think for ourselves because only they are the way, the truth and the light and we wholeheartedly agree with them.
Ergo, we are emulating the processionary caterpillars by following these so-called “civil rights leaders” around and around in an ever-decreasing circle, expending an enormous amount of time, energy and money, yet going nowhere. All that these “self-appointed” leaders (both Black and White) of Black African Americans have to do is to put the word “Reverend” in front of their names and to our detriment, we immediately begin following them lockstep hither and yon. Our heads are so deeply ensconced in their butts that we no longer feel the need to see, hear or even think for ourselves.
Worst of all, we cannot even smell the crap they are feeding us. Consequently, we are clueless as to why we as a race are teetering precariously at the very bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder in the country that our ancestors built with the sacrifice of their blood, sweat, tears and even their lives in hopes that we would have a better life. Tragically, our children and grandchildren are the first generations of Black African Americans that is making no racial progress. As a race, we are worst off today than we were prior to the Civil War.
These so-called “civil rights leaders” have become such sacred cows, that even though we know firsthand that they are full of crap; we dare not challenge them, nor remotely consider not following their scent trails. For instance, just take a very serious look at both the Reverends Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton and see if you can honestly discern how they have benefitted Black African Americans since they have been at the helm of the so-called “civil rights” movement.
When George Zimmerman gunned down Trayvon Martin, Al Sharpton could not get to Florida fast enough to lead a march and “seek justice” for Trayvon Martin. While still in Florida on April 1, 2012, preparing to lead yet another march, shouting “no justice, no peace,”14 Black African Americans were shot outside a Miami Funeral Home while attending a wake for a Black African American murder victim who had been gunned down by another Black African American. In spite of being less than 30 miles away from these shootings, the Reverend Al Sharpton did not utter a mumbling word. He did not so much as say a prayer for those shooting victims, including the five year old Black African American female who was also shot.
When police officer Daren Wilson murdered our young brother Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, both Jackson and Sharpton made a beeline to Ferguson, Mo. allegedly seeking justice for Michael Brown. What was the outcome? Michael was dead upon their arrival and he was still dead when they departed.
What justice is there for a murder victim? There is none, there is only the satisfaction of revenge for the victim’s family and friends. It is an exercise in futility trying to seek justice for an unjust act. At best, you can only seek retribution. Walking around in circles carrying signs, wearing expensive tee shirts and singing and shouting, “Hands up, Don’t shoot,” while burning and looting the very stores that you depend on is a total waste of time, money and energy, not to mention how foolish and unproductive it looks to rationally thinking individuals. In fact, the very week after Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson, two St. Louis, Mo. cops executed Kajieme Powell on August 20, 2014 and neither Jessie nor Al muttered a mumbling word.
Neither did Jessie or Al have anything to say about the White cop calling Black African Americans “f**k*** animals . Nor did they have anything to say when another White cop aimed his automatic weapon at reporters and threatened to kill them. At the time Jessie and Al arrived in St. Louis, there had already been 85 homicides in St. Louis this year, most of which were Black African Americans killing other Black African Americans. Why did neither one of them address these murders while they were there?
On September 28, 2014, 15 people were shot in a Miami Nightclub, including 5 girls between the ages of 11-17 years old and again, both Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton were conspicuously and silently absent in these shootings as well. Why?
On September 29, 2014, five people were killed, including a 13 y/o Black African American male and another 43 were wounded in Jessie Jackson’s hometown of Chicago, yet neither he nor Al Sharpton found the need to lead a rally seeking justice for those victims. In fact, Chicago is the “official” murder capital of America, yet Jessie cannot do anything about what is going on in his own front yard. On a positive note, there are reports that Reverend Jessie was booed while in Ferguson begging the protestors for money and rightly so. There may be a glimmer of hope for us afterall.
Describing insanity as doing the exact same things repeatedly and expecting a different outcome is not a mere cliché, it is a statement predicated on facts. As a race, we Black African Americans are among the most mentally ill people in the entire world. We have become like a school of fish , mindlessly swimming around in circles, while other predatory fish, such as “Payday Lenders,” “Title Pawns,” other Black African Americans, “America’s Criminal Justice Complex, “Poverty Pimps,” Pastors, Preachers and Politicians are gorging themselves on our flesh and souls. Yet, we foolishly and mindlessly sing, “This World is Not My Home.” Since “this world is not our home,” we are consciously and unconsciously disavowing all claims to it, which is merely hastening our demise as a race.
First and foremost, the solution is for each and every one of us to honestly accept full responsibility for our current situation and stop blaming the White man or anyone else for that matter. Remember, while pointing the finger of blame at someone else, we have three of our own fingers pointing right back at ourselves, which makes us three times at fault.
Where we are emotionally, economically and spiritually as a race is due solely to our own thought processes, actions (or inactions), and behaviors. We must discontinue engaging in our delusionary fantasies that there is a power external to us that will save us from ourselves. Remember, our thoughts control our actions and as we think, so we do and as we do, so we become.
It is impossible to move forward in life with your head stuck up someone’s butt. There is no advancement without forward and upward momentum. Our thoughts totally control our actions and the fact that we think there is a magical, mystical place somewhere in the sky awaiting us when we die, in our own minds rationalizes our inactivity and passivity. Oh, some of us delude ourselves in equating movement with progress yet; the processionary caterpillars were in perpetual movement until they all dropped dead from malnutrition, dehydration and exhaustion.
Oh, what a blessing it is that my people do not read, think or use common sense says the Pastors, Pimps and Politicians.