It is a collection of values and practices that people of Africa or of African origin view as making people authentic human beings. While the nuances of these values and practices vary across different ethnic groups, they all point to one thing – an authentic individual human being is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental and spiritual world
Leon drive a Volkswagon Bug from Alaska to the southern tip of Patagonia without money. This was for the reality show called The
Kindness Diaries. Leon could not
use cash, checks, credit cards to buy anything.
He depended on kindness from strangers.
Some people were skeptical of course. I noticed that He completely changed accents depending on
where people were from. He also mimicked their behavior too in an effort to win over people. He was in the end a decent
person and he would gift kind generous people with various things. He would pay their rent for up to a year. He would donate to the charity of their
choice. But I could tell that life would
be a struggle all the way around. Leon would have to chat up dozens of people in an effort to enlist their kindness enough to buy him gasonline and perhaps a sandwich.
I bet everyone has had to ask for help at times and it can be humbling to say the least. Leon was also able to gift people in a pay it forward manner. He did not carry money on himself. But he was a phone call away from the show’s producer. They would reward some of the donating people with new possibilities. They were most likely to get help if their dreams were big enough and sistemic enough. One lady wanted to open a school for rural children in South America. She got her wish. It was an amazing adventure for all the people involved. There were no actors. These were ordinary people and usually those who would help were rather poor themselves.
It would be difficult to pay all our various bills and commitments in a barter fashion. The world is more complex in that way. But there are new messengers on the way. It is illegal to print money, but what about co-opts and “Disneyland” money or tokens? Each Co-opt could have its own tokens. Just buy some monopoly money. I was part of a babysitting co-opt. We had to decide the rules. Each child was equal to one unit per hour. That way a mom with 5 kids could still exchange babysitting time with a mom of two, but just less time. I cringe when I remember leaving this group owing another money some time. I hope I can offer another mom some time in the future. I used to trade psychic readings with certain people. I cannot believe I got burned. I did a reading of some length for a lady and when it was my turn, she had “an emergency” come up and promised to call me back. Well, no, that never happened. I think the karma is often worse with our verbal promises. For those with money, they can even the score easily, but without that convenience things are more “sweat and blood”. As a reader and psychic I see many questionable behaviors. People want me to remote view on someone or something. That is spying but there is huge karma for me in doing that. I always ask my guides before embarking on remote viewing. There are times that I feel threatened because I can remote view. During the days of easy lobotomies, many talented people became wards of the state or wards of their families after a lobotomy. Psychics have always been a threat to some people in positions of power. Threat of poverty is another way to silence people and keep them from rising in the world. I am glad there are many ways to stay alive and be true to your principals. Maybe the first thing to do is Clean your concepts about money. This is a type of money laundering. What fun.
Money is not what you think.
KenHonda teaches about money angels. Ken was saying that money is a happy
thing. Ken has been on many talk shows
about becoming the right kind of millionaire. You might ask, is there a bad kind of
millionaire? And yes, there are
those. There are those who control others
with monopolies, and they can use people for sex slaves and serfs. Perhaps the worse thing they do is to themselves. They never feel that they have enough and they are
unhappy. Ken teaches that money circulates.
It flows around otherwise it becomes stagnant.
There are Scrooges out there among us.
Like Howard Hughes they become quite unhealthy, and they die. He died at age 70 so that is not short. It is just not a particularly happy
life.
Ken
teaches some of the same concepts of bartering.
What skills do you have that you can trade with others? Friends are wealth. Be sure and nurture friendships. How many friends would let you stay with them
for a week? Ken explains if you have 10
friends who would trust you and allow you to stay with them for at least one week,
that will equal 10 weeks of free rent.
During that time, you could find another job. And Ken warns against finding just any old
job. He believes that we must do what we
love. People should wake up knowing that
their day will be purposeful and full of joy and that will build a brighter
future for everyone. I started a business
with my polaroid camera and a 50 add. I
became a match making service in an area of Connecticut that lacked social
venues. It was a fun job and I made some
successful matches. I remember some people
wanting to take it from me. We had a
lunch where they kept saying we want to do this and that. They wanted to expand. They kept inserting themselves into my
creation. Yes. I think money needs to be
cleansed. Money has been misused and the
greedy seems to own everything. There
are some very aggressive people, and they will trick and deceive to get
money. That is why is a good to know
money is not the end all be all. There
is the ancient concept of ubuntu.
The word “ubuntu” is from some southern African
languages and it literally means “humanness.” To have ubuntu is to be a person
who is living a genuinely human way of life, whereas to lack ubuntu is to be
missing human excellence. Money is not dry as numbers on a ledger. It cannot be so according to ubuntu. The idea
is ancient as is the idea of tribal communities. “I am because we are” is a ubuntu
concept. We spring from a family and a
community. It is the gold and treasure
of someone to be kind and friendly and to consider the community in personal
choices. Also, in concrete ways if the
community needs meat, a hunting party is selected. If the community needs irrigation
for a crop coming in, all grab a shovel and devote time to digging one. If an argument between families happens, it
would be up to the community to help solve the issue in the best way.
I saw this concept of community with my Cherokee
side of the family. Everyone pitched in
to help each other. We had the best time
each year when we gathered for our family reunion. They laughed and joked. They could tell one story after another. I felt the community looked deep into my eyes
and soul and I felt affirmed that I was me because of them. It was a great feeling. It is also part of my remembrance that they
never discussed being Cherokee. Children
were not advised of this heritage. Often
social workers would remove Native American children and placed them in remote
schools. I wanted to know more about my
unspoken heritage. Also, the trail of
tears was a sobering subject. They never spoke of the disenfranchisement of a
whole tribe. It is like the brand name was removed but the true essence
remained. It was enough to know the
unknown at that time. Now people in
Oklahoma are speaking the Cherokee language fluently once again. I am rich beyond words for knowing that
culture. I would be poor for not
experiencing the black eyes peas and cornbread they all loved. There is so much more about Ubuntu available
please feel free to research it. This is
a link about Nelson Mandela and the Ubuntu concept. Click
To be a happy millionaire and someone free of the negative concepts of money many paradigms must change. We can begin taken the control of our lives back and not be servants of the money changers.
Right livelihood is needed. Do you aim to be an integral part of your community, and do you bake your bread with love if you are the town baker? Are you digging a ditch if that is what your community asks of you? Are you there to mentor young people in your community? Would you be willing to march to the sea to harvest sea salt? Would you show the little ones how to spin and sew clothes like Mahatma Gandhi did? These things seem small, but they changed the course of history. The English provided things and taxed them to death.
These things are ubuntu. These things change
history. Would you allow a friend to spend
a week or two with you for free? Does
your heart expand and offer generosity to others who might be having a hard time? If so, you will eliminate homelessness.
Norse legends
of Yule Tide and New Years Eve have men making promises on the stone of truth. In these contracts said solemnly in the
presence of community and in the presence of much ail drinking, all upheld were
solidly. No financial baking was
needed. The community would have
consequences for breaking such an oath.
This is a good time of the year to refresh our human spirit and live
better in the new year.
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