Being What You Seek

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Op/Ed by Chief Egunwale Amusan

As a group, there are none more critical of themselves than Black people; there are many components that have led to this reality. The most common have always had to do with that familiar saying “You must work twice as hard, and be twice as good, to be successful” in Western culture.

As a result, two problems occur with this concept: The first is assimilation and the need to be accepted by the Western culture. The second is the crippling level of co-dependency that keeps generation after generation seeking without what can only come from within us. We’re seeking the American Dream, not understanding that we are the Dream.

Our brilliant ancestors built a superpower nation under the worst living conditions. They built the economic empire Black Wall Street under Jim Crow conditions all while the rest of the U.S. was suffering from “their own” Great “Economic” Depression.

The truth is, we have always been twice as good, and we have always had the capacity to work twice as hard.

The significant problem that has existed we have been trying to measure up to people that have been deficient in every way since arriving in the so-called New World. No cultural base, no social-communal skills, no agricultural skills, no political skills, and no moral compass. I’m confident that many would deny such an outrageous statement. However, it is critical that we look at all things from a historical context.

Who were these people we so desperately seek acceptance – from? England transported its convicts, political prisoners, and prisoners of war from Scotland and Ireland to its oversea-colonies in the Americas, from 1610 to the early stages of the American Revolution in 1776. Moreover, when transportation to America was temporarily suspended by the Criminal Law Act of 1776, over 50,000 of them were sent over from Great Britain.

• If I told you that I came from a legacy of generational banditry, would you trust me with your money?
• If I told you that I came from a legacy of generational barbarism, would you trust me to be your moral compass?
• If I told you that I came from a legacy of generational historical piracy, would you trust me to teach your children?
• If I told you that I came from a legacy of generational genocide against People of Color, would you trust me with your humanity?
• If I told you that I came from a legacy of generational, religious exploitation, would you trust me to teach you about God? Of course, you would not!

We must relearn how to trust ourselves again. We must intentionally detox ourselves of the dysfunctional lies and stereotypes that have become our truth. A lie told enough times becomes the truth eventually.

• We must be willing to become what we seek.
• We seek God but never look within.
• We seek wealth but feel untrustworthy of our own ability to attain it.
• We seek truth but fall for historical lies.
• We seek education but are unwilling to educate our own from our own cultural perspective.

We exhibit great humanity to all but defeat, denigrate, and emasculate our own. How we love each other is the measurement of how we love God.

If we seek to heal our people, we must become the medicine. If want to become whole, then we must break away from co-dependency and become interdependent. If we desire to be whole, then we must overcome fear.

Fear and love cannot live in the same house. You cannot seek the love of all that exists if you cannot see that love within.

Become what you seek!