I Should’ve Just Took The Crumbs. DAMN IT!

Who failed H. Rap Brown?

What happens if you fail Robert Greene’s first law of power?

An Eddie Murphy quote.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

A JOKE.

Q: How can a country that prints its own money go in debt?”

A: It fired its I.T. guy.

WHO FAILED H. RAP BROWN?

I almost didn’t have a rant this month. I was gonna take a hike instead. But, I heard a story about H. RAP BROWN and got obsessed. I googled his life story. Then I read “Die Nigger Die!”. Sheesh! About halfway through Rap wrote -

“I was always at odds with teachers. I challenge anything that doesn't make good sense. But I stayed in school, cause I wasn't willing to get caught in another trick that eventually led to long sentences in jail or ending up in the gutter one night with a knife in your back.”

Rap recently died in NC, serving a life sentence in jail. I’ve got so many questions-

-How does a person go from signifying and organizing to dying in jail?

-Who failed Rap?

-Was Rap who They said he was?

-Did the government do what He said they did?

-Will “Nigg-ers/as/uhs” and “Blacks” ever reconcile?

-Can “Black” institutions save the next Rap?

-How cool would a Spike Lee directed H. Rap joint be?

It took a lot of people to create H. Rap Brown, including Rap. We don’t have to agree with all that he signified, but some of it we shouldn’t continue to ignore.

DON’T OUTSHINE THE MASTER.

Being ronin seems cool, until you got a hunned ninjas on your bumper. A longer conversation is to be had about what happens if you fail the first law of power. Rap said that some people talk different depending on their proximity to “White” folks. I’ve heard it with my own three ears. Some say absolutely nothing. Some say a whole lot of nothing. Some say what they said, but with less signifying. Beyond word choice and enunciation, we’re mostly talking about context. A fella told me that I shouldn’t speak directly to “White” people about the struggle. He didn’t know who I should talk to about securing funds for a school, or how to acquire any of the other abandoned buildings in the city, but he was convinced I shouldn’t be talking directly to “White” people about it.

He couldn’t lead me where I was going, so, I went looking for a master with “Black” dollars and decision-making power that had good taste in film, didn’t gossip, didn’t help delay the causes of “Blacks”, didn’t want to kill “Whitey”, didn’t muffle his words, and didn’t small talk or pussyfoot about the obvious. It’d be cool if he was a traveling man. Until I can corner this unicorn it makes more sense to talk directly to “White” folks. They own all the buildings I need.

I keep looking for a particular thought leader to revive the campaign for “Black” institutions. They seem capable. They’ve got the resume. They’ve got the network. But they don’t/won’t never say what we need them to be saying. How can we move the “Black” agenda forward when our leaders want to be social media influencers more than they want to be social economic influencers? “It’s a damn shame. They got all them degrees just to get on tv and gossip about “Black” folks.”

I overstand why people shy away from the work. Rent is bananas. The babies need milk. And history has not always been kind to contrarians. However, radical work has evolved. We no longer have to yell, war, or kill “Whitey” for America to achieve her full potential. Faces may ball up, but nobody else has to die in the revolution.

“I WANT THE KNIIIFE, PLEEEEAAASSE!”

Langston Hughes wrote “I, too, am America”. Waay back then folks rapped about sitting at the table and being seen by America. We still on that? We still on that. If I were America, I’d give “Blacks” all the institutions they want and then tell ‘em to get out my face. If nobody wants the job, I will do it. I once had a job printing photos; how hard could printing money and commercial deeds be?

The other day, I received a solicitation to provide mental health services to incarcerated people. Once upon a time this was a dream job for me, but now it’d be hustling backwards. Prisoners don’t need more talking to. They need interventions that keep them out of jail, like rehabbing abandoned buildings into job opportunities, inspiration and entertainment hubs, and/or trade and resource centers.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS.

A librarian from England is said to have completed a 12-year meditation retreat in the Himalayas. She spent several years isolated in a cave. I understand the value of radical quiet, but sheesh. How extreme would you be about your peace?

A therapeutic rant can be productive, but it can’t fix all of it. Diversify your wellness toolbox. Consider adding meditation. Go for a retreat. Take a hike. Run. Jump. Climb. Take up a cause. Be creative. FAFO.

Taking extreme measures to actualize, sustain, and promote personal, social, and future peace is - TherapeuticLiving.