We sensationalize the legacies of great men, but we forget the greatest of men only want their legacies to be used as ‘stepping stones.’  The hallmark of true greatness is to be a catalyst for progress.  Men of such distinction never see themselves as the end but rather as part of the process that will hopefully lead to that end.  It is truly remarkable when one realizes that he/she will not change the world in some sensational fashion, but still recognize that he/she has a part in that play.  Greatness is never intentional–it is merely a byproduct of a desire to serve, an inglorious acceptance of a responsibility to contribute to humanity.

We make legends of  men and gods of great men.  I have come to realize that this is why celebrity exists.  This has been a problem that civilizations have faced since antiquity, but at least the quality the Greeks sought was godliness.  In the modern world, we have created for ourselves a world of juxtapositions, a world of contraries.  The majority of us think of anything new and ingenious that another man has developed as being solely the power of that man’s mind.  So, rather than being inspired by such genius to build upon that creation or to tap into our own minds, we shrink in the face of such marvelous opportunity.  Instead of taking such opportunities as a wakeup calls to our own potential, we build monuments of worship to greatness and to men.  We picture very little overlay in our “comparative venn-diagrams”.  An underlying reason is the fact that we tend to take a competitive, rather than a contributory, approach to societal living.  We choose to live together in societies under the premise that communal living is a safer and more productive bet for all, but yet we take a zero-sum approach to life.  Such great irony we live in.

History does not live for itself, but rather for the future; it only wishes to be built upon, it only wishes to influence the future.  In the same vein, greatness only wishes to inspire more greatness.  We dishonor the memory of greatness when we loose strength at its sight.  The greatest of men are seekers of truth, not of glorification.  The idea is always to progress and refine truths, methods, and thinking from one age to the next.  To bow down and be defeated by the glory of great achievements is truly a disservices to ourselves and our future because, in that moment, we stunt the progress of society.

On May 26th 2011 at about 10:52p.m. I tweeted “When I pass, please do not mourn me.  I hope I would have lived a life worthy of a celebration.” About 24hours later on the Night of May 27th 2011, we found out our poet and songwriter Gil Scott-Heron had passed.  I employ all those familiar with the man’s work to celebrate his life rather than mourning his death.  Eerie enough, later on the night of May 26th I though and wrote an extended version of the tweet.  On the night of Gil Scott-Heron’s death I could not help but edit the piece a bit and add a few more lines.  The short piece below is the culmination of those thoughts.

A Life Lived

When I pass, please do not mourn me, I hope I would have lived a life worthy of a celebration
When I pass, please do not pity me, I hope I would have lived a life worthy of glory

When I Pass..

Do not be saddened by my ever absence, be glad that eternity has found me favorable

Do not remiss that you were unable to have another word with me, be happy that in this great existence of design, our meeting was purposeful.
So, when I pass, please do not mourn my death, I ask that you celebrate my life and your place in It.
Celebrate the circumstances and design of our encounter
Celebrate the happenstance and nuances that made our friendship possible
Celebrate the fact that in the infinite possibilities of time and space, the Sun shun upon us equally
Celebrate the fact that we shared a time and or space in this great divide
Please do not mourning me…

Find me worthy of your most joyous smile                                                                                                                                                                      Find me worthy of an increased heart rate and a rush of blood to your brain

Please do not mourn me…

Celebrate my life as I celebrate the year Mozart wrote his Jupiter Symphony
Celebrate my life as I celebrate Emerson’s dissertation on History
Celebrate my life as I celebrate the moment Kerouac discovered his pen                                                                                                  Celebrate my life as I celebrate the vibrations in Scott-Heron’s voice

Do not mourn me…

Celebrate my life as I celebrate the hour Bach learned to fly
Celebrate my life as I celebrate the brain twitch leading to Einstein’s theory of relativity
Celebrate my life as I celebrate the birth of Buddha, the roads of Mecca, and Mariam of Nazareth
Celebrate my life as I celebrate the lost years of Mussa and the parting of the Sea.

Do Not Mourn Me
Celebrate my life as I celebrate the eerie feeling of finding kindred spirits in lives lived long before mine.
For, if you should find favor in the next life before I…I shall celebrate the memory if your existence
I will celebrate all that happened leading to You and Us
And I will celebrate all that you have touched
All that your existence has influenced and by definition that will be ALL.

Dedicated to the life Gil Scott-Heron

By externally motivated, I am not speaking of folks being pushed forcibly by others, but rather, that people tend to be motivated by the material world. They are motivated by things to be gained physically and other rewards and also are driven to please others. The biggest mistakes one can make in any endeavor is to find ones motivation in an external source. What we often fail to remember is that the material world around us and those man-made physical things we cherish so dearly are all so very fleeting and temporary. When externally motivated, we spend so much energy chasing after physically unstable things, the value of which can change by the minute.

Internal motivation– the desire to achieve that stems from within an individual’s own consciousness– is a beautifully pure phenomenon. The will to achieve that comes without the need for external rewards is truly a joyous spell to be under.

I realized some time back that the only motivation that leads to lasting happiness is one that stems from an internal source separate from the whims of the world around us. The world as we know it is very fickle in terms of what it deems important, acceptable, and worthy of praise. External motivation always points towards those things the world finds important, while truely internal motivation stems from your soul’s desires. There is a certain lasting and satisfying quality to those things our soul seeks. When we make the mistake of allowing the external world to motivate us towards an endeavors we leave ourselves open to chasing what others find important and rewarding, rather than whatever it is that satisfies our heart’s desires.

External motivation leads us to chase after external objects for happiness. This type of happiness is never lasting; it is as fleeting as the objects themselves. Why would we think anything so changing can somehow substantially fulfill us? The hilarity in chasing external object to fulfill our need for happiness is that it’s a lasting chase because as soon as we have attained one object it is no longer important and does not bring us any more happiness, so we find another thing to chase and inevitably results in the same. In a repetitive manner, we spend our time and shed sweat on endeavors and professions we do not truly love in order to attain objects that won’t be a source of happiness for any significant amount of time.

How insane is that notion?

Man’s success in individuating himself has been the single most detrimental factor to his ethical and spiritual progress. In separating himself from other men, man lost his ethical self; in separating himself from his environment, he lost his spiritual self.

The easiest way for a man to lose his ethics is for him to see himself as separate from the whole, to recognize himself as being in one way or another not only different but more worthy than the next man; to recognize that somehow, even though he shares an existence with another, he is superior and, thus, entitled to something the other is not. Once one is able to distinguish between himself and others, he is then able to ethically justify treating others differently.

The extreme of those justifications comes when one is able to enslave, kill, or injure others without an ethical conflict. The gruesome acts of history are rooted in man’s method of individuation.

The irony of man’s differentiation is that in the process of distinguishing himself, he often includes himself in a group. The group he includes himself in is usually set opposed to another group. This mentality and process of differentiation is detrimental to the progress of humanity; it has never led to a positive outcome. The list of what it has led to is grim: clan and ethnic conflict, tribalism, nationalism, and religionism, among others.

As we observe our history, almost naturally built into these lines of grouping is conflict at every step. Once we are able to remove or ignore the common thread between man, killing another man is but child’s play.

Even more tragic and basic than man’s loss of his ethical self, is the lost of his spiritual self. The separation of man from the world around him is the beginning of man’s loss of his spiritual self. In putting himself on a throne above all as the pinnacle of creation, man took a great step in his spiritual fall. In our arrogance we have failed to see the common spirit that runs through all of creation. We like to think that somehow our existence is very much separate from the existence of everything else in the universe. We have separated man from the universe he exists in and in doing so we have cut the line between us and our spiritual life. How foolish of us to deny a coexistence and dependence on our environment.

The same force that sustains our life, also powers the world around us and the universe at large. Recognition of a common spirit between man and every bit of the universe is the beginning of true appreciation for our existence. Once we can appreciate the wonder of our universe, we can appreciate our fellow man, and also ourselves. We can’t Truly appreciate how special we are as individuals until we can recognize and appreciate the universality of all existence. Recognizing the bigger picture allows us to appreciate how special we are just to be a part of that larger whole–the universality that links all existence.

Forward: Mr. Morris

With the end of the civil rights movement and the apparent attainment of equality, African American are faced with living in America as fully free citizens.  What is to happen to people who have lost many of its leaders during the fight for equality, a minority living in a nation controlled by the majority that treats them as second class citizens, a people who were united by a struggles that has now been hurdled?

By: Silent Intelligence

Malcolm X once said “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”  Although this may appear to be true, it seems like the Afro-American family has found it difficult to live up to this, for we are still playing catch-up; since our introduction to the land of the Americas.  Since then, the Afro-American race, and more importantly, the Afro-American family has overcome many obstacles and much adversity within their race and society, in an attempt to fully acquire and solidify equality amongst the rest of civilization.  The Afro-American race reached its peak during the middle of the twentieth century.  With the civil rights movements sparked by great minds such as Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and others, it seemed as if the Afro-American race was on track for equality.  Although it appeared the Afro-American race had universal equality in its grasp, we as a race have begun to take a turn for the worst as the twentieth century came to a close; and when the race made this drastic change, ultimately; the deterioration of the Afro-American family soon followed.  Starting in the middle of the twentieth century and leading up to the end of the twentieth century, it appeared that everything that the Afro-American race had fought for had become inapt.  Instead of making further progress; the Afro-American race has fallen into a retrogression, resulting in a dismantling of the Afro-American family, and is on a steep slope to failure unless change within ourselves and our race occurs immediately.

By: Silent Intelligence

We live in a society where the idea of “success” is ever shifting, but somehow, it manages to stay in a particular box.  People generally don’t define success on their own terms–they leave it up to society to determine the meaning of success.  People then dedicate their life to becoming “successful.”  While the desire to achieve and accomplish is an integral part of a vibrant society, it is an issue when the premise and those endeavors we count in the box of success is determined by societal judgment, rather than by the individual who undertakes these endeavors.

In any particular time, we find certain achievements to be praiseworthy and branded as “successful,” while others are not even recognized. It would be cliché of me to say that society often limits the success label to those works and professions that garner large monetary value, but, nevertheless– it’s true. We value money making ventures–especially when they also bring along power and influence. When an individual’s goals do not fall into that money, power, or influence garnering box, we often don’t see their value and often question why that individual would undertake such work. We go as far as to relegate work not targeted at making money to the status of ”dreams” or “fantasies”. We see a banker as someone chasing success, but those who don’t prioritize money making we label as “dreamers.” Why exhaust your time and sweat for fanciful goals, we ask?
Why is the value of a goal determined by anyone other than the endeavourer? The idea of success and, thus, the value of an achievement should also be determined by the individual, rather than the price-tag society is willing to place on it, as it is he or she who knows how much it honestly means to him or her. The pursuit of a goal and its subsequent attainment should be intended to give the individual a sense of fulfillment; the appreciation of it by others is but a byproduct. The individual should determine what success means and what is worthy of chasing.

As a society, we do ourselves a disservice when place restrictions on the realm of success. We push our members toward particular works, professions, and endeavors and, thus, limit the potential of our society’s members.  As a consequence, we lose out on impactful achievements that could benefit our society.  By valuing particular professions, we value particular use of our minds and bodies; we limit the range of thought and exploration. The mason and the banker should both be valued. The choice to be a thinker should not seem strange, while ambitions to be a head of state praised.

Success should be determined on ones’ own terms.

“The most important motive for work in school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in its result, and the knowledge of the value of the result to the community.” ~ Albert Einstein

While it is true that we are born into a world full of people to interact with, we are also born alone into this world as
individuals.  When we are infants, we are individualistic in our actions and temperaments, willing to spend
hours alone at play with our own imaginations.   Not yet aware of the scrutiny of the world around us, we have no trouble thinking and acting freely.   In an unfortunate phenomenon, we become hyper-sensitive to the scrutiny of our fellow man as we grow in age–so much so that we loose touch with our true inner selves.

Paradoxically, we become aware of the self and in the same leap lose touch with our true selves.  From then forward, the idea of the individual is gradually attacked from all angles in our psyche.  When one begins to express individualistic ideas, the ideas are frowned upon and the individual is often discredited.   Much of our actions from then on are carefully guarded so as to obtain the approval of the world.

In the process of losing our selves, we also lose our voice.  Many of us are uncomfortable with the sound of our own voices and find it hard to breathe within the vacuum of our own thoughts.   We respond to the silence surrounding our thoughts as a blinding darkness rather than as the appropriate background that helps the “light” of our minds shine brighter.   The state of being aware of our own independent thoughts is so frightening to so many of us.

Many men have gone mad at the shock of being alone with their thoughts.   The first time one is truly aware of his thoughts can be a frightening experience, but that first spark is an experience in awakening.

That spark comes on its own, but the purposeful element in this experience is in the decision to either enter that realm again or shut your eyes to that reality.   The awakening occurs in the lives of many people, but it is a difficult choice to keep one’s eyes open.

The decision to explore one’s own thoughts is an exercise in solitude.  It is at first an uncomfortable decision to be alone with your own untainted and unadjusted thoughts.   When we allow ourselves to be physically, mentally, and spiritually alone, we allow our pure thoughts to reveal themselves.  Much of our daily thoughts are heavily influenced by those we are around, as well as the material world we experience.  Not often are we able to stumble upon a purely authentic mental state.   Our thoughts are continuously polluted by the opinions of others as they are being formed; rarely are these thoughts free to form in a vacuum, untainted.

The world we live in does all it can to distract us from our thoughts. There are innumerable voices to turn to in an effort to ignore that personal voice.  We must learn to be comfortable in solitude and comfortable with our own thoughts.   The longer we allow the silence to embrace us, the louder those inner thoughts becomes–until we can no longer ignore that voice.   It is in these moments that we learn about ourselves, our true opinions, our inner convictions.  These are the moments of true clarity.   It is in these moments we stumble upon truth–the eternal essence.

Practice being alone with your thoughts, for it is only in those moments that our thoughts are purely ours.

**Guest Post by Adlib**

After having read Taking it to the Streets Parts One and Two, I affirm Bushwick Sunrise’s vision for redefining New York’s city streets as grounds for community building and positive interactions. I love the unplanned, spontaneous social interactions of the street that Bushwick Sunrise (hereafter referred to as BW) articulates a higher vision for. I am drawn to the potential for closeness and intimacy that New York’s geographical set-up has to offer, with cafes, nightclubs, the train, and the sidewalk providing tight-knit grounds for interaction. Even the smallest sign of recognition of shared experience, such as eye contact, a smile or a brief exchange, can provide me with an affirmation of connectedness in a city that also holds the potential to feel cold and impersonal.

Interacting on the street is an organic way to ignite a relationship, mirroring life itself in its randomness and absurdity. There is magic in being able to say that you met someone on the street, that the twists and turns, the infinitesimal nuances of your lives created a collision and a response with another person that felt random and with purpose at the same time. There is undoubtedly something spiritual about these interactions.

One thought that came to mind after reading BW’s series is how experiences we have on the street—our spaces for public engagement—merely reflect larger social structures trickled down to the most basic level. For example, BW discusses his avoidance of interactions on the streets while growing up for fear of violent acts against him. Ultimately, such behaviors (both the violent ones, and BW’s hesitation to interact) can be traced back to a larger capitalist social structure that pits community members against each other out of desperation, as they find themselves at the bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy. Intertwined with this capitalist social structure is a racist social structure in which people of color are disproportionately the poorest.

While some may argue that the only way to dismantle these larger social structures is revolution, I argue that until that day, we can work to build momentum and weaken the grasp that systems of oppression have on our lives by taking personal initiative to change the way we interact. And what more fertile ground to begin than the street!

In my experience as a young woman, the majority of my negative interactions with people on the street involve unwanted sexual attention. They are neither memorable, nor leave the good energy lingering in their trail that street interactions have the potential to create. They are cat-calls, the seemingly eternal phenomenon of men whistling, whispering breathy exclamations, or shouting out crude remarks as a woman walks by.

Even when they are delivered in the form of a compliment (i.e. “you got some beautiful eyes, sweetheart”) they are still tinged with a voyeuristic, often menacing, tone. There is nothing genuine about a classic “good morning” greeting when you look up, and a man your father’s age is licking his lips, a glazed over expression in his eyes.

Everyday as I pass Prince Lumber on 14th and 8th en route to work, I avoid eye contact as men working whistle and mumble. Yes, this unwanted attention can be attributed in part to my identity as a young, attractive woman.

But my physical body or my facial features are not the ultimate reason why men hoot and holler: they do this to affirm their power, to claim their space. Their behaviors are expressions of our patriarchal society; men use the street as a space where they reserve the right to comment on your body, to own it through their comments and stares. All interactions involve a transfer of energy, and in this transfer women are made to feel objectified and without a full sense of self at the mercy of the male gaze.

In making this observation I do not intend to place blame on men—they, too, have been victims of patriarchy.  It lessens their potential for a richer emotional life, more intimate relationships with both men and women, and pressures them to uphold unattainable standards of “real manhood.” Also, as patriarchy intertwines with our racist society, many men of color who have been disempowered by other social structures find their only outlet to express power is through their maleness. Men themselves are not ultimately to blame for their expressions of patriarchy.

Yet it is part of becoming a conscious person and reaching a fuller maturity that we must become aware of the systems that control us and take responsibility for our actions. It is the work of us all to dismantle destructive social structures expressed on the street.

Over the years I have developed immunity to cat-calls, and can now smoothly continue a conversation that has been interrupted by a man’s comment. But when I really think about it, my reaction is not progressive because it cuts off any potential for shared engagement and doesn’t disrupt the power dynamic in place. It also transforms me, a normally loving, open person, a lover of the street for its ability to bring us all together, into someone who has built walls to shut people out, who has been forced to develop an unnatural coldness. In this example, it is my work as well, to respectfully challenge (when it works for me) men’s behaviors towards me on the street.

Likewise, it is the responsibility of men to reconsider their intentions and objectives in approaching women.  In cat-calling, men trade in the genuine joy of human connection for the illusory joy of power.

Patriarchy also affects the way women interact with each other on the street, pitting us against each other and making us skeptical, distrustful and insecure in each others’ presences. I consider it a victory when another woman smiles at me in passing, and the meaning of that smile is far more potent that one that came from a man. Since I have realized this lack, I’ve put in extra effort to interact supportively with women- there are multiple avenues to disrupt behaviors created by systems of oppression.

Although I have focused in on expressions of patriarchy—it is the experience closest to me—every system of oppression can be weakened through the ways we interact each other on the street. BW’s vision for improved spontaneous, unplanned social interactions has so much potential to build community, spark positive change and create a healthier New York. But it won’t be effective until we become conscious of what controls our behaviors and we commit to dismantling this control. The street is the most grassroots level that we can begin acting on our commitment to change.

-Adlib