Which Path To Extinction?

[Thunder X]

In an earlier blog post, I contend that Afrikans face not so much as corporeal extinction as they do cultural extinction. This may be so, but the former is still very much a possibility. Lack of knowledge of history in general and our history in particular, leaves us at a disadvantage when the importance of learning from and building upon one's history is concerned. Ignorance of our cultural heritage leaves us at a disadvantage with regards to the quality of spiritual, societal and economic expression and institutions respectively. Our limited knowledge of science and technology puts us at a disadvantage with respect to someday having to dismantle weapons of mass destruction that are currently in testing stage, and our ability to utilize this tech to our advantage. More than all of this is our overall lack of basic human survival skills. Before you assume that I am not taking into account our history during and after slavery, Jim Crow and colonialism, I am. The problem is that we have become increasingly unable to adapt to the quickening pace of the events and circumstances we are daily subjected to. Nor are we prepared for the certain eventuality of not having the luxuries (yes, even the minor luxuries we struggle so hard to obtain and maintain in the 'hood) of modern Western civilization. This is especially true of Afrikans living here in America. Africans in this country are soft mentally as we are physically. This fact alone is enough to facilitate our hasty departure from existence.

There are groups of White folk in the south (and in areas in the north as well) who take part in, or live on, Survival Camps. This is where they train their men, women and children to survive without modern comforts and to properly use weapons of every match (Swiss Knife to assault rifle). Not to be left out, city Whites often take their vacations in the wild; mountains, places with frigid climes, deserts, etc. back-pack bursting with survival tools, they trek into the unknown to challenge nature and, if they are fortunate, learn something about themselves. At the age of ten years-old I had the privilege of going on one of these survival trips in the Catskill Mountains, upstate New York, in the dead of winter. I was part of a small group of kids managed by two adults. No bathrooms, no hot water (no running water!), no heating, no food (rations will save your ass from starving and keep you full of protein, but it is not food). I would later become a Boy Scout, but this had them beat. We learned not only how to build a fire, we learned how to shoot rifles and we learned endurance in the face of brutal weather conditions. Right up to this day I can stand the coldest of showers when the landlord can't put the heat up. This and other experiences would greatly assist me when I would eventually become homeless. If you saw me during one of those periods of my life, you would never know of my circumstance unless I divulged the information. I looked good, I smelled good, and plenty of times I ate good (in fact I started putting together The Kingdomz X during this last period of transiency). I'm not here to brag. I'm know I wasn't the first, and I know I won't be the last to triumph over adversity. But dependency on modern comforts makes the body and mind soft. The mind is usually the first to go. There is the shock when one realizes that one may not experience these luxuries any time soon (if ever again), this is the initial demoraliser. Hunger is usually next since stress can increase the amount of acid in the stomach, thereby increasing the rate of digestion of any food you may have eaten earlier. In most cases, exposure to harsh weather will most certainly break the mind; if despair hasn't gripped the psyche before this, it has now!

In The Military Book Club's Survival Handbook, author Peter Darman in the first chapter, "The Psychology of Survival" explains:

"Two of the greatest threats to survival come from your own mind. They are a desire for comfort and a passive outlook. If not countered quickly, they can result in the demoralisation and death of survivors... A desire for comfort is a consequence of modern urban living conditions. Western living standards have made people 'soft', in the sense that they are, for the most part, cushioned from threats from nature and the environment... The sudden disappearance of the comforts you have taken for granted is a great shock to the system and can lead to severe demoralisation."

Why this should be of concern to Afrikans (especially Afrikans in America) should be obvious. We may live the same sheltered lifestyle as anyone else (if you think the 'hood is rough now, wait until five to ten years from now), but we lack a sense of culture, history and community which, combined with events sure to come, may very well spell the end of our race. We need to learn all of these skills and strategies and more. Do any of us know how to counter (or treat) the effects of biological, nuclear or chemical weapons? How will we survive when the food and water supplies become contaminated? Who knows how to operate a Ham radio; to treat hypothermia; to clean, maintain and properly use a firearm? The list of our shortcomings and short-sightedness is profound! As it stands. we are not prepared for much of anything...

Except maybe extinction.

[Thunder X]

Thank You For Your Comment Sister Afrika. Brother L. That Haki Madhubuti Is One Of My Favorite Authors, And That Book Should Be In All Of Our Top Ten Reads! Plan To Planet Is Also Full Of Practical Information.

[Kulturefirst]

I know that is why Black Men, Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The Afrikan American Family in Transition (Paperback)
by Haki R. Madhubuti brings out that as Fathers we need to go camping with our children!