tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037336979170362685.post5983435025132893059..comments2023-04-15T15:21:04.656-05:00Comments on Lifelines - African proverbs for daily living: Black History Month - Marcus Garvey and Mary SeacoleYvonne McCalla Sobershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05701667047959600060noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037336979170362685.post-50378700466403193282010-02-14T18:18:22.272-05:002010-02-14T18:18:22.272-05:00Hi Jeanette,
I think many of us, well-intentione...Hi Jeanette, <br /><br />I think many of us, well-intentioned as parents and as teachers, drain the genius and passion from our children so they can become "normal" people. <br /><br />I like your quote about the importance of aiming high. So often, those who didn't make it to the stars open the way for later generations who may well take the stars (desegregation, end of apartheid,adult suffrage) for granted. <br /><br />Thanks much for sharing your thoughts. In my mind, whatever makes us think is also helping us to grow. At the same time, fear can also mask itself as analytical thinking. But the more we think and act, and act and think, the better we know ourselves. And that is when we can tell the difference between fear that keeps us from acting, and fear that drives us to act and let the consequences take care of themselves. <br /><br />I value comments and your support of the blog.<br /><br />Blessings,<br /><br />YvonneYvonne McCalla Sobershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05701667047959600060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037336979170362685.post-43617748438222565722010-02-13T06:57:34.807-05:002010-02-13T06:57:34.807-05:00They say Buckminister Fuller once said "All c...They say Buckminister Fuller once said "All children are born geniuses but 9,999 of 10,000 are swiftly and inadvertently degeniusized by adults". I laughed the first time I read it but there is more than a germ of truth. I believe like you that the seed exists in all of us but some are swiftly and inadvertently "de-passionized" by someone, something, somewhere along the way. Their seed falls on stony ground then it dies and others fall on fertile ground and it flourishes. Not to suggest there is anything at all that was handed on a platter to either Marcus or Mary but you can't fake passion. Its either there or not and it takes much more than mere passion but its nigh impossible to make a start without it and even more impossible to slug it through without it.<br /><br />I once read a quotation at the start of a chapter in a wonderful book called "The Impossible Will Take a Little While" by Paul Loeb it said “The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity not to dream. It is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure but low aim is a sin.”<br /><br />There was so very much in this statement that held profound meaning for me that I can't begin to do justice to how much I agree with him as at the time of reading that described me to a T. Now that something has finally stirred I am a bit bemused cuz the passion doesn't seem to match the skill sets I have. Hehehe God does have a wicked sense of humour I think. So now, like many others I feel like a rodeo bull in the pen waiting to be let into the ring and he's snorting and stamping the ground. He just wants to get into the ring and get into action but there's this Gate.... For me some times the gate is not someone or something or some circumstance but just the absence knowing what to do with this budding passion/burden. This year I have decided to work towards creating the outlet and not wait for it to be created for me but I remain afraid of my own "humaness" meaning the failure to remain committed, fear of how easy we give in to our egos and sell out our soul and most of all the failure to have the answers if people start looking to you for them. <br /><br />But it came to me quite recently what the answer to that problem might be, its not waiting to be released from that fear, as nice as that would be, but its waiting for when the size of the need to achieve this goal exceeds the size of my fear. I think that's the tipping point, til then I am trying to ready myself. I am actually watching a wonderful documentary on Nelson M. on TV as I read your blog response so I guess that explains my lack of brevity cuz he sure does make one think on such things. But Yvonne thanks for inviting me to talk about it a bit more…it helped. Thanks a mil for the blog entries. <br />JCjayceehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620274502932710986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037336979170362685.post-59094510927478098942010-02-11T08:37:02.205-05:002010-02-11T08:37:02.205-05:00JC, thanks so much for introducing me to that Marc...JC, thanks so much for introducing me to that Marcus Garvey quote. <br /><br />On the matter of passion, it is indeed both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes the person who is driven might wish they could be just like "normal" people, not caring enough to drop everything (sometimes, career, family, income, personal safety) to follow a cause. <br /><br />I think seeds of passion exist in us all, and something may happen in our lives to provide the elements needed for the seeds to grow. For example. the birth of an autistic child has given some mothers a passion for educating the public on autism and improving the lives of autistic children. <br /><br />I would love to hear your further thoughts on this topic.Yvonne McCalla Sobershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05701667047959600060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037336979170362685.post-14557346359600716662010-02-10T19:31:32.662-05:002010-02-10T19:31:32.662-05:00There are so many days in my life when I wish I ha...There are so many days in my life when I wish I had the passion of a garvey/seacole. Where I was so consumed by the need, the call to do a particular thing that no obstacle is too great and no task too small for me to throw myself at it. Its truly astounding and I wonder is there a flip i can switch or does God simply lay something on your heart with such fervor you can't ignore it and others he just does not. Well, be it a blessing or a curse such passion is surely and sadly for me a rare commodity. <br /><br />Here's a Garvey quotation i saw for the first time this month and fell in love with it. "Do not remove the kinks from your hair--remove them from your brain". Take care now.<br />JCjayceehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620274502932710986noreply@blogger.com