Rastafari (and this is coming from a real baldhead) is an African cultural form of resistance that LOOSELY articulates its own perspective of viewing the world. It has SEVERAL informed spritual, religious and political viewpoints, that along with the fact that there is no central church or temple, or bishop or canon to organise a dictating philosophy ensure that Rastas worldwide must develop THEIR OWN IDEAS about faith and their relationship to the society they live in. This is the primary reason why rastas in different countries, and even different parts of town all have varying ideas about faith, HIM Selassie I, and how those ideas should play out in their lives.
To hear some elders like the rastafarian scholar, Horace campbell, tell it, Rastas need to take an initiative in technical and scientific matters. in other words, they should become doctors, scientists, engineers and the like. Shashamane and all of Africa needs that level of scholarship in order to regain its footing on the world stage. Marcus Garvey himself asked the question: where is the black man's nation, his doctors, lawyers, engineers and statesmen?
So for many of the Youths who are dropping out of school, I think much of this is a result of their own confusion rather than the principles of the faith. And even more significantly, it may be a result of the pressures associated with succeeding an achieving at a high level. i woud even suggest that many of these youths who fall by the wayside may have fallen because the degrees that they were pursuing may not have been their idea in the first place. many have gone to school to satisfy the whims and desires of their parent sponsors or to meet certain family expectations. So dropping out of school and becoming a natty may have been the highest form of rebellion on their part.
I and I is a rastaman at heart but my idea of rasta means that one must be well read (not only on Africa), well educated or one should use their particular talent, artistic or otherwise to develop a business capable of sustaining themselves and their family, and even better, a business capable of hiring and training the youths. Many of the books that psuedo-rastas quote from (but never read) are written by men like Cheikh Anta Diop, John henrik Clarke, Chancellor Williams etc... These men were all highly educated and could go anywhere in the world and be acepted for their intelligence.
Google Cheikh Anta Diop and read his biography. he was an EXTREMELY BRILLIANT MAN. His legend at the Sorbonne in France is unsurpassed and his contributions to the field of radiocarbon dating and how he fused over 15 different disciplines (philosophy, chemistry,anthropolgy, linguistics...etc) to prove the African origin or egyptian and world civilization is mind boggling. And he had to accomplish and successfully defend his ideas in an extremely hostile environment where the need to discredit Africa as the source of anything good was signficant.
On the other hand, i would like to believe that if i decide to drop out of school and sell nuts, it would be for me, a part of a larger business strategy. Maybe today I am pushing the cart through the rain and sun, then tomorrow, maybe I own two more carts, in 5 years, I should be the largest nuts vendor in all of TnT, in ten years, the caribbean.
You see, our ideology should not only be based on calling for revolution but for laying a vision and foundation for after the revolution has come and gone. So dropping outta babylon is fine and dandy but what is the alternative vision. it cyah be just bunning de chalice and bulling empresses.
But I have been watching and reading this thread throughout and i want to say that these problems that many of you all have pointed out, does not belong to rastas alone. I am not basher of faiths but most of the followers of organised religions (christianity, islam and Judaism) are some of the most ignorant people that you can generally meet and talk to about faith. Most of us I am certain have arrived at our conclusions about our faith, not through reason and scholarship, not through instropection and paryerful meditation but through the fact that we were born into a family that professed it. What happens then is that we tend to understand religion from an EMOTIONAL perspective and remain ignorant to the VAST ( I said VAST and NUMEROUS CHANGES) that have taken place amongst the ecclesiastical branch.. ie the men who study and make changes to what you believe.
I am certain that many here know nothing about the Council of Nicea (and that the minutes to that meeting are available at most major universities). Most know nothing about The Jesus Seminar (and the wide body of Christian scholars who have been begging for revisions in biblical texts either because of GROSS misintepretations, omissions and submissions to key texts) Most do not know that many of these changes have already been made (READ the preface to the RSV Bible and here them mention a few of the inaccuracies)... Most here do not know that the Catholic church have since revised its concept of Satan and the End of Time(two MAJOR developments that most of the laity do not even know about)... And the list goes on...
Rastas, as Tallman said, aren't the only ones who are misguided, lazy or ignorant.
I know meh post long so I will talk about the saddhus of India (dreadlocked holy men), the use of marijuana (and know nuff natty, myself included, who have never smoked or plan on smoking weed) the Mau mau and the concept of Nyabinghi later on. Plus, it might be wise to look at the concept of ritualism(the ridiculous idea that to praise God properly, one must kneel, pray and wear your clothes a certain way) and the outward manifestations of praise and woship and see if it is more important than the consciousness that should accompany it.
PS: Its funny how nuff man here quick to belittle the rastaman's concept of HIM divinity (from either the literal or metaphysical perspective) but love Moses who according to Bible was an impulsive murderer, David who lusted after another man's wife, Noah, who slept with his daughters, and Abraham who attempted to kill his son, presumably under the command of God as a display of loyalty... some kinda God eh?
Bless
Truthseeker
" There are many truths and many falsehoods"
