Behind White Arrogance

Africans who have already experienced the humiliation from what appears to be White superiority and arrogance are close to realizing something important, but only when they get a proper perspective on what is behind this arrogance.

Whites do not genuinely believe that they are superior to anyone. It is a deep sense of loss and disconnectedness from greatness that is behind their general insecurities.

This façade of superiority is a way to hide deep fears. Fears of what may happen if and when victims of 'their' abuses get the upper hand. Fear of not being able to proudly look back into the past and get a genuine feeling of the continuity of life and its accomplishments. This is the reason that alongside the savagery, there is the destruction of the symbols of more indigenous cultures. They do not feel their connectedness to these cultures and as such feel a sense of shame for having not developed the very ideas that they exploit today. There is this ongoing effort to possess and claim all that is visibly good, and herald them as symbols of their own greatness.

It is only fearful people who allow their leaders to stay at great distances and rain bombs on other people. Fearful people lie, steal, kill, and dominate others.

Today, whites can come out of these doldrums if they are prepared to surrender to a better discipline. Rasta can offer this to Whites alongside giving the necessary relief to Blacks who need basic material comforts in order to get the breathing space to work on themselves.

It is certainly not easy for a White person to come to a Black institution to look for help. Their whole world is tugging them away from this. But truth is a powerful attraction to people who know they are victims of a system although they benefit from its privileges.

So I am not dismayed that Whites are drawn to African institutions, as addressing issues from an African point of view can bring relief to all people. But the order is very important. People should realize that in everything there is an intrinsic order that allows for a harmonious flow of relief to everyone.

The two sides of Rasta can coexist and bring relief to all. One side is spiritual and the other material. It is the spiritual side that should be of interest to Blacks, Whites and all others, and yes, it will always be open to all because it is in this spirituality we share a common identity.

The material side is supposed to be about bringing relief to those most affected by the false white supremist system and as such, whites focus should be on supporting Africans who are making the effort to help themselves.

The key word is support, and not lead.