Rasta and Racism

If different people have to interact and reason well, then underlying prejudices should first be addressed. Without addressing them, there is no reason to try to become friends or anything more with those who are not interested in working through deep-seated prejudices. There is no use in keeping a relationship with people whom you continually distrust except for the purpose of working out those differences (i.e. Racism, White Privileges, Colorism and Gender ignorance) Mind you, it is the same hypocrites who continually try to chide Africans for generalizations as if a generalization amounts to the experiences of Racism.

The real issue is integrity or lack thereof.

It is not as if people do not understand that these issues should be resolved before we can build as a collective. It is like some people feel things are already in their favour so there is no need to 'rock the boat'. (More illusions)

I have seen arguments about Rastafari being a spiritual journey and not a Black movement. Who told those people that Black issues are not an integral part of spiritual development? Dealing with prejudices are part of character building and that is the most important part of spiritual development.

Actually, this is a very dishonest argument because most Whites who embrace Rasta did so from the perspective of its resurgence in the 1930s and as such they are trying to identify with Rastafari from the perspective of the Black liberation struggle.

Once White people's awareness of Rasta is limited to what transpired from the 1930s then they cannot identify with Rastafari in essence (spiritually). They cannot do so for the simple fact that they did not and cannot have the experiences of the Africans who felt compelled to go their own way and recapture symbols of Black leadership. They could study it as hard as they like and all they would get is an understanding but not the knowledge that comes from real/realised identification.

Identifying is bonding (spiritually) with the essential knowledge of something. This can only be attained through direct experiences or through realizing Oneself through the experiences of others. If people are trying to bond through a spiritual journey (self-realization), then they must go through certain well-defined paces to realize similar experiences.

Africans can legitimately have all three relationships with Rasta at the same time. They can identify with Rasta Spiritually through self-reflection, which has its roots in Africa and Black awareness. Africans can identify with Rasta as an earthly movement because they continue to experience the same negative discriminations that gave rise to it. Africans can also identify with Rasta in a symbolic way because they can look the part after going through the legitimate processes.

Whites can only have a Spiritual and a Symbolic relationship with Rastafari. If they lack the spiritual awareness then what looks like a symbolic relationship is in reality an insincere cosmetic relationship.

It is the same with other types of relationships. There is the Physical relationship (the movement), the Symbolic relationship, and the Spiritual relationship. Only people with shared experiences can start a movement, and only those who continue to share those experiences can lead the movement with any measure of credibility. Other people can have a Spiritual relationship (can bond in essence) even if they cannot directly experience.

However, if people feel they can dismiss the underlying reason a movement began/resurrected, they are dismissing the keys to rise spiritually in that movement.

Rasta in essence is a spiritual thing, while Rastafari is a movement, a Black liberation struggle. Rastafari lacking the understanding of the spiritual aspects and its earthly movement is strictly cosmetic/fashionable.