Normally, a man’s mind is the activating force that directs him. He does as he thinks.
If he is stimulated into action by impulses that over-ride thought, quite often he has to stop and think over the consequences. In this age of technology one may well liken man’s mind to a computer machine, because the output depends on the intake.
From early history we learn of tribe subduing tribe; nation conquering nation, where the warriors leave off, the administrators take over the task of subduing the conquered — physically and mentally.
THE MIND CONTROLS THE BODY
The methods employed have become more advanced scientifically, but the intent remains the same — break the spirit of a man, and he easily becomes a serf, a peon, a good-for-nothing person, a frustrated human being, without hope, engulfed finally in futility and despair.
“Peace in our time” has been the wish of many generations, witnessing the holocaust of war, and the poverty and misery consequent thereon, but man has predatory instincts, and particularly the white race in modern times has acquisitive traits, thus they build up material wealth, and this ensures them POWER.
Within the last twenty-five years the empire-building nations of Europe have had to give up their rich possessions in Asia and nearly all of Africa and the West Indies. This was brought about finally after two bloody globular wars, in which Germany aided by her satellites wanted control of more of the mineral laden territories of Africa.
The result is that the United Nations General Assembly has more Representatives from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean Areas than Europe, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. This means that the opinions and decisions of the Coloured races of the world dominate the International Forum which in the closing years of this century augur hopefully for JUSTICE and FRATERNITY.
NEW PLANETS FOR EXPLOITATION
Now that this planet — Earth — offers no more exploitable areas, with the possibility of rich material resources (ruling out the North and South poles which would not justify the efforts) the white race has encouraged and supported their national scientists to explore the possibilities of other planets having mineral wealth, and other means of sustenance for man’s comfort and livelihood.
The moon is the first experiment, and landing on the moon is the first step towards exploration and exploitation. The science fictions of yesteryear is the scientific achievements of the years ahead.
The replacement of diseased organs in human beings is an effort to prolong useful, skilled lives, but can that offset the decimation caused by a nuclear war, or germ-laden war manoeuvres? Scientific minds trained politically to work for national power is more often debased by selfishness, greed and hate.
THE LINK BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
The spirit of man — the mind — is the link between God and man. He breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living thing. Quench the spirit, and you slow him down — he marks time, he does not move with the tempo of his contemporaries.
Debase his image and his symbols, and you remove from his view the elements of greatness, the purpose for achievements, and you stultify the urge in him to go forward progressively. Instead of looking up, he hangs his head, and looks down, only to be kept down by his deceivers, who know full well that “as a man thinketh, so is he.’
This axiom — the truth, so self-evident, assails the conscience of people of colour to be aroused so they see beneath the layers of brain-washing, and behind the facade of mawkish propaganda imposed on their race, and designed to keep them fooled, as this conditions their thinking to the low levels set them, so as to prop the “Master race”.
For centuries whites have studiously and physically debased the spirit of black people everywhere, and used and abused their bodies to a state of trauma and inertia, but the spirit of God in black bodies cannot be extinguished as long as they live and have their being among others.
THE REVIVAL BY GARVEY
The awakening came when Marcus Garvey in ecstasy of spirit shouted to his people — ‘Up mighty race! Your homeland must be redeemed, and our people everywhere rehabilitated and working mutually toward the goal of full freedom’ — which alone can bring unlimited achievements and happiness. This was the almost superhuman task he set for himself, and those who looked like him — the revival of the POWER OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT in black people everywhere.
This was achieved by changing their THINKING, Garvey instilled in them NEW CONCEPTS of their rightful place on earth as God’s creation; of their economic potentialities for their security and happiness, in which he pioneered industrial and commercial undertakings, and paid the price for his daring.
He not only created an ideology — GARVEYISM — but cultivated and nurtured it with the full capacity of his being to endure ridicule, abuse, imprisonment, persecution and anguish.
BLACKS AS POLITICAL ASPIRANTS
He made all peoples of African descent political aspirants for the continent of African and the West Indies, when he shouted his challenge to the Colonial Powers in those parts: “Africa for the Africans, those at home and those abroad”.
He gave to them a stimulus to the “old-time religion”, by teaching them to visualize Christ — the Redeemer of all Mankind, as a man of colour, for who can best portray “the man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief”, but the down-trodden Negro in modern times? The wandering Jew did many years ago, then he was the persecuted, the spurned, the wanderer on the face of the earth, seeking a return to his homeland. Today — in terms of an Era — the New Negro’s Icon is of dusky hue.
The Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is of dark complexion, she is depicted as bearing the burden of motherhood and loving care for her own and for whites as well. Psychologically, he lifted his race’s fervour to a picturesque representation, in which he symbolized as a part of God — his Maker, and thus he takes pride in his black skin.
WHERE MOSLEMS CHALLENGE CHRISTIANS
In the past the paradox of Christian teaching to “the poor benighted heathen”, (people of other beliefs) of Love and Unity, in contrast to the practice of it, especially by Christian Administrators and Traders in Asia and Africa, has been challenged by the peoples of these continents, as being meaningless to them who suffer oppression because of the selfishness and greed of those who profess Christianity as a religion, but not as a way of life.
Moslems are attempting to fill the vacuum thus created in these countries, and this crusade has speeded up the unity of many Christian denominations, who are forced to present a united front to counter Mohammedism, Buddhism and Confucianism etc., among three quarters of the world’s population, who not only want to hear about a religion, but to feel it, in their daily lives.
Ecumenical Unity calls to them in 1968, stressing the belief in “the Fatherhood of God”, which is inconceivable without “the brotherhood of man” –
“Join hands, then, brothers of the faith,
What’er your race may be:
Who serves my Father as a son
Is surely kin to me”.
UNITY AND LOVE DEFEAT HATE
He gave them goals at which to aim for generations to come. His was a shout to awaken, a command to his race, “acquit yourselves like men”, worthy of your Creator — the All-Wise, the Omnipotent”.
He appealed for UNITY, to exercise love and drive out hate — which warps the mind. Prayerfully he exhorted his people in his Ritual, used at all meetings of the Universal Negro Improvement Association —
“Take from us envy, hate, malice, and whatsoever may hinder us in Unity and Concord; as there is One Body, One Soul, and one hope of our calling, One God! One Aim! One Destiny! we may all with one mind, one heart and one soul glorify thee”.
For, observed he, “as long as the strong oppresses the weak, wars and discontent will ever mar the path of man; but with LOVE AND CHARITY TOWARDS ALL, the ERA of peace and plenty will be ushered in, and generations to come shall call us blessed.”
These are the indestructible values of Garveyism.
If one can count those millions who were inspired by Garveyism, and thus changed their attitude towards life, and their way of life, then you can count Garveyites all over the world.
“Outsiders will never understand the psychology of those they called Garveyites. We doubt if we who are thus nicknamed understand it ourselves. The binding spell, the indefinable charm which Mr Garvey exercises over us beggars description. But we find reason for it in our conviction that no man has spoken to us like this man, inculcating pride and nobility of race, and clearly pointing out the Star of Hope to a discouraged and down trodden people.” thus wrote Archbishop George Alexander McGuire, in “The Negro Churchman”, Sept 1923.
LOOKING BACK ON GARVEY
We call the noble and the grand
From History’s silent page
And let them gaze upon the land
Our glorious heritage.
Let’s call Garvey from the lot
Who for Jamaica strove
And tell him we have not forgot
His labours and his love.
We venerate the feeble dust
And search for deeds untold,
We raise him stone and bronzed bust
And write his name in gold.
But these can never take the place
For what he fought and won
That however dull or black the face
He is an equal son.
That black men must themselves equip
To rule their native lands
And freedom gained must never slip
From out their sinewy hands.
He scanned the final page to look
On things he spoke about —
One God! One Aim! He closed the book,
And triumphantly passed out.
— Rev. A.F. Bullock
