Respecting the continuum of life


Right now, Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to. Danielle La Porte

We were having lunch; there were people from different African countries, then me, from the Trinidad and Tobago. We were talking about our different countries and asking a load of questions. The conversation shifted towards family and brothers and sisters. I said I did not grow up with brothers and sisters. They grew silent! Then they asked me if I ever heard about a village raising a child. I said yes! They asked me if that is a concept practised in my country. I paused for a bit. They told me. A child means until the person has left the Earth so if there is someone in the family with the smarts to go to University everyone in the family contributes to that child’s education, no questions asked. There is no problem of that child not going without or not having what it takes to finish their education and likewise if there is a sick person in the family, there are no questions asked, we just take care of the person.

One of them told me that they went to school in Barcelona, didn’t have a clue how the family did it but there was always some “brother or sister” in Spain helping them out with food, or a place to stay or money. It’s just what they did!

Do you do that in the Caribbean?

Well, I can only speak for what I know and in my family that is not the custom.

More silence, then someone asked, so what’s the family for then?

So what did I learn today?

 What I know now is that how I live my life either honors or dishonors my ancestors. I also know it is not important for me to dissect, evaluate or judge their behaviors and dysfunctions. My job, our job, is to respect the continuum of life. We must embrace and embody with reverence the good and positive qualities that our ancestors demonstrated because it was this essence of their lives that pave the way for us. They have set the example for how to live in family and community. Just to remember that everything I do is a reflection on everyone in my line. We motivates us to be better for those watching and those coming behind.

Peace!!

 

Comments

  1. Anonymous7 June 2013 at 15:33

    I used to say that there is a difference with the black and asian race in general; eg. when an asian member reaches to a place of "prosperity" they will set a foundation and then send for other family members & they will live together & assist in building the business.

    I remember going to a store once and wanting to buy an item, the owner actually called another asian store & asked that owner if he had the item & stock & then he drove us to the other store, so that we could make the purchase.

    Now I see that this sort of comradery is indeed in the black race, this is wonderful indeed...more power to this African nation!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

30 Things I Believe

Image
What is being of service? Looking upon another human being with kindness and compassion and not judgement is a profound act of service and though such a form of service lacks for whistles and bells, this expression of “service” comes from truly understanding the power of your soul and what it means to “look upon another with eyes of grace.” Carolyn Myss 1. I believe in sleep 2. I believe that love can cure it all  3. I believe in feeling my feelings 4. I believe that nature is my best teacher 5. I believe that friends are family minus blood lines 6. I believe that discipline and consistency combined with talent  can and will can create miracles 7. I believe in following my intuition 8. I believe that rest is part of the Journey 9. I believe in that all things are lessons that God will have us learn 10. I believe in choosing the people around you with care 11. I believe that vacations can reboot creativity  12. I believe in joy - doing what brings you joy -...
Read more

Redefinition of Lose

Rather than think about what you have to do to change a situation, consider what the situation might be doing to change you. How it might be seasoning and transforming and growing you. You are not responsible for everything and everyone. Allow that as a possibility. Jessica Dore There are some situations that are simply in your life showing you how to shift, how to be flexible, to grow, to transform. You long for change, yet you cling so to the familiar. You are so afraid of what you think you will lose. You are even afraid to lose the things you don't want. The familiar becomes your family, regardless of what it is. let's redefine "lose" I define lose as opening up to a new possibility The day I stopped saying that I lost my house, lost my marriage, lost my mind, things shifted for me The shift has to start inside How we define and relate to the circumstances in our lives transforms how we act. I started asking myself different question...
Read more

What Does Support Look Like to You?

Image
  You save yourself energy when you learn to ask people what they need, instead of assuming you know best then acting on your own impulses. Allowing people to define what support looks like gives you an ability to assess if you have the capacity to show up - Minaa B If someone asks you right now, what does support look like to you, what would be your answer? It takes self reflection , self awareness and more importantly a whole load of authenticity to answer. On the flip side, do you rush to support others without them even asking- there may be times when that is required, however many a time we assume that we know what others want and need. The times when we do assume, after a while a feeling of resentment builds because "how could they be so ungrateful?" or "why are they not seeing their need for my help?" the other classic is "they must need my help to show them because they clearly are not seeing that they need support" We continue to assume what othe...
Read more