Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence means accepting the risk of absence.
- Antoine de Saint Exupéry
@JrThoughtLab
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The Pied Piper (1986)
Director: Jirí Barta
Director: Jirí Barta
Heard this guy at CIA talking the most driving factor the so called motivation is like 95% of the time MONEY
The rest goes in the 5%
Huh interesting!
The rest goes in the 5%
Huh interesting!
Forwarded from The Melanin Archive
Has religion dulled our senses?
As someone who is generally considered to be religious in the broad sense, I was compelled to write about some issues I have observed regarding the relationship between religion and African people. Africa is considered to be one of the most religious continents, mostly dominated by the two monotheistic religions of Christianity and Islam. After observing the way people relate to their religion, I have come to the conclusion that many followers have their senses dulled because of it.
I am not implying that religion was meant to dull people or that it has no value in people’s lives. What I am saying is that the relationship many African people have with religion today leans toward the downside.
To explain what I mean, it is important to start with how these major religions were introduced to the continent. Both Christianity and Islam entered Africa largely through colonization and, subsequently, missionization. These religions were introduced primarily for social stabilization and political safety by colonizers, and this caused a significant disruption of indigenous institutions and belief systems. As a result, religion came to be used as a coping framework rather than a developmental tool, a pattern that persisted even after the colonizers left.
As generations passed and the number of followers of both faiths continued to grow, emphasis increasingly shifted toward afterlife rewards rather than developing urgency to reform society and improve material conditions. Instead of working collectively with their communities to develop their countries, many people made conversion to their faith or the establishment of a religious state their primary objective, a tendency that is more visibly present in most Muslim communities.
Another issue I have observed is that instead of standing up to injustice and discrimination, many people began to interpret suffering as “God’s will” and, as a result, did not dare to speak out. When these problems accumulate, faith becomes a substitute for nation-building, which is detrimental to any country’s development.
One might argue that Christianity and Islam historically produced universities, scientific advancement, and institutions, and that would be correct. However, this occurred when religion was paired with strong material and institutional foundations, something that is largely absent in much of Africa today. When religion is detached from material progress and becomes the language used to explain suffering rather than confront its causes, problems remain unresolved and societies become trapped in a repeating cycle.
I will conclude by quoting Cameroonian historian Achille Mbembe:
“Power in postcolonial Africa often operates through spectacle, ritual, and belief rather than rational administration.”
#religion
As someone who is generally considered to be religious in the broad sense, I was compelled to write about some issues I have observed regarding the relationship between religion and African people. Africa is considered to be one of the most religious continents, mostly dominated by the two monotheistic religions of Christianity and Islam. After observing the way people relate to their religion, I have come to the conclusion that many followers have their senses dulled because of it.
I am not implying that religion was meant to dull people or that it has no value in people’s lives. What I am saying is that the relationship many African people have with religion today leans toward the downside.
To explain what I mean, it is important to start with how these major religions were introduced to the continent. Both Christianity and Islam entered Africa largely through colonization and, subsequently, missionization. These religions were introduced primarily for social stabilization and political safety by colonizers, and this caused a significant disruption of indigenous institutions and belief systems. As a result, religion came to be used as a coping framework rather than a developmental tool, a pattern that persisted even after the colonizers left.
As generations passed and the number of followers of both faiths continued to grow, emphasis increasingly shifted toward afterlife rewards rather than developing urgency to reform society and improve material conditions. Instead of working collectively with their communities to develop their countries, many people made conversion to their faith or the establishment of a religious state their primary objective, a tendency that is more visibly present in most Muslim communities.
Another issue I have observed is that instead of standing up to injustice and discrimination, many people began to interpret suffering as “God’s will” and, as a result, did not dare to speak out. When these problems accumulate, faith becomes a substitute for nation-building, which is detrimental to any country’s development.
One might argue that Christianity and Islam historically produced universities, scientific advancement, and institutions, and that would be correct. However, this occurred when religion was paired with strong material and institutional foundations, something that is largely absent in much of Africa today. When religion is detached from material progress and becomes the language used to explain suffering rather than confront its causes, problems remain unresolved and societies become trapped in a repeating cycle.
I will conclude by quoting Cameroonian historian Achille Mbembe:
“Power in postcolonial Africa often operates through spectacle, ritual, and belief rather than rational administration.”
#religion