Extemporaneous musings, occasionally poetic, about life in its richly varied dimensions, especially as relates to history, theology, law, literature, science, by one who is an attorney, ordained minister, historian, writer, and African American.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
UMOJA
"Umoja" (Unity) : not "all" are needed!
Galled by "all," am I, on this day!
"When we all, as blacks, get together, we can all do this and that," is especially galling to me, as an oft repeated, utterly untrue, mantra that is both mortifying & misleading !
First, it is ahistorical . Merely a few people have done great things many times, repeatedly, in history.
Secondly, it is non-mathematical. Therein, in mathematics, one finds operating: addition , subtraction, multiplication and division ; square roots and exponents; fractions and integers; geometry and arithmetic ; trigonometry and algebra, etc. there is no mathematical "all!"
Theologically , God admonished Gideon to reduce his 3,000 men to 300 in order to win the battle over enemies. Thus God took those who "lapped like a dog," while drinking from a river. Again, no "all," y'all!
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," says scripture to like effect.
So, as we meditate on the meaning of unity on "Umoja," this first day of Kwanzaa, do know, now, that no "all" is ever needed, historically, mathematically, theologically, or scripturally, in order to win, or prevail, whatever the travail!