Nijel BPT, created the Mother of Humanity(TM) monument
following the April 29, 1992 Los Angeles Rebellions.
following the April 29, 1992 Los Angeles Rebellions.
A Jewish dishwasher taught Sidney Poitier how to read.
They were both working in the same role at a restaurant in New York City, when
Sidney said his Jewish colleague discovered that he, Sidney, could not read.
"Day after day, week after week...for a very long time," Sidney Poitier recently said on OWN [Oprah Winfrey Network], "he spent time teaching me how to read."
Sidney realized that what inspired his Jewish friend was "his inner human...that something coming from inside him." After learning how to read, Poitier went on to become a great actor, and in 1963 won an Academy Award for Best Actor. He became the first African-American actor to ever win this coveted title.
Yes. Poitier's Jewish friend followed his inner light! This "inner humanity" is indeed what gets us moving in the direction of reaching beyond ourselves to help others. Often, this is the power behind our kindness and when we carry through on those acts that directly stem from our conscience.
The nagging feeling, which like a parent guides us to differentiate between doing right or wrong, is our conscience at work. This stems from our SOUL.
Of course, many will argue that our parents...our environment...teach us right from wrong. True. Yet, there are situations occurring all around us sometimes, where the only guidance we get is that coming from within.
Many choose to follow that guidance. Just as many choose to ignore it.
The latter is the subject of today's post.
If you saw the movie, "Chimpanzee," released on April 20, for Earth Day, you would understand that there is an entire culture of activities, and emotions, operating in the world of these "lesser" animals. In this Disneynature documentary, we learn of Oscar, a baby chimpanzee, being nurtured, pampered, protected and loved by his mother, Isha, for many years. Then, Isha dies, leaving Oscar to fend for himself. He was left out in the cold, trying to survive as best he could, as the other parents tended to their young, completely ignoring him and offering no assistance. Left with no other alternative, Oscar decided to shadow their grouchy leader, Freddy. He did so day by day, until Freddy was touched by that "something" within himself. He decided to "adopt" Oscar...nurturing, pampering, protecting and loving this young "boy" chimpanzee, as if he were his own. Freddy was transformed by the love he gave, and Oscar's world was changed forever.
Chimpanzee is based on real events based in an African forest. Mostly, it's a documentation of love, caring and sharing of ourselves...even if...they're only "animals."
We see via YouTube videos numerous demonstrations of the guiding force within all dogs, who demonstrate loyalty and grief when their owners are away for a long time, are injured or died.
One recent YouTube segment shows a dog, standing in the middle of a heavily trafficked street, refusing to leave the side of his owner who was struck; another other showed the excitement of a dog, whose owner had returned from a long period of absence in military service. The dog simply would not settle down, so excited was he/she by the owner's return home.Animals are sensitive beings. Of that we can be sure.
Yet, so many of us who are "human," want to ignore this fact and treat them with so much indecency. This should give us a reason for pause: Does the intelligence that is supposed to emanate from our minds as "human beings" really put us above other animals?We read of animals being mistreated. Dogs being trained to kill each other and so many atrocities .
We often are left wondering if our humanity deserves intelligence as the sole trait supposedly separating us from other animals. Any wonder why in recent years there have been reports of a human head being found on a snake in Malaysia?[Pictured @ right ] Why do we, as humans, do what we do? We ignore the guidance from within that pure animal behavior is instilled only for survival purposes, not for entertainment? Any question as to why
a human head may, indeed, be showing up on a snake's body?[Closeup on left.] The question of why humans behave as they do is ages old and will continue for centuries more. The answer possibly will come forth only when we, in our "humanity," elevate ourselves to a higher level of "being" and grab hold of the truth in our SOUL! Only then will we see and know the truth of our "beingness."
Most would say: Who cares?
Who cares, indeed?
Our life purpose...
Our reason for being...
Our essence...
Who cares...indeed!?
Perhaps, it simply is enough for us to respond like that Jewish dishwasher did to Sidney Poitier: respond one person at a time.
"We are imperfect creatures," Poitier said in the OWN segment, "but we should try reaching for the better you...the better me."
Maybe...just maybe...that's all we're called to do in our daily walk.
In honoring our humanity, sometimes, the choice is as simple as choosing to smile vs. frown at another person. Often, it is to get outside our own "bubble" that we call our LIFE and *connect in a very real way with others.
Namaste',
Che'
*NOTE: We'll conclude this series on "Connecting to Cosmic Consciousness" with the final post on "See the ONE in ALL." We will look at how we get outside of our "little bubble of life" and connect to the *ONENESS that exists everywhere: in nature, in others and, yes, even in "things."
