SCATTERED

There are many breeds of animals that hunt in packs or cooperatively. Lions travel and hunt in packs to ensure the capture and killing of larger game such as Buffalo. They also share in the spoils to ensure that every member of the pack receives sustenance. This pack mentality also serves as a protective barrier against other packs that seek to kill off the young or males and take over the pack.

This behavior is also seen in wolves. In fact, the cooperation is so strong amongst wolves that mother wolves will regurgitate food from their mouths to feed their young who may be too young to hunt. Wolves also utilize the strength in their numbers to protect against other predators or opposing packs.

Adversely some animals are solitary and therefore hunt and eat alone. Cheetahs, Leopards, and Jackals are mainly solitary animals that travel, hunt, and eat alone. Their survival is solely dependent upon their ability to hunt or ( in the Jackal's case) steal food. These animals retire off by themselves and enjoy the entire catch and even hide the remains to have seconds.

What is interesting is that the human race once participated in a cooperative system for survival and protection. Before the rise of technology and capitalism, societies worked together to ensure everyone ate sufficiently and was protected from harm.

As we look back on the civil rights era, we see a race of people that had no choice but to stick together. After reconstruction, the Black community endured violent acts of domestic terrorism that dismantled any progress that had been made since the abolition of slavery. The community stuck together, assisted one another, ensured the safety of each other, and made sure everyone was fed. It was the tyranny of the so-called dominant race that pushed the Black community into a more cohesive unit. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had no shortage of people who rallied behind them. Their religions differed, but their beliefs were very similar. They believed that the only way Black people would obtain what was owed to them was through a community, cooperative, and team effort.

So, what has happened to this cooperative mentality?

The Black community is no longer housed within the same zip code, tax bracket, or even political party. Many Black people have obtained education, prestige, and wealth while others wade in the waters of poverty. The Black community is now scattered. It is no longer cooperative because success has numbed senses and many are oblivious to the struggle of those who are still in ghettos and housing projects.

It is not a bad thing that some have become upwardly mobile, but it becomes a problem when it causes a state of amnesia in regard to what people who look like them still endure.

"A punch does more damage than a slap because the five fingers are pulled together into a tightly compact ball of cooperation, making a fist; When the fingers are separated there is less unity and therefore less power"

The reason our issues are still the same as what our parents endured yet we do not see the strength of resistance is because we have scattered. Not necessarily in proximity but in purpose.

If someone has been able to do better than the previous generation, it is their job to reach back and join the cooperation of others and not to hoard what they have and turn their backs on where they have come from.

How much strength would we garner if, with all of our education and wealth, we became cooperative like a pack of Lions?

So, today I ask, are you a Lion who runs with the pack that ensures nourishment and protection for others or are you a Jackal who has simply stolen the crumbs and spare parts of leftovers and run off into your space to feed yourself?

#changedmindschangelives

#bethesunshine