SELF IMAGE VERSUS THE WORLD

Women and men, both, go through problems with their personal image starting at a very early age. Many people believe the world calls for them to be something other than who and what they are, and they do their best to assimilate to the current day standard or ideal. The lack of self worth, shows itself in uncertainty, depression, moodiness, and, often, disease in attempts to conform. We are not cookie cutter human beings. Too much focus has been placed on the outer shell rather than the inner world that creates the details of the outer world.

Recently a female friend mentioned how the images shown on television, magazines, pornography, and the opinions of men put pressure on a woman to be a certain way, which is stressful. The pressure to be thin, have a certain personality (being a hottie), and having a certain body structure is burdensome and tough on one’s self worth. We see this a lot today in the way young females try to be what men want rather than discovering who and what they are and expressing that knowledge in the world.

As a man who happens to be Black in America there are serious stereotypes of what the reality of being Black is, which are far from the truth. The history of Black folk in America has been to adapt to the behavior of White men, in particular, for survival. After Slavery, a Black man acting like he was equal to a White man could get him killed or injure members of his family. It sounds and was stupid yet dangerous, but that was, and in many circumstances, still is the reality of race in this country. The Black Movement of the 60’s helped to change the image of what Black folk had of themselves.

The music of Curtis Mayfield and James Brown were catalysts in assisting Black folk to be proud of who we were despite the numbers of the majority who were against us. To be Black living in a world that was totally controlled by White folks who created images of you that were very unfavorable, and not being able to call the police for protection because they were representing the White folks from which you needed protection.

That was the state of Black folk then, with it having gotten just a little better since then. Now the White folks who will be shocked by that statement aren’t recognizing the realities. The same White folk who think it nothing for a Black man to be tried in court with a jury of all White folk, yet will complain, if the shoe were on the other foot with an all Black jury, is part of the problem. What would make White Americans think they are somehow more honest than Black Americans? Have they taken a look at what’s happening to this country? White folks can take, virtually, full blame for the state of things in this country! White folks have ripped off this country to the hilt! And they’ve done it to majority of the country, WHICH IS WHITE!

But I digress! The issue is image and the image of Black folk hasn’t been the best. I dealt with this problem through knowing that White folks who knew me, respected me. So I treated bigotry and hatred as obstacles in the game of life. I had to be smarter. I had to outwit. I had to outplay. I had to be, THE SURVIVOR! Why? Oohh, due to institutional racism in housing (steering), the lack of access to capital (buying a home, business, insurance, etc.), the lack of access to education, and employment (hiring and promotions). These are universal problems for Black folk who often attempt to do the same things White folks do. The reality is to have the same or better as our counterparts, we have to be a little more clever, craftier, and creative. No complaints here! Just discussing the reality of what it’s like living Black in America.

See, the way I look at it, I ask the question, WHAT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE ACT THIS WAY? The answer, of course, is fear, ignorance and a lack of self worth. Not every White person is a bigot. Not every Black man is a rapper or wants to rip off a White person. The problem is while White America is having difficulty making these distinctions Black folk have to live just like they do.  Crying over Black folk on welfare (Whites dominate those rolls) and the pennies their getting, while Bush, Cheney, the rich, big business and the military industrial complex is robbing them blind to the tune of $9 trillion dollars.

Yet, when you know who and what you are, you already know that you’re as good as anyone else. You’re aware of your individuality and what truly separates you from others. You know that what you are, is always telling you, YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER. THERE ISN’T ANYTHING YOU CAN’T DO! That’s how Black folk had to see themselves then and now if they want to live a successful life.  This is true for us all.

Women have been treated like second class citizen since the Garden. There is no group that could be more genetically inclined to lack self worth than women. That's why it's important for women to discover what makes then important in this world.  We see what’s happening around the world. Even in Saudi Arabia, they are planning to severely punish a woman who was raped by several men because according to their religious law, she was guilty of going out without a proper male escort. Her punishment, according to the authorities there, appears to assume the rape wouldn’t have happened if she had gone out with a proper male escort. The men, accused of rape, are being punished too, but not as severely as she.

All this is said to bring to the fore, that you build your self worth from within you to deal with the elements of your physical world. When we feel unfairness, it’s our insides telling us there needs to be a pathway to fairness. The intensity of the unfairness you feel is what gets you to create that path to your freedom from oppression.

For women, Black folk and all folk who feel oppressed, the key to your freedom is within you but it’s necessary to go within to find the key! Self worth is developed by: 1)Meeting your daily challenges. 2) Discovering who and what you are, expressing this information in physical terms. 3) Finding your passions within you and expressing them physically (do them). 4) Helping others to help themselves.

When your self worth is in good shape, you can deal with all the misconceptions in the world about you. This strength doesn’t come from outside of you. It comes from the work you do within.

QUESTION EVERYTHING!  THAT'S WHERE THE TRUTH RESIDES.  USE YOUR PERSONAL POWER.