Stranger To The Familiar

There have been stories for thousands of years of the archetypal stranger. Imagine a traveler from a distant land somehow finding his way to a place where he is an obvious outsider. He appears to be quite different from those amongst him and unaccustomed to the ways of the people he encounters. As he tries to learn and understand, he may become frustrated because it all seems so different from what he knows. After being in this foreign land for enough time, a few things may happen. He may assimilate after having mastered the new culture and choose to become a part of it. He may live uncomfortably on the fringe of that society, involved in it for the sake of his livelihood, but still considered the stranger. Finally, he may decide to return to his homeland after finding that he cannot compromise his ways in order to fit in.

Sometimes I feel like this proverbial stranger, but the strange thing is, I feel like it within my very own society. Actually it is harder now to define this society, since most of what we now see is not just on a national scale, but on a global scale... pushed by economics and commercialism. I may even dare to say that the world is becoming Americanized, or at least Westernized. With these changes the modern world appears to become more and more alien each day. We have become so self-absorbed with the artificial things of our own creation. We thrive on materialism. We have freedoms like never before and yet seldom are these freedoms tempered by any idea of morality or in the very least, character.

I saw a commercial not too long ago that actually advertised an internet network for infidelity. At first I thought it was a joke, because it was presented as a cartoon, but then I looked up the ambiguous website name online and it was indeed a service that was specifically designed to set up affairs for people in relationships. Needless to say, I was shocked. But then again, why should I be shocked at all? Our society has promoted this type of behavior for years in movies, music, magazines, and other forms of pop culture. We have exposed ourselves to these things, and to our youth, and eventually we have made these behaviors and lifestyles quite normal for us. In spite of this radical change, we still scoff at traditions and practices from ancient times, whether cultural or faith based. We parody what others hold as sacred.

I find it strange that some people would find my own trod of Rastafari bizarre and ridiculous, or for that matter, my very belief in God Himself, and yet they readily accept things which may have once been considered social and cultural taboos such as imprisonment, drunkenness, sexual orientation, obscenities, promiscuity, sexual practices, abortion, body alterations, atheism, etc. Now, it is not my position to judge what is right or wrong, nor will I express my opinions on the aforementioned… but why should my personal belief and ways of life seem so peculiar to members of this society that have accepted things far beyond that in terms of behavior and perhaps negative social impact? It makes no sense.

I believe it has a lot to do with the vanity of humankind. We have bartered in our beliefs in order to achieve our own advantages and comforts in life. Principal no longer plays an import role in our behaviors and instead we are ruled by our own illusions of high-mindedness. Our ideas of liberty and the pursuit of happiness have gone far beyond the idea of living naturally free and doing what we feel necessary to live a peaceful and humble life to our own liking. What really is behind all this? What shapes our identities and causes us to decide to turn the tables on what is considered normal and strange in this modern time? If it is self-destructive, if it is vain, if it is selfish, if it is wicked, hypocritical, and unjust… then that is what in Rastafari we call the concept of Babylon.

H.I.M. Haile Selassie I once said, “unless we find the requisite courage and fixity of purpose to rise above our petty selves; we shall be broken on the wheel of our own invention, slaves of our own despotism.” The system of Babylon is one created by mankind, fashioned by those who strive to get ahead at the expense of others, created out of the lowest of desires, slowly ebbing away at our integrity, our character, and our dignity until we accept the lies, the immorality, the foolishness, and treat it as the most normal thing in the world. It is mental slavery. It is a slavery that affects everyone, no matter their race, color or creed. Sometimes it is very subtle, and sometimes it is very obvious. Even things that are not intrinsically immoral in themselves are eating away at us, like indifference and ignorance. Yet the only way to navigate out of the confusion is to be aware that Babylon does indeed exist and is having an impact on our world.

I wish to escape from Babylon, because I am a stranger here... it is not where I belong. I would rather roam through forested hills, drink from flowing streams of water, and eat freshly picked fruit from the trees. I would rather hear the birds and the creatures and get lost in Creation. I would rather sit amongst the elders and learn from them. I would rather be amongst people who love and respect one another, who praise the Most High, who look after the youths and guide them in ways that are beneficial to themselves and to the greater society. It all may seem utopian and absurd, but this is the lifestyle that allowed for people to live and progress for thousands of years. It was the way we grew up, it was the steady balance to those civilizations consumed by greed and warfare. This desire to go back to a place such as this, namely Africa, is called repatriation in Rastafari. Men like the great Marcus Garvey (who we honor tomorrow on his birthday) told his followers in the African Diaspora to return to the Motherland and escape from this Babylon society that allowed racism, segregation, and injustice and to collect together as a nation that would be able to stand against oppression and regain Africa’s glory. Some things have changed for the better, Garvey would be surprised, but other things remain the same and more dangerously some things are now merely cloaked in deception. Babylon is alive and well, poisoning every nation’s well with that deception.

Africa itself is in trouble, plagued by problems from its colonial past and by warmongers vying for power. Yet where there is hope, there is life. There are still areas of Africa where people live naturally and peacefully, even as there are other parts of the world where this happens too. Movements such as Rastafari have even made in impact in the belly of the beast, like Europe for instance, where many people are changing their attitudes on life. However, in Rastafari we also believe in repatriating mentally and spiritually if not physically. The elders believed very much that physical repatriation would free them from the problems, but in this global Babylonian society we now must consider a Zion State of Mind… becoming a stranger to the familiar and breaking down Babylon’s walls. Good will always prevail, and we can start by changing our attitudes and by freeing up our communities today.

Repatriation Is A Must!,
JAHsh