|
Respect in African Tradition |
|
|
Respect, a concept originating in Very Ancient Africa, had very specific meanings at its core.
Although African people adopted the practices associated with the core meaning contained inside “Respect,” eventually the reasons for doing so gradually faded away. Such a situation of a persisting practice with a loss of the core meaning which originally fashioned those practices is what I call a “zombie” habit. To illustrate the “zombie” nature of “Respect” today, Black Americans use this word on a daily basis and yet, when asked to define it, are unable to do so with clarity or conciseness. Still, they "know" Respect when it is present and to "know" Respect in that sense is to "know" the presence of “Disrespect.” The need to know the Ancient African meaning of "Respect" and "Disrespect" is not simply an academic exercise. The reason is that many Black people die every day defending themselves against being disrespected (“dissed”) or in attempting to gain “Respect.” Anything so important requires thorough study and understanding. But we are faced with the complexity of there being different forms of "Respect" and "Disrespect" in African Tradition; in European Tradition; in African American slavery experiences; and in contemporary Black Americans' daily lives. In each of these four the differences concern what "Respect" and "Disrespect are; what they do; and how they appear. To deal with these differences will require some background.
Despite Ancient Africans having no term equivalent to the concepts conveyed in European definitions of "Religion," they were the originators of the belief in the One Universal High God and that all God's creatures and creations were related no matter how remote in time or space--i.e. the Law of Sympathy. Flowing though the spiritual bonds (or "silver cords") of these relationships is the Spirit of God. This God Substance or Love flows everywhere, as blood from ones heart flows throughout ones body and into all of ones fingers, thumbs, and toes. For one to recognize this Substance in every creature and creation is the recognition of its dignity. In African Tradition to show you care about another’s dignity is called Spiritual Appreciation. The experience of Spiritual Appreciation and the demonstration of caring for ones Dignity is called Spiritual Respect. There were a number of terms in the 800 or so African languages that have described a system of Thought, Feelings, Expressions, Activities, and Practices corresponding to and going far, far beyond what most Europeans mean by Religion and Respect. And these are not limited to beliefs in higher powers (i.e. God) or supernatural beings (e.g. spirits) or to Rites (e.g. education) and Ritual (e.g. dance and music) acts of worship. Rather, African "Religion" affects and has effects on all aspects of life--from farming to fishing to hunting; from travel to "hanging out"; to courtship to family. What all of these aspects have in common is Infinite Altruism--the striving to develop an infinite capacity of helping all other sentient (feeling) beings.
To have a respectful manner is to deal with God’s creatures and creations as if one were to deal with God directly. Any application of the principles of Ma’at (i. e. Love in action) is right—and the more often the better. The success of Respect is determined by the degree of harmony and unity resulting from interrelating with non-evil humans and with Nature. Yet, by being of a spiritual nature, neither Ma’at nor African Tradition type Respect have degrees. An analogy is that just as a woman is either pregnant or not (pregnancy is a spiritual event), one either gives complete respect or not because there are no degrees of respect for God’s creatures and creations in African Tradition. An offshoot of Respect is Manners--i.e. the demonstration of caring about the feelings of others. To consistently display Respect and Manners provides the source of happiness for oneself and for countless others. |
