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Ignorance is a poison and knowledge will nourish
-KRS-ONE/BDP, Words From Our Sponsor
What feeds you? What nutrients, minerals and vitamins are essential for your life to flourish?
The science is clear: fruits, vegetables, ancient grains, water are what we NEED. Other things we put into our system are wants. The body makes enough saturated fats to sustain us however the body doesn't make essential fatty acids or EFAS, mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids or MUFAS and PUFAS and we need to get those from outside sources. The body needs strength training as well as aerobic, anaerobic and movement that cultivates a relationship with our subtle energies i.e. chi, prana or elan vital. And don't forget that sleep regulates most of our bodies functions. Our minds need to reconcile with our shadows or the areas of our awareness that we choose to not look at through various forms of therapy and stability, clarity, strength and insight through practices such as meditation, contemplation and prayer. And our spirit doesn't NEED yet we need to acknowledge it as the ground and fruition of all of our experience. We need to socialize and recognize our connection to others as well as explore and manifest our cultural values in our interactions with each other.
These are needs and have existed as such since time immemorial. The worlds spiritual and scientific wisdom traditions have said so for millennia. So why do we turn away from these inherent sources of nourishment and the shared view that says that we should do so. Because....ignorance.
What is ignorance? Is it stupidity or knowing but not doing, or is it less intentional than that? My experience has shown me that ignorance is simply not paying attention. Not looking. Not trying to see anything other than our everyday experience of the world as what is most real.
KRS-ONE says that ignorance is a poison. How is ignorance a poison? Poison is a contaminate that causes ignorance to a system. How does ignorance cause illness? Because ignorance involves not paying attention, it causes sickness because it facilitates the continuance of already existing suffering as well as produces consequences that harm ourselves and others. We are already suffering. How are we suffering? Because we avoid the fundamental truths of our lives and our existence as human beings. We want to ignore the eventuality of our deaths. We want to ignore the beauty, benefit and frankly luck of being born a human being and not a dung beetle. We want to ignore how our behavior, speech and thoughts contribute to consequences that reduce the quality of our lives and we want to ignore how our attachment to transient forms of happiness cause us to compulsively seek out more illusory happiness through the collection and consumption of material, intellectualism and transcendent experiences.
The poison of ignorance causes us to avoid not only our potential to cause ourselves harm, but how we are involved in causing others harm by not knowing the truth that we are all suffering and that we are all fundamentally good.
KRS-ONE then says that knowledge will nourish. How does knowledge nourish? Knowledge feeds our bodies, minds and spirits by informing us of what we truly need to pay attention to and what we need to avoid. Knowledge is temporary, it changes and it is not ultimate power no matter what anyone says. Wisdom is unchanging power. However, knowledge, experiential knowledge lets us know what it is that sustains us through change, crisis and trauma. The experiential knowledge of the body, mind and spirit informs us that they need attention in particular ways and in ways that are common to all human beings.
Knowledge involves learning through reading, studying, listening, contemplating and meditating in order to directly KNOW who and what I physically, psychologically and spiritually am. Knowledge will nourish us by feeding us information that will assist us on our paths. Knowledge (especially knowledge that arises from deep within us) will feed us without making us dependent on outside sources, even though our external worlds are excellent opportunities to take in information about tried and true ancient remedies as well as the latest evidence based theories and practices about to cope with and cure common human ailments.
The cause of our suffering is not, not having access to the information that will aid us, it is not spending time looking for and accepting knowledge that has existed for time immemorial.
Contemplate this: How is ignorance poisoning your physical, mental and spiritual life? How has experiential avoidance caused you problems? What feeds you deeply? When have you felt the most healthy and when have you felt the most disconnected from healthiness?
Check out this posting for more on contemplation and contemplation instructions: http://www.hiphopalive.org/mindspray/2016/12/7/4p2lnb8omwoc5dc5uznhcxii002b89
Let me know if there are any verses that you think should be discussed here or contemplated.
Be well,
Hiphop Alive
Justin F. Miles is the founder of Hiphop Alive and pioneering practitioner, theorist and educator at the intersection of Hiphop culture, mindfulness and contemplative studies. He is the leading voice championing the use of Hiphop infused contemplative modalities to foster resilience, emotional intelligence, and community empowerment.