By now all of u, the good peeps who pass thru this
(blog)spot and read the pieces put down by us here, may have noticed, or not bcos
it’s all love, that I sign off on my pieces with “p.l.h.o.”. I also use this on
other bits of correspondence and even certain presentations. Every so often
some1’ll hit me up and ask, “What does it mean?” so I keep it simple…
Peace.Love.Honour.One.
A mantra, a code, a guide. 1ce in a while I’ll get a 1 who’ll come at me and throw back a variation of some kind, like “why don’t u flip it like dis, fam!”, or take that variation and use it on their own thing. That’s cool wid me, all love, like breaking bread 2 make more bread. Wonderful. Me, I gotta keep it original tho, and not just 4 the sake of, bt bcos it’s more than just a flow of words that may or may not sound cool. This right here is a livity. When I said b4 that I keep it simple, what I meant is that I don’t always go as far as 2 break it down, mayb bcos I sometimes expect my closer peeps 2 kno (or b telepathic, yeah, I already kno, 1 of those traits I gotta work on… and I am trying) or grasp it just like that. So.. I will apologise 2 every1 that I did that with, this is me making amends, and setting it str8. This thing, p.l.h.o., is not actually 4 different things, kinda more like 4 in 1, or more accurately, 3 in 1, the 1st being the last and the last being the 1st (Basic Instructions B4 Leaving Earth, 4 the original headz). Let me get 2 it.
Peace.
This is the initial,
the alpha, the jump off. Now from a longer time, “peace” has always been a
salutation used 2 show love within hip hop and reggae culture, a call of
awareness from various beliefs and philosophies that we all flow n2 contact
with, and a term with carries a value streetside.
The his or her story of the term goes back 2 ancient times,
and in many instances wld b the difference between life and death, with the
declarer of the term aware of what was at stake going in. All word sound is
power, bt the power is less if the sound, which is an energy, didn’t match up
with the word. Bear in mind that the ancients had a very different overstanding
of the world, the perception of certain energies was far gr8er than now, and if
the word and energy were out of sync, then, well, heads rolled. Literally.
This goes deeper still, as the use of the term peace wasn’t
just merely abt the representation of intent, it was also abt transference.
That means that in order 4 I an’ I 2 approach a nxt “I” and connect, there has
2 b a continuity of energy flow. It’s not simply enough 2 say the words, b
sincere and that’s that, there has 2 b the passing of this energy, this vibe, a
connecting flow, like when water flows across land, pushing, moving, meandering
2 find the best way 2 get where it needs 2 go. And even if the water flow dries
up, the riverbed remains so that the path is clear. From Sumeria 2 Kush, right
thru 2 the ancient Greeks, the 1st Aramaic speakers, and the original peoples
of the Himalayas, the importance of the principle was known. Even Yeshua, known
as the Christ, wld approach wishing His peace un2 all those that He came
across.
No structure can b built on a moving groundation, even the
structures of our relationships, of family and community, of respect and
understanding. We r the groundation, as we all represent the mother Earth,
Gaia, not in some pseudo religious kinda skizm, bt simply as the product of her
wellspring. Evolution or Intelligent Design, it all points out this simple
fact. The shifting sands inside us can only truly become stable when we have
peace. It’s the simplist, yet most mind expanding thing we can do in and of our
own selves. Find that true centre, anchor all the chaos that is a human 2 it,
and stop moving, achieve stillness. The really weird thing abt it is that
sometimes it can happen in a moment, or the space between moments, and we don’t
even notice. It can b inspired by a word, or an object, mayb the sudden
sensation of noise, a vivid colour, or even mortal danger. I an’ I have found
this whilst performing movements in the war arts, in deep conversation wid
wiser headz, and even experienced this hearing a talented performer play in a
noisy room, pure stillness (big shout out 2 Ayanna). Peace.
It may sound like this is something that can only b
experienced in fleeting moments @ sporadic times, yet this isn’t the case @
all. All over the world, from religion, 2 meditation and martial practices, 2
certain leisure pursuits, there r many paths 2 the Way (u may ask why I refer 2
peace as the Way, grasshopper. I’ll come back 2 that in a minute).
This thing right here is something that is not only
achievable, bt also prolong-able and even sustainable. It takes work, like
anything else good. Let me bring it back 2 the everyday. I an’ I roll up 2 a
spot, and c our peeps, make eye contact, and show love by wishing them peace.
Cool, bt it’s all hollow if we’re lacking that said peace. Even if we’re
sincere in wishing it, the desire can only go so far as the knowledge from
which it is inspired, so if we don’t kno peace, then it’s difficult 2 wish un2
others the thing that we’re not so sure that we kno abt. All this comes b4 we
can act as conduits 2 allow that flow of wordsoundpower, that energy, that
peace, 2 connect us 2 those we hold in esteem.
Many ancients have spoken abt the Way, and even have shown paths
2 the Way. This is bcos peace isn’t stagnant. Yes it is a stillness, but that
is within us. That stillness is there 2 guide and inform, sometimes it can b
referred 2 as a meditation in motion, having stillness while doing something
else, like when a sportsperson finds that moment of clarity in a crucial part
of the game, or an artist touches the ether 2 pull off an extraordinary
performance. This thing, this peace, can inform on so many levels, even when
fighting the evils of this world, so as not 2 become lost 2 the fight. It
becomes an indicator of the direction we take, a lifestyle choice… The Way. All
we can do, if we so choose, is to find a path 2 that Way.
Love.
Probably the single
thing most talked abt in this world. We have entire industries, many, built
around this. The fortunes of men and nations have risen and fallen chasing it.
I an’ I kno that there is so much material out there, songs, poems, movies,
paintings and other artistic expressions and whatnot, all talking abt love. All
nice and dandy, epcept 4 the fact that most of that stuff is tied up in
romance, and emotion. Yes, we r manifold beings with many selves, including the
emotional, what I’m really looking at here is love as a virtue.
So ok, I hear u
coming with, “Corrd, den isn’t love just love, Iyah? No matter who or what u
love, it’s still love?” Well, yes, bt that’s love as emotion, or even the
expression of that emotion, that feeling that provides a motivation 2 certain
actions. I’m talking abt Love as a guiding principle, the thing that underpins
all other structures. In this sense, the love is truly universal, not just for
the reason that it’s something that we all share in, but that all things r
connected thru it. Even in dealings that r unpleasant in nature, with love as
light, the path ahead becomes clearer. For example, if a child falls and has an
injury, the parent will, if they can, take care of that injury. Now, if that
wound is dirty then it needs 2 b cleaned, the cleaning of the injury make well
cause the child more pain, and no loving parent wld want 2 cause their child
pain, bt the wound needs cleaning, and if left unattended can become infected,
so the parent puts aside their own discomfort in order 2 deal with the wound in
the best way possible without hesitation.
The writers of the Upanishads describe the individual like a
circle, within which is another circle. The inner circle is the intellect,
which is the unchanging self, purely observing reality, but not directly connected
2 it. The outer circle is the discursive mind, connected 2 the world via the
senses, and filtering the sensory perception, so that the intellect is informed
thru this discursive. So pree this… if this discursive is structured in virtue,
and the virtue is love, then everything in the universe that we affect, and
that affects us is thru love. There is no division, or categorisation, of how
we deal with everything because everything comes 2 us via love. Another
perspective is this; if all of our structures, as discussed earlier, r
represented in a physical form, like a building, then the building needs 2 b
constructed so that they stand strong and secure. If peace is the earth upon which everything
is built, love is the material that makes the foundation.
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not
love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth
not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” Paul
the Apostle.
Back in the day, coming up as young’uns, everybody knew
some1 from their area, manor, hood, sides, that garnered respect. Not demanded
it, or imposed it on any1. Never took the time 2 ask 4 it, or explain why it
was necessary. They just got it. Many times, the 1’s who gave respect didn’t
even analyse the why. There was no external reason as 2 how this happened
either, wasn’t like every1 was told, “yo, my man’s a Lord” or “do u know what u
owe 2 dude? U best respect dat!” U just did. If u took the time out 2 really
pree it, then oftentimes u wld find out that this person wld carry themselves a
certain way, conduct themselves in a certain manner, observe a certain code,
and most times without feeling a need 2 state any of this.
A lot of what was admirable in those individuals was the
fact that they acted with honour. Strangely enough, this is a term that, as
times goes on, falls n2 more and more disuse. Honour, some wld say, is almost
like an unwritten rulebook (although there r in fact written codes of honour,
usually attached 2 an institution of some kind, like certain belief structures,
military organisations, structured fraternities etc…), grounded in things such
as dignity, character, morality and integrity. All very nice sounding words. Bt
honour isn’t just abt high sounding ideas, bt abt what happens when grindin, and
dealing with the grimey, without becoming grime. That crazy high standard yr
grandmother wld hold u 2, and why the baddest man on yr ends showed her nothing
bt respect, yeah, that’s what we’re dealing with.
I recently saw Dr Maya Angelou on the opium box discussing
virtues, and in this discussion she stated that contrary 2 popular belief, the
greatest of all virtues was courage, 4 it emboldens a person 2 practice the
other virtues always. I felt that deeply, but as I delved n2 a deeper
contemplation whist sitting here writing this piece, I found that my view
differed slightly. While courage does indeed bring consistency to other
virtues, it isn’t in and of itself virtuous. I an’ I can perform courageous
feats and inspire many, bt that same courage can enable me 2 commit gr8 wrongs also, if I believe in the
validity of my actions, or believe that I need prove my superiority. 4 me, to
practice honour, not only enhances the practice of other values, but it also
gives meaning as 2 why those things r important as it self affirms without
needing affirmation.
As I just said, even the term honour seems 2 b increasingly
disused. I came across an article that tried 2 explain that honour within a
culture was opposed 2 a culture of laws. It attempted 2 show that having the
rule of law doesn’t allow a person 2 act in an honourable way particularly if
they have been wronged, and how a code of honour needs poverty, crime
profitability, and lack of law enforcement in order 2 b sustained. Yes Iyah,
madness. Honour is at its very essence virtuous, and grounded in decency, and
is not the rule of law set in the principles of decency? It kinda seemed 2 me
that I an’ I was being told to set aside what is decent so that decency can b
dispensed 4 me 2 practice. Izm skizms.
The true beauty of honour is that it’s not just an
observance, bt also a set of tools 2 practically apply when dealing with the
situations that we all experience, as well as dealing with our struggles, those
both without and within. My Cuz 1nce told me that the gr8est honour a King can
have is 2 b of service 2 his people. Indeed, 2 b of service 2 the people is
majestic, and even Divine.
“Me, we.” Shortest known poem, by Muhammed Ali.
The Omega, the ending, or, more accurately, the end of the
beginning and the beginning of everything. Each individual is part of a
community, or even several communities, that represent something, whether
that’s family, tribe, vocational affiliation, trades group… whatever. Many
communities or groups form parts of our societies, our states, nations, reh teh
teh. We all understand that there r many ways in which there exists difference
between us, yet there is also the understanding that there is cause for the
recognition of commonalities, not just in specific groups, but even across well-established
divides.
There r many ideas, schools of thought, and theories that
run along this general idea. I an’ I will say this, that in the midst of all
this infinite diversity, that there is a oneness, and that it is wise 2
recognise this and make manifest. The concept of oneness can b found in just
abt everything. That has a ring 2 it, that oneness can b found in everything.
It sounds fantastical, like some sci-fi hocus pocus u can catch on a Friday
night. The really crazy part abt this is that the more u look, the more u come
2 realise “oh shit, there might b something 2 this!”
Ok, this might all b make believe, and I an’ I shd just deal
wid facts and science, right? Cool. So there I am, watching the opium box when
a voice comes on 2 tell me that “they” have found the God particle. Yeah, and
that this discovery will proceed a whole new understanding of the universe.
This is the thing that gives everything that exists its mass, and proves the
existence of the Higgs field. Ok, so that’s kinda heavy, and new, “they” cld
have this all wrong. But then there’s other stuff, scientific theories from way
back, like Grand Unified Theory, which is just that. All the fundamental forces
in existence and all elementary particles r united by a single constant.
There’s Unified Field Theory, which is a way of saying that all forces in
nature and all matter is connected by a single field. All this ain’t just some
madness from a few mad scientists, this is the holy grail of physics, and
regarded by many as something just not yet understood.
Lao Tzu talked abt the One Thing, from the One Thing came
the Two things, from which came many things, yet the purpose of the many things
is 2 find, and then connect 2 the One Thing and b. Many religions can b seen as
various forms of belief structures that show how the Divine (or God), the One
Thing, causes and connects many things. The word religion itself comes from the
Latin religare, which means to bind, to tie or connect.
Ever heard of the Collatz Conjecture, or the Syracuse
Problem? Simply put, take any natural number, if it’s an even number, half it,
if it’s odd, then times it by 3 and add 1. Repeat that process indefinitely. No
matter what number u start with, u’ll end up with 1. Crazy. My thing is this,
there is just 2 much that demonstrates the connectedness of us all 2 each
other, and everything else, 2 ignore. The realisation of this, and the
representing of the wholeness and connectedness thru Peace, taking guidance by
the light of Love with which we make these connections, and maintaining the
link, as well as conducting our behaviour to all with Honour, allows us all 2 b
our One true self, and b One with everything, as well as connect to the One
Thing and b…One.
All knowledge somehow keeps creeping toward a destination of
unified overstanding and a gr8er state of unity. Frightening in scope, mayb, bt
at the essence, it takes the incalculable and distils it 2 its purest form. The
elements that connect each of us 2 each other, and us all 2 everthing else, and
the One Thing, r within us. Therefore we r one with everything, and we r one.
Individually One. Collectively, One
I hope that this gives some clarity, and instead of singing
off in the usual, let me say this. 2 every1 who reads this, and 2 yr peoples,
and yr peoples peoples, I absolutely wish u all Peace, I wish u Love, I wish u
Honour, and I wish u One.
(big up Sectretta 4 the spark)
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Corrd the Seeker
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