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ALIGNMENT (Part – 1) Principles For Life | Tina Smiley-Overton | blackelpasovoice.com

February 4, 2022 by Tina Smiley-Overton

Life, living, and how we choose to live life is based on principles. Principles are universal concepts and are absolute truths. Principles are linear progressions from one level to the next; are within each individual at birth; are measured by maturity; and have four relative elements (person, time, place, and space).

As 2022 begins, PFL focus is ‘Alignment’. Many people think of car tires or the spine and a chiropractor when the word alignment is spoken. There are multiple basic examples of alignment, such as the letters of the alphabets; numbers from 0 to infinity; the planets of the universe in order from the sun; a straight line; etc. These inanimate (non-human) examples naturally flow in alignment.

Animate, specifically human beings, internally, our condition (mental state of being) do not naturally flow towards alignment. External factors impact our state of being.  External factors such as unfair treatment, betrayal, anger, hate, jealousy, and envy etc. disrupts our alignment.

The human condition of being out of alignment is to live ‘By Default.’ Being out of alignment spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially is expensive; it is a robbery of time and talent; can be expensive to correct; and creates serious problems. Out of alignment is exhibited in an individual’s thought, words, and deeds / habits.

Within alignment, there is rotation.  Just as the earth remains in alignment in its’ role in the universe, by completing a 365-day rotation; The humanistic rotation is similar to a circular spiral going upwards in age.  By Design:  As we age, every 365 days, our consciousness craves to be heightened in awareness, in maturity.  From age to age the experiences (whether positive or negative) impacts thought processing, maturity, and internal growth.  Beginning with thought an individual expresses through word and responds through deeds / habits their inner inclinations. (Basically, thought = word = deed / habit = who I am and to whom I belong.)

By Design: To be in alignment REQUIRES overcoming the experiences of life’s ups, downs, highs, lows, achievements, defeats, advancements, setbacks, betrayals, and loyalty. To be in alignment EXPECTATIONS are personal growth, development, cooperation, and willingness to work with others. To be in alignment DEMANDS forgiveness strong enough to move on without holding grudges.

Alignment requires maintenance: As days become years and years become the past, in order to continue striving towards a higher conscience mark of maturity, we must evaluate our deeds/habits.  If our deeds / habits are not producing peace and improving society, then a true reassessment of self is necessary.  Change is by choice and reaching for alignment is self-motivated.

Alignment releases freedom, peace and joy. Individually we must be willing to strive towards our higher spiritual self. (It takes a lifetime of work. It is not easy. It is not accomplished overnight.) In order to do this, we must be willing to truthfully evaluate self, rest, restore, and reconcile to find balance.

Remember this…what is alignment without the even weight of balance on all sides?

Filed Under: Community Voices, Life, Purpose

The Old Voice of the Black Community | @ElevatedLexx | blackelpasovoice.com

February 4, 2022 by Elevated Lexx

Two institutions have primarily supported the African American or Black community, that is the church and college institutions. There are over 85,000 churches in the United States that are predominately Black, but Black people only make up 12.4% of the population as of 2020.

Religious service attendance is common in many communities, however, in the United States, Black people worship, pray, and attend church more than any group (Camara, 2015) and the Black woman is the most religious demographic in the United States.

For most Black people, practicing a religion could consist of attending Sunday morning service, Sunday School, Bible Study, paying Tithes and choir rehearsals. This all while maintaining a full-time job or two, school, and juggling familial responsibilities. For those in or from “The Bible Belt” the church you belong to has significance. So why is it that fewer people are using the church as the voice of the Black community?

European Americans that enslaved and transported Blacks to the United States forced slaves to convert to Christianity and this was reinforced by law. The Bible was used to justify enslavement by teaching that Black people were inferior and religion was offered as a way to provide understanding of this condition, not to change it.

Religious gatherings were strictly supervised by European American slave owners. Black preachers were forced to teach on hard work, to view slavery as doing the work of God, and that their blessings would come in the next life to maintain the enslavement system. The story of Jesus may have been necessary for slaves’ psychological wellbeing and religion gave them somewhere to look for their soul’s salvation.

The church was a place where Black people were able to come together in a safe meeting place to congregate, disseminate ideas, and combat social injustices. The modern-day church institution encourages its followers to remain dependent and to expect a supernatural intervention to relieve them of their struggles.

This overdependence on supernatural intervention teaches that we cannot live without God, or we will be miserable without God, and to not think for ourselves. Culturally, Black people are taught from a very young age to believe in God, and not believing would lead to being ostracized, suffering, or punishment by God.

Religion was used as a tool to distract from individual salvation. We do not need religion or churches to do good. In fact, many churches did not participate in the Civil Rights Movement. Many do good just because it is the right thing to do. There’s a rise in nonbelievers that is causing a decline in churchgoers.

There is a belief system that robs us of time, money, and the ability to adapt to change. More and more people are beginning to question some aspects of their faith and realize that just believing will not bring about change. People are growing more aware that personal salvation matters. The times of the church being the voice of the Black community are coming to an end, drastically.

Reference: Camara, J. (Director). (2015). Contradiction: A Question of Faith [Film]. Twelfth House Publishing Company

Filed Under: Community Voices, Culture, Faith Tagged With: black voice, church

Is It Time Yet?

January 3, 2022 by Sandra Reid

Is it time yet? May 21, 1971, Marvin Gaye asked us, and sang What’s Going On?  Here we are 50 plus years later asking the same question.  Maybe we got so caught up in the smooth soul piercing rhythm and melody  of the song that we missed it, but it was/is right there in front us, “You know we’ve got to find a way, To bring some lovin’ here today, eh eh, For only love can conquer hate, oh oh oh, Talk to me, so you can see…Oh, what’s going on”

Talk to me, we all have so many of the same concerns, but the only way to fix them is to talk, really talk and listen to one another. Maybe if we all came into the room blindfolded, we would talk and listen first without getting caught up in the visual prejudices of who is speaking to us. You probably think I am talking about prejudices like color, race, black and white.  Nope. There are leaders, yes leaders, that don’t listen nor show up simply because John, I Can’t Stand Him Doe will be there.  Remember Marvin Gaye’s words tell us, “You know we’ve got to find a way, to bring some lovin’ here today, eh eh For only love can conquer hate.”  

We shouldn’t lose by focusing on petty things that will stop us from reaching our positive goals for humanity.  Again, 50 years plus ago… I was watching Star Trek. The USS Enterprise had landed on a planet where the people were literally black on one side and white on the other and they could not talk to nor get along with the other people who were white on one side and black on the other.  The planet was dying because it needed resources from to survive.  That concept has stuck with me since I was a child.  

My question is What’s Going On?  Are we strengthening our goals by supporting each, bringing our talents, skills, experiences, and financial gains together to advance a sustainable impact towards building up our communities?  Or are we being black on one side white on the other while putting down the white on one side black on the other?  

To accomplish our united goals, we must come together.  Solid strength comes from positive representation of united numbers in individuals, leaders, businesses, organizations, churches, politicians, serving as positive representation of our needs here on the border.  As we ask for support from others, we must remember to ask ourselves, are we also supportive? 

Find a source to share advancing information, meetings, events with each other, otherwise we will never really know what’s goin on. 

Com’ on… bring some lovin’ here today…Talk to me, so WE can see “Oh, what’s going on.”

Filed Under: Community Voices

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