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Title of Course: Philosophy 101: "Black Race Matters" Instructor: Mba Mbulu
Textbook: Essays by Mba Mbulu are provided online.
Read the following Essay. Think about the questions below
and explore them more fully.
(1) Is the term Black Smart racist?
(2) What is the difference between being Black Smart and intelligent?
(3) What are the stages that make up the Black Smart concept?
(4) Someone said knowledge has never saved anyone. Do you think
the author of this essay would agree with that statement?
(5) Do you understand the bridge the author refers to?
(6) Is this essay relevant to the struggle of Black People in
America?
Class #7 "BLACK-SMART: What Is It?"
In order to struggle effectively, Black People have to be
Black-Smart. What does it mean to be Black-Smart? The following
brief paragraphs will address that question.
At the core of the concept of Black-Smart is the belief that an
individual cannot be intelligent unless that individual acts intelligently.
In the West, people are taught that intelligence is a totally
mental activity; that a person is intelligent if he or she is
able to logically analyze simple and complex concepts and demonstrate
that knowledge to other individuals. But such an impression of
intelligence is critically lacking, since an intelligent person
would not recognize the solution to a problem without attempting
to put that solution into effect. Rather than try to teach people
to expand their long held understanding of intelligence, we have
introduced a new word, "Black-Smart", to represent this
concept.
The concept of Black-Smart involves three distinct but intermixed
stages. The first is recognizing a set of circumstances for what
it is. The second is determining if those circumstances are beneficial
and, if not, determining what must be done to create desirable
circumstances. The third is acting in a manner that is consistent
with what you have determined needs to be done in order to create
the desired circumstances. The first two stages do not involve
lying to yourself, "tricking" yourself or allowing fear
to influence you because objectivity is absolutely essential.
Objectivity is essential to the third stage, which involves not
just acting, but acting in a manner that is consistent with what
you have objectively determined needs to be done.
To be Black-Smart is to possess consciousness. Americans have
been taught for centuries that information is power, but that
is not necessarily true. An individual can possess all of the
information in the world and still not have power, because information
is power only if it is exploited properly. On the other hand,
consciousness is more akin to power than information because consciousness
drives a person to act, and it is acting that results in the acquisition
of power.
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Knowing primarily involves the use of physical, emotional and
mental energies that are of the passive type. Acting is an entirely
different activity. Acting involves the use of physical, emotional
and mental energies that go beyond those required to accumulate
knowledge. Therefore, a knowledgeable person is not necessarily
equipped to be powerful or to acquire power. There is a bridge
that a knowledgeable person has to cross first. In the process
of crossing that bridge, a knowledgeable person acquires those
additional qualities that enable him or her to become an active
person, a powerful person.
What does a person learn in the process of crossing that bridge?
A person learns about intangibles and develops an appreciation
for the roles intangibles play in success and failure. A person
learns that the perceptions and analyses of a knowledgeable person
and those of a conscious person are prone to differ radically.
A person learns that struggle and commitment require much more
than he/she thought they required; that perseverance alone can
spell the difference between victory and defeat; that there are
always independent factors in play that can make an "impossible"
outcome quite probable; that the lows are frequent and deep, but
always temporary; and that time is always on the side of those
who advocate and work for beneficial change. A person learns that
willpower and determination are more important than material factors;
and that what one has to work with is less important than how
one makes use of what he/she has. And, a person learns that realizations
such as these are what separate outstanding persons from mediocre
persons, and can-do persons from quitters.
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Individuals who are Black-Smart have crossed that bridge.
They are able to look at the particulars of a given situation
and see possibilities that less equipped individuals are not able
to see. They are able to factor in relevant elements that most
individuals fail to take into consideration. They are able to
see the likelihood of victory where others see the certainty of
defeat.
Information opens up the possibility of power. Consciousness drives
one to seek that power. Black-Smart is the concept that encompasses
both. Therefore, individuals who are Black-Smart, regardless of
race, will be of benefit not only to themselves, but to all of
humankind.
One of Black People's major recent drawbacks has been Our failure
to act in a manner that is consistent with what We know needs
to be done. Black People consistently end up participating in
activities that can not produce the results We desire. By being
Black-Smart, We can eliminate that negative and time wasting tendency.
Brothers and Sisters, Dare to BE BLACK-SMART!