Posted by JuJuan Buford, Entrepreneur & Writer @JSBUFORD
"When men first come into contact with crime they abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime for a time, they become accustomed to it and endure it. If they remain in contact with it long enough, they finally embrace it, and become influenced by it." - Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich
What follows is that it calcifies as self concept, and everything that follows is simply the manifestation of this self concept. You can substitute poverty for crime. You can substitute nihilism for crime. Substitute negritude for crime. Or intellectual achievement for crime. Positive cultural identity for crime. Or self determination.
This equivalency has real implications. When eyes have been conditioned in the dark for so long, the light pains them. It should be expected, but they'll grow accustomed to it if they feel it's leading them somewhere.
When you have a people who have been conditioned in the dark for generations about who they are. They behave as if born from concrete. When almost every form of popular media available informs them that they are inferior; their lives are less valuable; their strivings for freedom, justice, and equality; the ability to simply exist absent the ignorant, repugnant qualifications of others, are nothing more than infantile cries....
Considering all of this, the solutions should become apparent if you're asking the right questions.
1) How do you repair self concept? Start with teaching them that they were more than just slaves.
2) How do you build an alternative identity? Be bullish about exposing them to content that reaffirms virtues and habits that serve them.
3) How do you combat the assault? Build assets rather than become assets (a stream of income) for those who don't share your interests. Then you can levy increasingly heavier prices for mistreatment.
4) How do you earn their respect? Stop settling for moral victories. The winds of history only remembers the narratives of the winners.
5) How do you empower yourself? See number 3, and don't give over power of choice to others willingly. Be the bank, the grocery store, the school, and the enforcement.
Is this oversimplification? No. Just a good start from a fatigued, unsettled, but still optimistic mind.
JuJuan Buford is a Detroit native, a successful entrepreneur, activist, writer, and public speaker. Buford is dedicated to helping families, entrepreneurs, and business owners establish thriving enterprises, achieve financial independence, and build lives of satisfaction.
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Twitter: @JSBUFORD