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Yes, things do go through cycles and in circles. Yesterday's rose colored glasses become today's bi-focals. Yesterday's brainstorms become today's de ja vue. Time brings change. The more things change, the more they become the same. Everything that's old, becomes new. There's nothing new under the sun. The truth will set you free. The truth hurts. Take your pick. Unless today's younger generation looks ahead instead of down at their IPads, unless they face the future instead of FaceBook, unless they articulate instead of text or tweet, I can't imagine them even knowing the difference between relevance and irrelevance. Of course in a super-charged world, this probably won't matter to battery-powered humanoids.

I don't know one person with whom I would always agree 100% and I sure don't know one person who would agree with me 100%. I tend to look at our minds as filters for all the stuff that our brains will take in and that with all people and/or events, it is wise to eat the fish and leave the bone. Or vegan version, eat the fruit and leave the pit.

Here's my take. Before you assess religion you have to consider its origins. Scientist theorize that our brains are wired to be in awe of the unknown and that there are indications that a “god gene” exists. Anthropologists declare that, indeed, belief in a higher power has always been present in the human condition and this is what gave rise to myth and idolatry. From this It can be deduced that religion is something that comes natural to humans. It is organic. It was not originally a tool, but became one when man decided to manipulate it. Guns and the bullets that are their components are manufactured items specifically created for the sole purpose of inflicting damage, not only to people but to objects. A loaded gun is a latent danger. It doesn’t have to be wielded by a person. It can fall from where it has been placed and can accidently discharge a bullet that does harm to some person or thing. Circumstances do not transform a gun. Even when it inflicts damage on a threat, it is doing something bad to this target because it will either kill or maime or destroy it. The NRA likes to exonerate guns with its double talk about people killing people, not guns.but this is just a smokescreen to cloud its ulterior motives. Even an unloaded gun is a killing waiting to happen. Religion per se is not harmful because it is generic. The harm came in when it splintered into name brands, - denominations that are inherently harmful because intrinsic in each one is the idea that my belief is more valid than yours. And implicit in this belief is the idea that in the eyes of the god who is the supreme honcho, I am more worthy than you. And to enforce this idea I have and will become bellergerent. All of which is why religion too often does more harm than good.

I agree, Writergirl. I would just add that language constricts because it is abstract. It's what transcends language that bears watching because like the old cliche says, "actions speak louder than words". Malcolm X is about yesterday. His death elevated him to martyr status but he is not above being questioned today about some of his ideas and actions of yesterday. The same with Martin Luther King. Hero worship is a double-edged sword. There's nothing more liberating than for a person to think for himself, drawing his conclusion and learning from his own experiences because one person's treasure is another one's garbage. People of color in America are no more interested in marching in lockstep with and being dictated to by other blacks than they are in having white people call the plays. It behooves those who want to focus on the present to realize that this is indeed a new day and nobody is obligated to shoulder the burden of their race. "United we stand" can just be another way of saying "misery loves company". This is the age of self-absorption. Reality is a bitch, but it trumps delusions.

I don't see myself as an African living in America. (but I'll still check the box for African American on the form, if there's nothing else that fits.) I barely understand African culture. Truth be told, many Africans don't even see me (us) as Africans living in America. They see us as white. Once in a while I get bummed when I get reminded of that fact, but I get over it quickly because I understand that that's the way things are...that's just more fall-out from the slave trade. IMO. So, it's hard for me to get riled up over a name, be it African American, Negro, Colored, Black, the slaves, enslaved. I mean, for me, I just pick what I like best for me & go with that. So out of all of those names, I choose to refer to myself as black. And as far as a choice between the slaves & enslaved. I choose to say the slaves. When it comes to word choice, I think the connotation is going to be different for different people, based on individual preferences and experiences. To say that you hope that in the future all children will start to change the language from the slaves to the enslaved Africans seems - futile. The only reason I say this is because after we get them used to "enslaved Africans" someone will eventually come along and find fault with that. There will never be a perfect word to describe us or to describe what our ancestors endured. And let's not even get into the topic of black folk whose ancestors were never slaves because they themselves were the slave owners.

da heck you MEAN you ain't sure iif you agree wit my analogy?? YOU WANNA FIGHT ME, TROY!?? You can either AGREE with me or be WRONG and DIE FOR IT! State Policy; Get down or LAY DOWN! (Representin da red, white, and BLUE, Baby! These young heads don't know what REAL thug life is. lol) Mad, sick, head deh pon vacation.. Don't mind me. I'm glad that you made a thread out of it. It has made for a very interesting discussion.

I know it's been a while since this discussion, but I wanted to say that I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. I am a new author and am also in the process of opening a new bookstore to be located in Las Vegas, NV. I am excited about this venture despite having seen other stores succumb to the external pressures. I am grateful to see you all talking about this!