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Pioneer, Mel makes a good point, which I think you may have overlooked. There are people in dire situations who are at peace and others in the same situation having panic attacks, nervous breakdowns, or lashing out at others. The more spiritually developed people actually need less--especially in America where our entire economy is based upon consumption. Much of our desire to accumulate things is a consequence of programming by corporations driving us to consume, so that we increase their profits. The problem is we can never get enough of things we don't need, so we are never really satisfied. This is why, for example, people of modest means, buy more clothing than they can ever wear. Their closets full of clothing with the price tags still on them and they are still not happy and they don't know why. Don't think of it as first we eat, then we exercise, and then work on spiritual development once everything else is done. Spiritual development should run throughout your entire experience, while you eat, while you exercise, while you fight racism.

Or spiritual development must come first in an effort to understand what physical demands are actually necessary. The more I focus on my spiritual needs; I find I need a lot less... In fact, I've recently noticed that I mentally spend money that I don't have... because I'm CONSUMED with thoughts of what I WANT ... notice I wrote "want" and not "need". Without spiritual development I don't think we'd notice and would forever be in CONSUMPTION mode.

I agree with the article save one point; we ARE normal. I've written many times on these forums that our dysfunction is a normal reaction to our environment. What is NOT normal is the inhumanity we have been subjected to for centuries in this country. Until we change our mindset to understand that we are perfectly normal. What is not normal are the people who created the conditions were are in This distinction is important.

Mel Clearly you haven't been on wordpress dot com or Quora. J/K Seriously though, I've been researching polymaths and monomaths; so I think the ratio is much lower than you give credit. We have more 'specialists' today than ever in history. If this country is actually divided it's by autodidacts, academics and a minority of folks who are clueless. This is the internet! Ofcourse when you're on the internet you're going to get a lot of people who tend to be intellectual and academic oriented, because THOSE are the type of people who are the most computer savvy and know how to navigate their way around different websites, chat rooms, ect.... There are millions of people out there who don't use computers or even read books. If it doesn't come on television or the radio, they don't even know it exists and don't care. Add THEM to the people who ONLY use the internet to search for porn or a job and you'll have the MAJORITY of people....lol.

Mel Haven't you heard? Imitation is the HIGHEST form of flattery....lol.

Troy Exactly. And that's my point, it's not about one OR the other but about BOTH.....BALANCE. Helping the community AND helping yourself. And when BOTH are helped, BOTH benefits. For example............ When I as an individual get out and fight for unversal healthcare FOR ALL citizens and social security benefits FOR ALL seniors, it benefits me as an individual with decent healthcare now and a financially sound future in old age. Dude, many folks don't even have the spare brain cells to read a book let alone think abut enlightenment. In many ways, everyone actively participating in this forum has the luxury of time to participate here and contemplate things outside of satisfying our immediate needs--like where our next meal is coming from. That might sound hyperbolic, but it really is the reality for many. True again. Most people who have time to sit around and have philosophical discussions aren't "struggling" and thus they can focus more on intellectual matters. But I'm not fooled into thinking EVERYONE has that same luxury or do I believe everyone has that same desire. What I realize and many have yet to is that some people DON'T WANT to think about these things; all they're focuses on is money even when they have plenty of it.....and I respect their desires. I'm not going to condemn them or preach to them about what they should want or aspire to, I'll just do me and let them do themselves. Who am I to say that focusing on more mental or spiritual things even IS the best route to go? Maybe that brother overthere spending 99% of his time chasing paper really HAS found "the truth". BTW..... Financially speaking, I'm still considered POOR or atleast lower middle class. I just try to use the money I have wisely. So your boy is STILL trying to "come up"....lol. Mel Or spiritual development must come first in an effort to understand what physical demands are actually necessary. Lol.....try explaining that to a hungry baby. Or even a hungry child. Children are closest to the basic human psychological model as we get before we are "socialized" into religious and philosophical concepts that are often abstract. They don't understand concepts like "sacrifice" and "delayed gratification". They only understand what they can clearly see...up front. So they say, "Either I'm eating and got food in my belly.....or I don't....so spare me your philosophical explanations for my hunger and find me some food"....lol.

BLOG ALERT!!! Maybe as a collective, disparities in the black community harm us but not as individuals because we all have different perspectives. One perspective; not all of us exist for outside acceptance and approval For example, I don't "dress up" my black in an effort to be accepted or even appreciated by the white majority. Frankly I don't give a damn if they accept me or not. I do me...and if I seek any approval it's from family, friends, associates, acquaintances and in that order. My cry is don't physically harm me because of your bias. Now if this is your point, FlareonDon, then yes harming indirectly by one's community member is a challenge. I have been harmed by black people who have been hurt by the system. Sort of trickle down hate brought on by racism, if you will. After reading the article, I noticed one thing missing from the argument. It's usually missing in all arguments of this nature...Most people never ask or answer "Why were some Africans enslaved in America"? (Noting that many Africans came willingly and were free as in never a slave) While it is reported that all the colonies/ later states participated in African enslavement - the states that abandoned the practice early were the states that didn't benefit from it. - So answer why were some Africans captured, brought here and enslaved? I've read one perspective on why some Africans were enslaved...and why they were all but shunned after their services were no longer required or legal. Once you answer "Why" then they rest of the "most hated" story makes sense. Once you answer the why - then you like most successful African-Americans will use that answer to your benefit. stop copying me!

Pioneer of course if someone is beating you upside the head with a club, you have to address the immediate threat before you can worry about anything else. In fact, this is a good metaphor for the situation the Black community finds itself in today. Dude, many folks don't even have the spare brain cells to read a book let alone think abut enlightenment. In many ways, everyone actively participating in this forum has the luxury of time to participate here and contemplate things outside of satisfying our immediate needs--like where our next meal is coming from. That might sound hyperbolic, but it really is the reality for many. Pioneer in your last statement you make it sound as if it is about doing what is best for yourself OR doing what is best for others. Consider the following: “The best for the group comes when everyone in the group does what's best for himself AND the group.” The quote of from John Nash, who you might remember as the Mathematician portrayed in the film The Beautiful Mind. In fact, the game theory concept was described in the film. I think American culture focuses on doing what is best for yourself, treating life as a zero sum game where one gains only at the expense of someone else. This is not true and Professor Nash proved it earning a Nobel Prize in the process.

You're right, WE are the normal ones living in an UNNATURAL environment. In an insane asylum....the SANE people are the one's considered crazy...lol. But let me drop two points........... 1. When people say "society", they often mean WHITE ACCEPTANCE. Society is made up of millions of different people with thousands of diffent subcultures and ways of thinking. There is no one set "normal". But if your goal is to get along with White people and be accepted by them....then NO....you'll never be seen as "normal" to them because you're naturally different. As a Black man who grew up in a Black city I had no problems with feeling normal because I WAS the norm. When we saw White kids in school or walking down the street THAT was abnormal. It was normal for kids to have cornbread and fried chicken for lunch, but ABNORMAL to see cabbage soup, lol. 2. Black Americans need to stop playing victim so much. We have out own subculture but often times we are too lazy to promote it, but then turn around and get angry about feeling left out. Why aren't there any Black barber shop chains nationwide for Black men like Supercutz and Boricks for White men????? Why aren't there any national Soul Food restaurant chains promoting Black American food like there are Taco Bells and Little Ceasars promoting Mexican and Italian food????? I know for a fact that PEOPLE OF EVERY RACE love soul food because I rememer a couple sould food restaurants in Detroit that used to have regular customers from Arabs, to Koreans, and Chinese who'd go in getting peas, rib tips, ect...... Some Arabs and Asians even started hiring Black people to cook food for them and sell it out of their stores! White people and many other people PROMOTE their own culture and this is how they "normalize" themselves in America. Instead, too many of us try to seek acceptance and be apart of THEIRS instead of establishing our OWN and end up feeling out of place as a result of our own laziness.

A Terrific Bookstore in Tampa's Ybor City, Best Books Rich Treasures they feature New, Used, and Rare Books. I've become friendly with these booksellers over the last couple of years. I found them to be cool people as they always expressed their gratitude in my efforts to help them. On my most recent visit. Gigi, one of the co-owners who is also a genealogist was telling me about her book, Thomas the Melungeon: His Locust Family of Free Persons of Color Civil and Revolutionary War Patriots. As we were discussing the book, it became clear we had relatives in the same region of North Carolina. As budding genealogist myself I happened to have my DNA available and we compared our DNA and found the genetic link--we are kin! Our ability to find the shared ancestry is possible because my maternal grandmother's people were never enslaved. Wilder still, I'm also related to her husband, thought the family ties are less clear because the likely connection is through my paternal ancestor the "Johnson" line was lost due to slavery in the deep south... @Delano, I think this qualifies as magic Family or not, I still would have created this video highlighting the store. If you are in the area, check them out and tell 'em, "Cousin Troy" sent you!

It is not often that someone says that about something I wrote--thanks, Me! :-)

If it took 200 years for you to have civil rights you're not a citizen. You're persona non gratis. A darks spot to be erased. Which is why we have been invisible for close to 200 years in history and the media. Any press is sure to be negative because Black people didn't disappear like the Native people.

Pioneer, I see I did not answer your question. I too was aware of the book before the film. I actually know the production designer , but he did not reveal which movie he was working on until the project was essentially completed. I don't recall being aware of the women prior to the book. But I could be wrong as I've forgotten much more than I know at this point in my life :-) But again how much did you actually learn from the film? I'd be willing to bet that you don't even know the names of the three mathematicians the movie was about. Without doing a search can you? Can you also describe in any meaningful level of detail what all three women did?

Cool @Mel Hopkins I'm sure you see things that I can't see, so I'm really looking forward to speaking with you.