The Power of Mindfulness



Samuel Phillips is a writer, graphic designer, photographer, songwriter, singer…
Some don’t believe or don’t want to believe that all is not well with the world. There are those who by reason of their interaction with the various systems of the world have understood that things are not really how they should be, but almost all the time, they are unwilling to take a stand and make a difference. Especially if what is happening does not affect them directly.
The one question that always comes to my mind is, how is it possible for so many people of the world, in their billions, not to be aware of much of the things happening in their lives or even their environment? Or how is it possible for those who are learned to quickly dismiss new information, calling such information conspiracy theories, while forgetting the very fact that there is a term called “conspiracy theory” should make us pay more attention to those who like to use such term to distract the global population from what we all know is not right in our world.
For instance, when you look at the rise in infertility in Africa, which by the way was not an African thing some seventy years ago and then you question if the many vaccines that our people are forced or manipulated to take have anything to do with such rise, then someone in the government quickly says you are spreading a conspiracy theory or medical misinformation, should that not be a reason to now go out of your own way to look into the matter and find out what is real and what is not?
Why we don’t do that by default? The loss of mindfulness and the ability to connect dots or demystify popular narratives that have become strongholds in our lives and society. Like the story I shared about my conversation with my wife’s cousin concerning traveling to Nigeria and how she instantly questioned why she had such an opinion, we as Africans will begin to truly demolish the limitations in our minds if we take the kind of position to question everything.
But such ability begins with the power of mindfulness which allows us to look at things critically and then form new accurate judgments about everything.
The subtle and subconscious way narratives are formed through technology
We are living in a very interesting generation in which what you thought was real all your life could turn out to be the greatest scam ever pulled against your mind. We are in an age where our minds are daily being bombarded with all manner of malicious and subtle manipulative information that is working against our ability to judge things accurately.
Take for instance, have you ever wondered how is it that when you think of something maybe in your living room when you open your social media app, what you just thought about will be shown to you in an advert. It sounds like black magic, right? But is it? NO, is not.
I may not be able to give you an accurate explanation of what that really is for obvious reasons, but I am mindful enough to ask you a question.
If what you thought about in the privacy of your bedroom can come to you as an advert on Facebook, then how much are you aware of that is entering your mind through whatever technology was used to create that interface between your thoughts and your mobile phone? Think about it.
What if you woke up in ten years and realized all that you have built and which you thought were created from your own creative ability were nothing but after-effects of what was pushed into your mind by technology?
Let’s now bring this back home to Africa.
My brother John Wills shared an article in this issue which I found very interesting. When he shared the article with me, a statement he made instantly caught my attention, he said:
In our agricultural sector, we often cultivate what is deemed marketable— farm products we cannot consume but are meant for export. When droughts occur, we lament the consequences
This is one of the many problems of Africa. We tend to get things upside down and then complain of lack of progress in Africa.
So instead of planting food in our open farmlands, we plant flowers for export and then complain of food insecurity. Instead of growing vegetables and fruits in our home gardens, we plant grass and flowers. Are we supposed to eat grass and flowers?
But this is applicable to every sector of our African lives.
How can Africa be the poverty destination of the world when the natural resources from Africa power and enrich the world? It does not make sense.
What makes sense right now is to do what Ibrahim Traoréof Burkina Faso is doing. Kick out all the agencies that are working for the imperialists who undermine Africa’s progress and then turn back and call Africa poor and backward. We need to prioritize what will bring solutions to the African continent and not babysit the various colonial systems that are bent on keeping Africa down.
We need the power of mindfulness to pay critical attention to how things are happening in Africa, why they happen, and who gains from what is happening. We cannot be a continent of people who are afraid to make the decisions that are required to shift the African narrative.
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Samuel Phillips is a writer, graphic designer, photographer, songwriter, singer and a lover of God. As an Afrikan content creator, he is passionate about creating a better image and positive narrative about Afrika and Afrikans. He is a true Afrikan who believes that the true potential of Afrika and Afrikans can manifest through God and accurate collaborations between Afrikans. Afrika is the land of kings, emperors, original wisdom, ancient civilizations, great men and women and not some road-side-aid-begging poor third world continent that the world finds joy in undermining.