FORUM
When too much stuff is not enough f
I Nigel Alston
Motivational
m Moments
Always buy a good bed and a
good pair of shoex If you're not in
one, you're in the other."
- Gloria Hunniford
'I
I have too much stuff.
My CD collection is a good
example.
There are stacks of them every
where They're on the counter in the
den. And in my car. A fellow has to
have his music.
The real truth is this: I have more
CDs than I have time to hear. Yet
still, I make almost weekly trips to
the store for more
Then there are my books. I wan
- der up and down the aisles of book
stores when there are books on my
bookshelf - largely unread - collect
r ing dust. I do manage to rearrange
i, them from time to time.
;; Even worse are the piles of
books that sit beside my piles of
. 1
CDs.
Both drive my wife crazy.
Too much clutter," she says.
But I can't help it, I argue.
My eyes see more and, of course,
T want more.
Accumulating things is a year
round activity for me, yet I still man
age to enter the holidays empty
handed. Some people shop year
round for Christinas gifts. That's not
me The day after Thanksgiving is
too early for me
Despite the fact that I'm in the
store more often than I care to
admit, I don't think to buy Christ
mas gifts to add to my collection of
stacks.
Yep, the more we have, the more
we want. Here I am wondering if I
need to go to the store more often
when already I'm there too much.
Whatever happened to being thank
ful for what you already have?
According to the National Retail
Federation, sales for the 30-day hol
iday shopping season are expected
to hit $184 billion, up 6 percent from
last year. '
I understand at least one reason
why - full-page newspaper ads. Dur
ing the holiday they're everywhere.
Full color ads tout everything from
full-length fur coats to waffle irons
all at savings that are "out of this
world."
Seeing them is like asking your
mother for more food when you
haven't finished eating what's
already on your plate Your eyes
were bigger than your stomach. You
want more, but you really don't need
it.
"I have a lovely home," said a
thankful person, working hard to
practice sincere gratitude "But still,
I see homes in magazines and visit
homes of friends and I think my
house could be better or bigger. I
think about buying new furniture
and there's nothing wrong with what
I already have"
We can't seem to satisfy that
insatiable appetite for more.
I've fallen in that trap too. 1
remember cashing my paycheck one
Friday afternoon and walking
downtown during lunch hour. I ven
tured into a jewelry store after look
ing in the window. That was a mis
take Moments later, I had pur
chased a new watch. What's so
unusual about this? I had a perfectly
good watch on my arm - it worked
and looked good.
Some people I know are chal
lenging themselves to learn when
"enough is enough." Just how many
pairs of shoes do you need?
At least one person has changed
her . battle cry for 2000. Now she
believes more means less. Boxing up
household items for a recent move
produced a major revelation, she
said.
"I can't get over how much stuff
we have," she told me "I mean how
many sets of china do we need when
our lifestyles mean that we seldom
eat at home and even if we did dine
at home more often, there's only two
of us?"
Here is a bit of advice I read
recently.
"It's OK to want the good things
in life But wisdom, balance and
gratitude help us to appreciate what
we already have and overcome the
addiction of MORE."
That's something to think about.
Nigel Alston is an executive
with Integon Insurance
and can be cached at P.O.
Box 722. Winston-Salem.
NC. 27102 or e-mailed at
nalston237@aol. com
; Forging a new millennium through Kwanzaa
I
'I Dr. Maulana Karenga
+
Guest
? Columnist
At the heart of our celebration
.1 of Kwanzaa is the practice of
' pausing and turning inward as
?? persons and a people are thinking
deeply about the wonder and
obligation of being African in the
" world.
In a word, we are to measure
_ ourselves in the mirror of the best
of our history and culture and to
^ ask ourselves where we stand in
relationship to these highest of
human standards. Although this
. dialog with our culture is empha
sized during Kwanzaa, especially
on the Day of Meditation, Jan. 1,
the last day of Kwanzaa, we know
' well that we are also obligated to
* engage in this essential self-ques
tioning throughout the year and
' indeed throughout our lives.
But clearly, this ongoing con
' versation with our culture takes
on a special meaning this Kwan
' zaa. This transitional period
marks the end of one era and the
' beginning of another. And we say
era rather than millennium, for on
the oldest calendar in the world,
' the ancient African calendar of
1 Egypt, the new year will not be
2000 as on the Gregorian calen
dar, but rather the year 6240.
Still we are at the juncture of a
* new era, not because of a date on
a calendar, but because of the
massive transformations that have
' occurred in the world and our
" rightful concern with the effect
' these changes will have on our
' lives, on the lives of peoples
around the world and on the
world itself.
Among the changes that define
this era are the new technologies,
' especially those in information
systems, biomedicine and genetic
modification and manipulation in
p humans, plants and animals.
In such a context, we must ask
what does this actually mean for
us and the world and should we
consider every scientific pursuit
worthy and every technological
development progress? What do
these activities, especially genetic
manipulation, mean for our con
" cept of human uniqueness, human
agency and human dignity, and
what is the difference between
more access to data which our
computers give us and real knowl
edge, critical thinking and grasp
ing the essentials for a good life?
Equally important, what kind of
world will we leave for future gen
erations and how can we struggle
to ensure that all real advances are
a shared good?
Also, this era is clearly defined
by the increasing privatization of
public and natural space, the sup
pression of liberation movements
by major powers in the world and
their client states and domestic
dictators and the widespread
exhaustion of old liberals, pro
gressives and even many radicals.
We must ask what does this mean
for human freedom and human
flourishing and again how do we
intervene to ensure both.
Our foremother, Mary
McLeod Bethune, taught us to
respect the fact that we are heirs
and custodians of a great legacy
and thus we are obligated to bear
the burden and glory of this lega
cy with strength, dignity and
determination.
No part of our legacy is more
valuable than the unique ethical
teaching of the Odu Ifa, the
sacred text of our Yoruba ances
tors, that we and all humans are
divinely chosen to bring good into
the world and that this is the fun
damental meaning and mission of
human life.
As we move into the next
decade and new era, no lesson is
more important for us to learn
from our history and culture than
our need to recognize our interre
latedness as a people and part of
humanity and our parallel need to
establish and practice an ethics of
sharing which recognizes and .
builds on this interrelatedness in
the most positive and mutually
beneficial ways. In fact, this is an
indispensable way to fulfill and
further our moral obligation to
constantly bring good into the
world.
The concept of sharing in
African culture is central to our
self-understanding and self-asser
tion in the world. The spirit of
sharing permeates the principles
and practice of Kwanzaa.
Each of the Nguzo Saba (The
Seven Principles), which are the
core principles of Kwanzaa, con
tain within them the concept and
practice of sharing. Umoja (unity)
is a shared sense of relatedness in
history, culture, identity and des
tiny. Kujichagulia (self-determina
tion) supports our shared right
and responsibility to determine
and live our shared life as persons
and a people.
Ujima (collective work and
responsibility) speaks to our
shared efforts and obligation to
conceive and build the world we
want and deserve to live in. Uja
maa (cooperative economics) is a
principle of shared work and
shared wealth based on kinship
with each other and the world,
and on our right to share equi
tably and responsibly in the natur
al and created good of the world.
Nia (purpose) is rooted in our
shared meaning and mission of
human life to create and increase
good in the world and not let any
good be lost.
The principle of Kuumba (cre
ativity) speaks to our shared
obligation to do all we can con
stantly to heal and repair the
world, making it more beautiful
and beneficial than when we
inherited it. And finally the prin
ciple of Imani (faith) requires a
shared belief and confidence in
the good and a steadfast commit
ment to increase good in the
world, preserve it and pass it on to
future generations.
Our tradition teaches us that
the best good is a shared good.
Freedom, justice, love, sisterhood,
brotherhood, friendship, family,
community, culture and indeed
life itself are all shared goods. We
speak here then of the creation
and increase of the common
good. Indeed, the Odu Ifa says
that essential good comes from a
gathering together in harmony.
But to cultivate and maintain this
harmonious gathering together to
create and increase good in the
world, an ethics of sharing is
indispensable. And this sharing
must be in at least seven areas: (1)
shared status; (2) shared knowl
edge; (3) shared space; (4) shared
wealth; (5) shared power; (6)
shared interests; and (7) shared
responsibility.
The principle of shared status
is the foundational principle of
the ethics of sharing and reaffirms
the equal dignity ancf inherent
worthiness of every person and
people, an ancient principle found
in The Husia, the sacred text of
ancient Egypt, which first taught
the divihe status and dignity of
the human person.
The principle of shared knowl
edge speaks to the indispensable
need for knowledge for human
development and human flourish
ing and, therefore, recognizes edu
cation as a fundamental human
right.
The principle of shared space
requires sharing our neighbor
hoods, the country and the envi
See Karanga on All
Ill* kinara, a symbol of Kwanzaa.
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