HOLIDAY VALUES

By Dr. Sterling Lands, II

Many of us will celebrate Kwanzaa the day after Christmas insanity. The principles should be celebrated 365 days a year because they serve as a baseline value system for a character centered people. The principles serve to affirm our significance, security and acceptance. They should be used in an overall sense to guide decision making and love making.

Unity
We must strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, and race. Our unity is based on each person's connection with truth. Our unity is made possible through the knowledge and application of the truth. Our love and trust for each other create deep unity. We believe unity is a distinctive mark among a free people.

Self-Determination
We have the right and ability to self defend and self define. We have the right and ability to independently define our roles and responsibilities. We must determine our own course of action without compulsion. We are a people of free will. We make choices in view of the long range effects. We steer clear of people who want to draw us into activities that we know are wrong, i.e. buying “hot” goods.

Collective Work and Responsibility
We must build and maintain active and informed cooperation on matters of common interest and importance. We must assemble and accumulate resources for the building of the character centered family and community. We must undertake business operations, based on the principle of ownership and control. We admit our mistakes and we are faithful with what we have been blessed. We are committed to self help.

Cooperative Economics
We are committed to build and maintain the principle and practice of shared wealth and resources. We renounce the crab mentality. We renounce the grasshopper mentality. We renounce the victim mentality. We are committed to getting out of debt and remaining debt free.

Purpose
We are committed to become the highest dream and to leave an inexhaustible inheritance to our posterity. We have the ability and the right to make up our own mind and carry out our intentions. We are not the product of our circumstances. We find purpose in trusting truth. We make the best investments with the future in mind.

Creativity
We are committed to investing the gifts, skills, talents and time necessary to leave the community more beautiful and beneficial for our grand children and great grand children. We have the ability and power to be creative. We see challenges as opportunities to use our abilities. Our actions and individual choices effect our people. We must take personal responsibility for group error.

Faith
We believe in the omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence, and holiness of the creator who is just and righteous and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We are confident in the truth, value, and trustworthiness of our people. Our faith is more concerned with its life than its size. Our faith rest on a track record of overcoming. Our faith grows under pressure and becomes stronger through endurance.

As we embrace these truths we will experience a new level of freedom. We can soar above majority privilege, institutional racism, inequitable justice, self centered materialistic preachers and Churches, and programmed failure if we choose to walk in these principles together.
Tamshi la Tutaonana (Farewell)