Only human beings, according to Jim Rohn, can reorder their lives anyway they choose, by refining their philosophy.
Only human beings, according to Jim Rohn, can reorder their lives anyway they choose, by refining their philosophy.
Jim Rohn statement reminds me of Martin Luther King’s final presidential address at the 1967 annual convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In the convention, he engaged the audience as he encouraged them to create a peaceful united front. His call centered around brotherhood and unity for the Negroes. David Howard-Pitney edited the speech in his book and titled it “Where do we go from here?” It was a question based on a mission, and a call for brotherhood.
The argument was that every semantics have conspired to make that which is black seem ugly and degrading. The most degenerate member of the family is the “black sheep,” In Rogent’s Thesaurus there are some 120 synonyms for blackness and at least sixty of them are offensive. The tendency, it was argued was to ignore the Negro’s contribution to American life and strip him of person-hood is as old as the earliest history book.
The same arguments hold true when Manning Marable in ” Race, reform and rebellion: The second reconstruction in Black America, 1945 -1982.” makes a case for the suffering of some tribes. He said, the most disturbing social characteristic within black America in the post-segregation period was the upwards spiral in rate of homicide. The division has perpetuated a false sense of superiority which has achieved the mission of division. Because of poor concept of human nature, J.B Stoner would say ” When the constitution said, all men are created equal, it wasn’t talking about niggers.” The result of those statements and mindset was destructive and shouldn’t be entertained. The truth is; God created everyone equal, the same goes for the undeserving in India, Cambodia or Nicaragua and places around the entire world. God loves people, so should we.
When Jesus came, he never saw people based on their race, ethnicity or color. He saw them based on who God has created them to be. He redefined brotherhood, by clearly stating; “those that do the will of God are my brother, sister and mother.
How does doing God’s will translate into brotherhood?
First, God is the creator and sees his people differently than people would see themselves. God knows everything there is to know about you and he loves you anyway. He expect us, according to C.S Lewis in “Mere Christianity,” to run the human machine based on his perspective – not our perspective. Jesus never rebuked people who was in need of him. He was aware of their flaws and celebrates their strength. He looks for growth, but now he accepts them just the way there were. He was accepting of all people, and repeatedly calls all with love and compassion.
Jesus defined brotherhood by the principle of adherance to God’s ways. Christina Baldwin, eloquently sum it up this was; “with compassion, we see benevolently our own human condition and the condition of our fellow beings. We drop prejudice. We withhold judgment.
Second, we are in a mission that necessitate brotherhood. Brotherhood is a place of support, help and recovery. And the importance of it means that it could be a place of total vulnerability, hence Jesus was clear about disapproving of Judgements and condemnation.
Third, he treated people who adhere to God’s word in a positive light compared to blood relatives. Without relegating his relatives, he upheld the truth inherent in brotherhood as followers of God.
Finally, our mission is to walk in the light of God’s words, having compassion for our brothers that obey God in different nations. At the same time knowing that they are part of God’s Family.
Evans Akpo 
