Hotep

Love is "the merging of self with the other" or "becoming one with the world" which incumbent on a highly spiritual experience. This directly contradicts the European self-image of the "individual," importance of materialism over spiritualism (i.e. separation of SPIRIT from all aspects of life).

This obvious contradiction at such a base level leads Westerners to make statements like "you can't help who you fall in love with." "Love" becomes a highly philosophic and abstract conception that allows the European to "talk" about it but not experience it. And when it is "experienced" it is unfamiliar and disregarded. For instance the "universal love" that a Christian professes is a farce. In the same breath they are called to destroy the "heathens" which has been done through physical death and torture or by conversion, which to the African is one in the same.

Besides the statement "you can't..." contradicts itself. EVERYONE CHOOSES who they want to "love." Noone "falls" in love with someone who they would not want to be involved with. This statement "mystifies" love so the European can "think" they can experience it.

ACTIONS speak louder than words.

PEace
Solarus

"Activism is the practice of using an internal, self-determining source of power to live one's life and/or enact some sort of change. Power is the ability to define reality, while self-determination is to decide or define one's self. Therefore activism, is not simply something done to right some wrong or to fight some cause but rather it is a way of life. Activism is the way of life where one can define self and change anything that may impede or control the reality that one chooses to live."-Solarus