Dee' Detroit People's CO-OP is Divine! Peopleeez' Co-ops, Gardens and Community Farms do Mo' dan Close de "Racial Wealth Gap!!" Dey HEAL US so We Can Create da' New an' Betta' World We All Needz!!!

"We are not gathered here today in order to change the world. We are here with a more modest proposal — to create a new world. We. Today. Here.”  —Zapatista communique, April 4, 1996 The Zapatistas are an Indigenous community in Chiapis, Mexico.  http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/

I recently read a brilliant, thoroughly and meticulously researched  article called “Why Coops and Community Farms Can’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap” showcasing the inspiring Detroit Black Community Food Security Network's work, notably their Community Farm and coming Peoples' COOP! https://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/good-money/why-co-ops-and-community-farms-cant-close-the-racial-wealth-gap-20181109

As soon as I saw it, I thought to myself, “Lawd, who iz lookin’ da close "De Racial Wealth Gap?!" Wee peoplez, paticularly weez AMERICUNS is consumin’ way 2 much of everyding already!!! We need to be reducing allz our consumption, not consuming mo’ and trying ta catch up with de consumption levels of de so called RICH of dis country and dis world!!!!!!”  

The article featured a FINE! (Did I say FINE? See beelow fer' yerself!!!!) picture of Malik Yakini, ED of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.

Today howeva' thanks to luck, my hard work, my ancestors,  and my continued and relentless search for dee truf, I hav’ a different perspective!!!! Hallellujah! (Smile!) I now know, gratefully, that there is something mo’ impo’tan dan closing da racial wealth gap involved in peoplez coops, gardenz and farms!!! Way mo' impotan'!!!.  Who want da close dat anyway?  Lik' I said, we iz all consuming way 2 much already. Mama Earth is gonna’ bust!!!

“Yaaaaas,” as  our good food movement colleague, Agroecololgist,  beautiful  and brilliant Dr. Shakara Tyler saaays, we allz need fud stuffs and healthy fuds and we need da' grow it in harmony with Mudder Earth; but maybe dey is sumptin' else goin’ on here as well besides feedin’ our bodies which admittedly iz impo’tan'!!!! Maybe weez bee feddin’ sumptin else besides our bodies as well!!!  Maybe we bee feeding an' growin' an'  nurturin' our SOULS 2!!! 

And all yall’s know in dis der America and world  in 2019 we allz badly needz to feed our soulz!!!! Jes’ look around at da sufferin’ an' de violence. We allz knows our society and humanity itself need' a GRAND CHANGE! And maybe deez peoplez' co-ops, gardens and farms are part of dis' GRAND CHANGE!

Jes' maybe!

An' as well, maybe, jes’ maybe, deez community gardens, farms and coops, are growin' an' cultivatin' us, wee human beings, as much as wee is growin' an' cultivatin' our own food!!! An' of course de' key to any change iz 2 change wee selves, beecause well just look, we beez the ones who iz destroyin' everyding includin' weeselves!!!!  

I’m gonna’ suggest ta' you dat today in modern society, our souls are at stake, human peace and sanity iz at stake, and maybe jes’ maybe people's coops, community gardens and farms got sumptin' ta do wid savin' dem an' rasing weez CONSCIOUSNESS and healing an' transforming US!! 

Jes' maybe!!!!!

Money is meaningless without PEACE and CONSCIOUSNESS!!! Don't buy into this world's obsessive focus on the material when it is and always will be the spiritual which trumps all!! The world is off course with its intense focus on the material!!!!!! Look at our ancestors; they triumphed with humility, a profound spirituality not of this world, love, community, devotion and modest consumption. And they knew how to share! It was hard but they did it and we can too! They showed us how! 

An' weez all knowz somewhere deep  inside weez, dat dis' here life is at root, at de mos' profound level: "A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY!" Wee allz knowz somewhere inside that we are in fact here to grow ourselves, to grow our wizdom, and to grow our Consciousness and CONSCIOUSNESS itself!!!!!

Furthermore, scientists  point out the coming collapse of this world soon  due to our relentless material consumption!  
https://medium.com/predict/2040-the-world-will-collapse-this-mit-computer-has-confirmed-it-5b038bec32db;https://www.livescience.com/65633-climate-change-dooms-humans-by-2050.html 

Relentless human consumption, GREED,  is destroying our world and our Mama, de Earth, upon which we depend to live. It is consequently our spiritual growth which is de most important thing and why we are here. And when we do grow spiritually and manifest higher levels of consciousness we will not have such intense greed for material consumption because  de desire for higher and higher  levels of material consumption   is at root a way  to soothe our own spiritual and psychological suffering. 

Get off this sinking material boat of endless and ever increasing material consumption and focus on what is real and really important: our own individual, family, communal, societal  and species healing: our spiritual growth, sumptin'  MONEY cannot buy!  You got to suffer for it!  Dis', our spiritual growth, iz de mos' impotan' ding in dis life. 

An' YAAAAASSSS (as Dr. Shakira Tyler would say) we have to suffer to grow ourselves spiritually, but it iz sufffering for something and beats the alternative of staying small, staying children, and being spoiled as people and as a species. We gotz to grow weeselves, jes lik' we beez  growin' dem plants in weez  community and urban gardens and farms. An' yes wee may suffer doin' it--growing weeselves and growing our own food; but it iz  worth it!! It is sufferin' fer' sumptin' and sumptin' impotan'--our own spiritual growth,  healing our selves,  and weez be savin' our home, Mama Earth upon which we depend to live as well! Dey jes'  iz no Other way 2 live!

Perhaps, at the most profound level, dat is what all deez peoplez' community gardens, urban gardens and coop iz  about.. Sufferin' on weez own behalf to grow ourselves and our chililns' wizdum,  dey very souls! Dis iz perhaps what one can call "de goodness of suffering:" it growz us and  leads us to our own spritual growth, which in turn leads us to da' transcendence of dis material world.  

Don't judge our success as a people by the values of this  world and all those who subscribe to these fallacious values for material consumption at all cost. The world is  on a sinking ship! 

Our ship cannot sink!!!!! 

SMILE!!!!!" 

As the amazing Zapatista community of Mexico says:

 “We are not gathered here today in order to change the world. We are here with a more modest proposal — to create a new world. We. Today. Here.”

 —Zapatista communique, April 4, 1996

And so are we the peoplez here in the USA!--with our coops, community gardens, and community food projects;  we are not working to change this world; we are working for a more modest proposal as say the Zapatistas of Mexico!!! Like them we are working to create a new world because this one, aimed at mo' and mo' material consumption, aka, GREED,  is  failing!!!

To create a new world, with new values, not simply greed and mo' an' mo' consumshun-at all cost iz a DIVINE an' original, worthwhile, human path!!!! And that is the path wee de peoplez, wid' our community food coops, urban and community gardenz an' mo' iz on. De' Zapatistas said it bes!

Deep down inside,, ya'll know its true and so do the folks destroying the all fo' mo'! Mo' money! Mo' stuff!  We are in such intense suffering actually, that we cannot stop destroying everything in our way!!! The vast majority of humans engaged unconsciously in this excessive and relentless human consumption at all cost are running from their own suffering, by consuming!

Let me say that again, this deep human need to consume excessively and for material consumption  is nothing more than one BIG way weee human beings run from our suffering.  And primarily the suffering we experienced as little children in our families at the hands of our own parents and other family members.
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/670259.Extraordinary_Relationships


Dat iz de hardes' sufferin' fer wee human beings to handle, face and heal, and consequently we iz running from it into consumption and destroying our own home, Mama Earth.  But we are also largely  unawares  of dis, so it is an endless treadmill of suffering and consumption and suffering and consumption and more and more consumption and running, until the world will be destroyed; our planet will be ruined for human and many other types of life forms habitation as well!

But while mindless, unconscious consumption does not heal the suffering that humanity is experiencing, our spiritual growth does!  Spiritual growth heals and transforms our suffering into wizdum, knowledge and courage! And yallz know weez people need wizdom, courage, and knowledge!

Smile, breathe and bee true to You and we will conquer all!!!!!" It ain't all about da' money; its also and maybe primarily about our growth, our spiritual growth and the growth of wizdum, knowledge and conzusness itself as well !!!!!!!Bee tru to you AN" DA MONEY WILL FOLLOW!!!!!! But it ain't fer da MONEY! Its fer da love an' da bee true to Yu!!!!

Yes sum folks got most of de money and de material consumption. but we got mo soul, consciousness and dat is de most important ding! And we all know it!!!!! Luv, "tru luv," not money conquers all! Money without consciousness (GREED!) is what is leading dis world right now and leading dis world to its end--so say dee scientists!

Do not buy into the majority-led delusional  greed for material consumption over all. It is a lie and must fail.

We are on a different path; that is our conscious choice!! We ain't about chasing money. Those who got it can have it for all the happiness it will bring dem' when dis human scoeity  collapses because of our greed!!! We iz about growing our own and our peoplez' Consciousness, wisdom, peace, righteousness, and transcendence!!!

The world is on de wrong path, but we don' have ta' be! An' we can have a different  fate dan dis world!!

Our ancestors, granma's, granpa's, great aunts and uncles and more,  hav' sho' nuff showed us de way. We gotz ta 'follow because dey sacrificed an suffered fer' us!!!

Dis coop iz DIVINE!. 

A model of de possible!!!  Up up and carry on! Let righteousness and love, bee your path! An nothin' in dis world will stand in yer way!"

Yes, we Are building the New world we all need, an' healing an' growin' ourselves as well, one peoplez garden, coop an' community farm at a time!

· Pictures below from Malik Yakini's facebook page, ED of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network!

Sumptin' TRULY DIVINE iz goin' on here!!!!!! Happy people, relaxed people right in the midst of   Detroit Michigan. Why all deez peopluz an' chilluns' smilin' sew big and bein' sew relaxed and happy? Because as Marvin Gaye said, If you can't find  happiness inside you can't find it anywhere." Marvin Gaye 

Deez community and urban gardens bee makin' weez happy and relaxed, whole and complete. Dis is divine. Diz is transcendence.  Diz is why weez waz born!!!! 

Hail the Detroit Black Peopleez Community Food Security Network! an' all de peoplez urban gardens, community farms, an' food coops!!!  Dey iz healin' us and maken' uz happy right here an' now!!! KUDOS ta' ALL!!! Dankee fer yer' leadership, luv, hard work and JOY!!!

Yu bee savings all our lives!!!

GUD BLESS U!!!

DE ANCESTORS IZ SMILIN!! WEE DONE LEARNED OUR LESSONS WELL!!!!

· 

YESMAGAZINE.ORG

Why Co-ops and Community Farms Can’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Circulating local dollars can’t create wealth when there’s not enough to begin with.