Pain is a perplexing feeling that
can be perceived from many different angles depending on who you ask. The
concept of pain is interpreted contrastingly depending on the culture and
community. Some cultural norms encourage
open expression of pain, and for some, the expression of pain depends on gender
norms (men are not allowed to express their pain openly, while women are
expected to be more emotional). Pain can be tangible, through physical pain,
and it has the capacity to also be intangible (through emotional, mental, and
spiritual pain). In CP Patrick’s novel, “The Truth About Awiti” the central
character Awiti experiences pain from all of its angles. She faces tangible
pain through her experiences as a slave, and the pulling associated with her
immortality. She also experiences intangible pain through all she has lost, her
broken heart and seeing her people suffer for such a substantial period. Many
of the situations Awiti faced, and the problems she caused could have been
prevented or handled in a more reasonable manner if Awiti adopted the
principles of self-love.
When examining Awiti’s first complex
predicament when she was offered the option to be immortal by Oranyan, if she
possessed a sense of self-love, she would have taken more caution in her
decision; therefore, saving her from the plight she agreed to take on, which
negatively impacted her and others throughout the duration of the novel.
Subtracting the obvious fact that Awiti is simply young and immature, beneath
the surface when an individual lacks a healthy sense of self, this can lead to
poor decision making. Instead of channeling all her negative energy, thoughts,
and feelings into something positive. In relation to the situation with
Oranyan, if she would have given her decision more time, then there is a
possibility that it would have dawned on her that maybe living for eternity is
not something she would want to do. Sadly, the situation was not designed for
her advantage, she was manipulated and taken advantage of. Awiti was vulnerable
and in need of support, and if she possessed her own sense of mental grounding,
then she could have been cleverer. Self-love is working to gain a sense of
being grounded in oneself and being confident in one's own identity.
Awiti chose to take matters into her
own hands in a negative way, which at times led to others being hurt, or worst-case
scenario, it led to other’s being killed. For example, when she helped cause
the flood in Okeechobee, Florida, which caused many people to perish (Patrick,184).
If Awiti had a sense of self-love she would have had the capability of being
transparent and understanding that matching the pain caused to you by others
never ends in anything positive. It creates a path of destruction that leads to
innocent bystanders falling victim to one’s uncontrolled emotional responses. For
Awiti to receive true retribution for all that the whites put her people
through, the best course of action would be for her to let karma do its work,
which is letting what they did to others come back to them. Awiti, in many
situations throughout the novel, assumed the position of God. No amount of
destruction or tragedy she inflicts on the people who hurt her people will make
up for the fact that what is done is already done. It will not bring her family
back, or any of the slaves whose lives were brutally taken.
Ultimately Awiti is not solving
anything because the impact of the transatlantic slave trade is deeper than the
physical slavery that the slaves were subjected. The transatlantic slave trade
established a stronghold on the mind of many blacks that still shows itself in
many ways today, but I believe the best way for society to treat this topic is
with simple deep reverence and respect of the reality that occurred. Being a
black person myself, I have witnessed certain black people limit themselves and
what they can or cannot accomplished because of the color of their skin or
because they feel they may be too poor, or even worse because no one in their
family has accomplished anything like it before. Maybe it is even as serious as
the fact that they do not know any successful black people in their community.
There is even the lethal mindset of blacks who feel that “the white man” owes
him or her (or any other respective pronouns one may choose to be identified
by) something because of what many of their ancestors went through, or they
simply become slaves themselves (slaves of the “system”), which reflects a
mindset that believes that America was designed to “keep the black man down”.
One of the scariest historical connections
to this mental bondage is Willie Lynch’s letter, entitled “The Making of a
Slave”. In the letter, Lynch discusses his elaborate agenda to break and train
the mindset of blacks, to where he creates division within the community,
destroys the bonds of trusts, annihilates the power of the black man, destroys
black relationships, and the black sense of self. Lynch even states that the impact of the
horrid plans that he had to train his slaves would have such a profound impact
on the black community to the extent that the effects will affect generations.
Sad enough to admit, whether it was caused by Lynch’s initial plans the black
community suffers from many of the ailments Lynch claimed his plan would carry
out.
In Patrick’s novel, one chapter that speaks to
a similar issue is the chapter entitled “Questions”. The character Kim makes a
profound statement regarding the classification of blacks who allow themselves
to become products of their circumstances. She states, “Being a nigger is a
state of mind, not a racial classification. It means you are ignorant,
uneducated, and want less for yourself”, and she goes on to say “... I am not a
nigger. And so, the word doesn’t bother me, because it does not define me or
anyone I know” (Patrick). This quote counteracts Lynch’s agenda because the
state of mind that Lynch tried hard to brand the black community with is not
what blacks have to allow themselves to be. They have the potential to overcome
and beat the low expectations some people have for them. Awiti has the
potential to be better, through channeling her anger into something positive.
Even when people would try their best to redirect her, she did not desire to
listen, and if she tried to listen, she would be overtaken by her own weakness
and fall back into the same destructive habits. Ultimately, Awiti does not have
to let her pain and her emotions overcome her, but she has made up in her
selfishly driven mind that her pain and anger is more important than the people
she is hurting. If the black community
and Awiti adopted the principles of self-love, altogether personal struggles
could be transformed into something positive. What do you think?
Sources: Sources:https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1968/7/30/a-black-mans-lament-pi-could/
Patrick, C. P. The Truth about Awiti. Field Order Press, 2015.
Sources: Sources:https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1968/7/30/a-black-mans-lament-pi-could/
Patrick, C. P. The Truth about Awiti. Field Order Press, 2015.
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