i never expect anything to happen but the usual; you know, just your every day event- the news of struggling around the world and some attempts at improving the situations (this gets less coverage though, and we have to be the ones to seek it out).
but i woke up to a dream… a premonition perhaps. or, one of those ‘calls to action’ i receive at times, to continue to spread the teachings.
the first half of the dream involved a person i know through radio… he invited myself and another person we mutually know, to an event he was holding in honor of an elder in the family. i told him i was honored by his invitation and that i would love to go; the only thing is that i have a bicycle and would not be able to get out there, or back. he told me that it would not be a problem; and that i could just ride in his van, taking the bicycle with me. he also said there was a whole bunch of land i could ride on.
so i and the other person (whose face i am not remembering now) joined him on his journey to his familial celebration.
that part of the dream didn’t last for very long, because soon as i knew, i was back in a warehouse, with a whole lot of people, some i knew, some i did not. i have no idea how i got back here… it appeared to be some sort of summer night-time gathering, with bonfires and food.
a few minutes later (even though it seemed like hours) the van i traveled in returned to this event. i ran to retrieve my bicycle… it was the same bicycle but different handlebars were on it- it was one of those drop-down ones; the ones which make my back ache because you are bent down so much when riding. when i went to pick up the bicycle, the handlebars were heavier than the rest of the bicycle. as i wondered how the handlebars got on there, i adjusted them with the possibility they would be more comfortable (or, that they would turn into the original handlebars).
but, in the midst of adjusting the handlebars the scene switched to an event in the warehouse. in the warehouse was a film playing. as i curiously went in to see what the excitement was about i noticed that it was your image up on the makeshift screen. it was a film i had never seen before. like ‘moonwalker’ it was a series of various sequences, married in order to create a main storyline. i could not tell where the film came from, who the producers were, how long it’s been around… all i know is that it appeared to be professionally done, and not fan-based.
it’s interesting. increasingly, i became frustrated as the film trudged on. it appears as if whoever created the film was attempting to make a compelling political statement, yet no one at the warehouse was listening. my eyes migrated from the screen, back to the people on numerous occasions. i saw people laughing and cavorting as i saw these images and phrases pop up on the screen…
the phrases would occur after significant scenarios. the film kept jumping as if someone were changing the channels on a television; or more specifically, a DVD release. whenever these ‘chapters’ would be changed a phrase would appear. the messages which would be reminiscent of ‘doublespeak’- you know, similar to the orwellian statement of slavery being an aspect of freedom, and so on…
i was silently trying to wrap my head around all this… were the makers of this film in attendance of this gathering, making everything up as we went along? were THEY, like me, wondering if anyone noticed the messages subliminally (yet conspicuously) placed in this film?
i wanted to scream so badly. i felt trapped. i could not grasp how people were talking amongst themselves and cheering at certain scenes, when there was no response toward these messages which were screaming just as loudly.
suddenly my friend tiffany was standing next to me, drink in hand, next to a doorway. she kept raving to me about how wonderful you were, and how this film is a fine judge of your character. i wanted to say that i concurred, but i could not muster an explanation. as she was talking to me i noticed another one of these scenes… this segment of the film ended with a caricature of you on a brick wall. it was a painting of your face, illustrated in a multi-coloured hue, regarding your diagnosis of vitiligo.
then one of those phrases popped up over the painting. and then i opened my eyes.
i have been thinking so much about the power of media lately. i cannot necessarily attribute the dream i had to this, but the magnitude of this dream- is this purely coincidental?
the mode of ‘doublespeak’ is increasing the more ‘access’ we have to media. to me, this is purely intentional, since, due to the amount of access so many of us have we tend to focus on the sources we agree, or are most comfortable with (because there is simply ‘too much’ media)… and those of us who are not able to receive as much access (either due to lack of media resources or funding to public libraries), there is less of an opportunity to receive a varied scope of information- so you take what you can get.
either way, there is a treasure trove of ‘consumers’ (this is who we are now, not PEOPLE) which these organizations rely on to remain, to them, ‘willfully ignorant’; relying on ‘hope’ as opposed to pro-activity. were the people in the dream these ‘consumers’ who chose to focus on your role as a ‘song and dance man’, as opposed to seeking knowledge about your work of action? have people surrendered to the ‘cult of personality’ which kept the industries afloat in your (and others’) name?
perhaps it is just me; but the ‘hope’ you spoke of:
In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.
this is a call to action… it’s not sitting around waiting for someone or something to save us. the “dare” is that operative word… we have been so discouraged (either through media/other aspects of popular culture, government or otherwise) to take action of our destinies, and to find freedom through whatever it is they say gives us freedom.
in the many ways i see ‘hope’ being utilized; it appears to represent a blind optimism devoid of action. we remain in the aesthetics of hope: that if we do enough of it, then “one day” our dreams can come true. this is where the “dare” comes in.
to dare is to imply (or define) defiance. it is to challenge the commonalities of existence- the ‘status quo’. and no one can ever say you did not challenge commonalities, that’s for sure. the words you spoke of that call to action- that “dare”- is of a long queue of similar calls. i always ask if the calls from you were ignored, due to, again, the perception of you as a ‘cult of personality’.
and again, i wonder if this dream was NOT a dream, but indeed, a vision, for me to not be obstructed by frustration (or fear) in not being heard. i should just go and do what i have been doing. and know that others will seek knowledge, and THE truth.
thank you for speaking to me, again, in your own way.
love, jamilah
the one woman apollo! 