Well folks, it happened again! I cracked open my laptop getting ready to write “This Week’s Recap of Corporate Media Bullcrap” when all the sudden I was moved by the spirit to write on another topic. While scanning the pages of the yellow pages which the establishment laughably calls the “free press”, it dawned on me that I should write something more meaningful and articulate a message spiritually from the heart given that we are celebrating Christmas Eve. But that is when cognitive dissonance set in and banged me upside my head as if I was just tackled by Ray Lewis.
I know that tomorrow is not really Christmas, the date of Christ’s birth was changed to December 25th to coincide with the celebration of the Winter Solstice. This is where the rabbit hole starts, follow along if you don’t mind the discomfort that questioning conventional wisdom and accepted “facts” induces. Let me give you a few minutes to consider if you really want to go down this path with me; questioning what we have been taught (indoctrinated) is not for the faint of heart…
…are you sure you want to take this red pill?
…think about this before you unplug the first cord from the Matrix…
…last chance to reconsider, proceed at the risk of having your cookies baked…
Alrighty then! You took the red pill! If your head feels a little tingly at this moment, don’t worry, that is just your mind recovering from atrophy. Now that you’ve made this courageous choice, let us walk together and question a few of the endless lies which we have been force fed to believe. Let me say from the outset that I am a person of faith, yet I’m not the religious type. What I mean is that I believe that faith is within; my connection to God and my quest to cleans my heart of ego and the desires of the flesh is what I focus on instead of trying to convert others to believe as I do. I leave to others to proselytize, I am not down with pushing religion on people or trying to prove that my faith is superior to others.
The other reason that I tend to shy away from religion is because it has a way of conditioning us to accept dogma and not question what we are being taught. The church was never supposed to be an institution but a collection of believers; the body of Christ are the people who accepted Yeshua as their savior and gather together to pray as one and give to others. The same pharisees who killed Yeshua shortly thereafter co-opted his narrative, changed His name from Yeshua to Jesus and then started a mega business called the Vatican to exchange money in temples. Yeshua overturned tables to chase out capital worshipers who traded money for blessings only to be crucified and have His memory and teachings be used to exchange money for blessings in mega-churches.
Usury, the act of lending money at unreasonable rates, and really the principles of money itself was something that Yeshua spoke against. Prophets who stand against the hustle of gangsters and speak truth to power have a way of getting silenced forever. Since biblical times, every generation witnesses the death of a prophet because he or she had the temerity to defend the least among us from the excesses of the most powerful. In the battle of ideas and the war for eminence, the wicked have an inherent advantage over those who are virtuous. People who will do anything to win and enrich themselves always defeat those who are willing to sacrifice to serve humanity. This is why we are led by a cabal of sociopaths throughout the world who are treated as royalty while those who give selflessly toil in anonymity.
Which leads back to the conflict I’m having at this moment. It says in the bible that with wisdom comes much woe. Knowledge has a way of cleaving those who see with clarity away from society. For example, I disavow the labels white and black because I know those diabolical terms were foisted upon humanity to induce tribalism and to dehumanize people who can trace their ancestry to the continent of Ethiopia. That was no typo, the continent we now refer to as Africa was once called Ethiopia and the label black was imposed upon people from the continent of humanity’s birth in order to defame us as being wicked and deviant (see video at the bottom of this article, a red pill gift of sorts). Alas, this wisdom comes with woe! If someone calls me a “black prince”, do I say I’m not black and risk getting tarred as a sellout? Do I meekly accept in order to get along? That red pill of understanding has the side effect of being misunderstood and maligned by others who choose to enjoy the filet mignons in the Matrix.
Almost on cue, I get a text message saying “Merry Christmas Eve!” from a close friend. I can’t be a Teddy Downer and say “it’s not Christmas” and risk sounding like Ebeneezer Scrooge. I mean there is a part of me that wants to launch into a lecture about the reason why the Vatican used Christianity to paint over existing Roman holidays and pawned it off as Christian traditions. Did you know that Easter was actually a pagan holiday that has nothing to do with the Resurrection of Yeshua? Easter is actually a reference to Ēastre’s Day, which was a celebration of the goddess of the spring harvest. Speaking of painting over, did you know that the painting of “Jesus” has NOTHING to do with Yeshua? The image of Jesus that has been pushed on the world as the face of Christ is actually the profile of Cesare Borgia (read Inverting the Teachings of Iyesus).
There was one thing that grated the nerves of Yeshua more than most if you read through James, Matthew, Luke and John. He spoke harshest against the pious and the hypocrites. This is why the pharisees rushed to nail him to the cross, hypocrisy and piety are the two traits of cancerous leaders who pretend to be honorable as they bleed their adherents. Fast forward to 2017, hot damn if we are not led by a cabal of hypocrites and the pious in America and throughout the world. Just last week, Republicans, who are to Christ as Caligula was to Moses, passed a tax cut that gives to the wealthy only to pivot and now conspire to cut Social Security and “entitlements” from the needy. This is not what Yeshua would do. Right next to the pious Republicans stand the hypocritical Democrats who were popping champagne the minute the tax cut bill was passed because now they have something to run against instead of running on the merits of their ideas. Maybe the change we need is in our hearts because feeding into this charade of politics and governance only ensures our continued repression as a people.
Think about this for a minute, Christmas is named after Yeshua who paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to teach us about being grateful and giving to others. This most imperative message of love has been inverted as we now associate Christmas with Santa Clause who teaches us about monetized gifts and materialism. Instead of spending the holiday season reflecting about unselfishness, we drive ourselves into debt and financial anxiety stressing about presents to give to our loved ones. Sacrificial love is the essence of humanity; as we give to others, we are really giving to ourselves—this message is getting lost in the cacophony of toys and trinkets. Christmas has become another corporate gimmick to make us spend more and inflate the profits of multinational conglomerations.
I sincerely hope that this article does not offend those who don’t believe as I do. As I noted above, my intention is not to prove that my faith is the better or that those who don’t believe are somehow the lesser. It is not up to me to judge others or impose my belief system on people; I believe that life is a journey where all of us go through bumps and bruises as we seek happiness and spiritual wellness. I do not let divergences of ideas get in the way of friendship nor do I allow ideologies to be more important than ideas. Part of the reason why the world is in perpetual conflict and why wars never end is because the default mode of humanity is to conquer others through either bullets or beliefs instead of respecting our differences. I can say Shalom to a Jew, As-Salaam-Alaikum to a Muslim, Namaste to a Hindi and question religion with an atheist and yet retain my Christian faith. If we lead with humility and accept that we don’t know it all instead of feeding our egos by proving points, we can maybe one day have peace on earth.
These things I write of go far beyond Sunday morning sermons. Religion and education are two of the most powerful tools that the aristocracy have unleashed to keep humanity bound in the chains of ignorance and subservience. If we do not question what we are being taught, we end up become automatons and the useful tools of those who own information. In all honesty, the lies of the world are too copious for us to ever think we can arrive at truth. Truth is more of a journey than it is a destination; the first step to discovering truth is to know that you are being lied to. As for me, I have arrived at a happy medium. I will keep questioning and searching from truth, but I will not let this journey turn me into a kill joy. Yeah, I know today is not really Christmas Eve, but I shall partake in the festivity because each day we live is a blessing that should be celebrated. #XMasOrTruth
“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.” Matthew 10:27
Check out the latest Ghion Cast where I discuss our conniption to accept what is pushed by the powerful and disregard what is proffered by those who are just like us.
Check out the Ghion Cast where I discussed my travels from brokenness and homelessness to redemption and purpose. Sometimes we go through hardship to birth resilience and love.
Consider this Ghion Cast a gift of sorts, a red pill that is at first hard to swallow but leads to redemption for those who follow. Peace and have a blessed holiday season.
Teodrose Fikremariam
Latest posts by Teodrose Fikremariam (see all)
- A Reflection in a Time of Turmoil - June 4, 2020
- Ethiopia’s Choice: Poverty through Grievance or Prosperity through Unity - September 9, 2019
- Bloody 60s: the Decade that Aborted Leadership in America - August 22, 2019
