Compassion, Creativity, Buddhism, The Quest for Truth & Wisdom, Health & Wellness, Music, Films, Literature, Art, Revolution, Healing, Critical Thinking, Mental Health Advocacy, Social Justice, Resilience, Reflection, The Beauty of Melancholy, Spiritual Development, Consciousness, Memento Mori, LOVE…
In this reflection, I wanted to explore the intellectual and poetic side of Tupac that is rarely discussed {the same happens with Jim Morrison the lead singer of The Doors}.
I hope to explore other artist’s reading lists in future reflections.
He was a voracious reader and student of life. His passion for learning and social justice advocacy was a part of his essence.
Tupac’s intellectual power came from a vast knowledge of eclectic topics. He loved to explore esoteric, the metaphysical and philosophical topics. This study became the foundation for his song lyrics and life philosophy.
His mother, Afeni Shakur, had already instilled in him a revolutionary education as she was a member of The Black Panthers. She passed on her wisdom and Tupac continued to polish the jewels.
Tupac was truly an autodidact {a self-taught person}. He would educate others through his song lyrics.
In this short video, Tupac’s first manager Leila Steinberg discusses Tupac’s love of literature and critical thinking.
“Leila Steinberg is an artist and community organizer who began working with youth twenty years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. As the daughter of a criminal defence attorney, she grew up surrounded by the workings of the justice system and took a front row seat at the personal tragedies and socio-economic pressures that turn so many at-risk youths into hardened felons. Steinberg helps them connect with their hearts and turn anger and pain into creativity. AIM promotes artistic expression as a way to handle problems as opposed to choosing violence, drugs or other forms of escape. As the program facilitator, Steinberg sees confronting pain as the best way to move past it. She believes self-awareness is a key to making better choices. Steinberg is committed to helping people who fall through the cracks of society. In 1995 she began a series of specialized programs for youth within the juvenile justice system and those residing in residential treatment facilities. As hip-hop music became the expression of today’s youth, Steinberg began training artists to develop voices powerful enough to reach a generation. While conducting poetry workshops in Northern California, she met Tupac Shakur and he became a regular participant in her class. They shared a vision of developing a space where each artist in attendance is encouraged, inspired and motivated to address social change in their work. Tupac referred to Leila as the “bow” and himself as the “arrow.” –http://www.pinlight.com/leila.htm
It is said to be a “documentary examining the politics, music and life of Tupac Shakur.”
This is the description from the Youtube video…
“This is a list of books read by Tupac during his lifetime including while he was at the Baltimore School of Arts and in prison. They are presented in no particular order. The topics include Black history, the afterlife, religion including Zen, war, women’s liberation, music, and poetry. Reading these books, it is clear how they moulded Tupac’s thinking and language. This is a handy list of good reading material if you ever find yourself locked up.”
One Hundred Years of Solitude Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1984 Written by: George Orwell
Ah, This! Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
All God’s Children: The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence Written by: Fox Butterfield
All You Need to Know About the Music Business Written by: Donald Passman
And Still I Rise Written by: Maya Angelou
Art of War Written by: Sun Tzu
Assata: An Autobiography Written by: Assata Shakur
At the Bottom of the River Written by: Jamaica Kincaid
The Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to: Alex Haley
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada
Black Like Me Written by: John Howard Griffin
Black Sister: Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980 Edited by Earlene Stetson
Blues People Written by: Amiri Baraka
Catcher in the Rye Written by: J.D. Salinger
The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson
The Confessions of Nat Turner Written by: William Styron
The Destiny of the Nations Written by: Alice A. Bailey
The Diary of Anais Nin Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil
The Grapes of Wrath Written by: John Steinbeck
Great White Lie: Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes Written by: Jack Gratus
The Harder We Run:
Black Workers Since the Civil War Written by: William H. Harris
Here and Hereafter Written by: Ruth Montgomery
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Written by: Maya Angelou
I Shall Not Be Moved Written by: Maya Angelou
Imitation of Christ Written by: Thomas a Kempis
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens Written by: Alice Walker
Initiation Written by: Elisabeth Haich
Interesting People:
Black American History Makers Written by: George L. Lee
James Baldwin: The Legacy Edited by: Quincy Troupe
Kabbalah Written by: Gersham Scholem
Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by: Ira Peck
Life as Carola Written by: Joan Grant
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs Written by: Linda Goodman
Makes Me Wanna Holler Written by: Nathan McCall
The Meaning of Masonry Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst
Moby Dick Written by: Herman Melville
Monster:
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Written by: Sanyika Shakur
Music of Black Americans: A History Written by: Eileen Southern
Mysticism Written by: Evelyn Underhill
Native Son Written by: Richard Wright
Nature, Man and Woman Written by: Alan W. Watts
No Man Is an Island Written by: Thomas Merton
Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond Written by: Peter Lorie
The Phenomenon of Man Written by: Teilhard de Chardin
Ponder on This: A Compilation From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul
The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Written by: Mark Bricklin
The Prince Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
The Psychic Realm Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.
A Raisin in the Sun Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Roots Written by: Alex Haley
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Written by: Jonathan Kozol
Secret Splendor Written by: Charles Essert
Serving Humanity From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey
Sisterhood is Powerful: Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement Written by: Robin Morgan
The State of the World Atlas Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal
Social Essays Written by: LeRoi Jones
The Souls of Black Folk Written by: W.E. Burghardt DuBois
Teachings of the Buddha Written by: Jack Kornfield
Telepathy Written by: Alice A Bailey
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz
Thoughts and Meditations Written by: Kahlil Gibran
Tropic of Cancer Written by: Henry Miller
The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg Written by: Paul Portuges
Wisdom of Insecurity Written by: A.N. Watts
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Written by: Robert M. Pirsig
his self acts as his own enemy like an external foe.”
–Bhagavad-Gita, VI.6
*
You can be your best friend or your own worst enemy. It really is your choice. Sadly, most people are their own worst enemies. They consciously or unconsciously engage in self-sabotage/self-destructive behaviour.
This is the shadow side that Carl Jung talks about. {I will be discussing this fascinating concept in future posts}.
The question is: how to emancipate yourself from your self-destructive prison?
How do you stop fighting yourself?
*
Please enjoy I Against I by Mos Def…
*
Lyrics
“I-ya, I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind,
two of a kind but one won’t survive,
my images reflect in the enemies eye, and his images reflect in mine the same time,
I-ya, I-ya, I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind, two of a kind but one won’t survive,
Right here is where the end gon’ start at, conflict, contact ‘n’ combat,
fighters stand where the land is marked at, settle the dispute about who the livest, 3 word answer, Whoever survive this, only one of us can ride forever, so you and I can’t ride together, can’t live or cant die together, all we can do is collide together, so I skillfully apply the pressure, won’t stop until I’m forever… one! A doorstep where death never come, spread across time til my time never done, and I’m never done, walk tall, why ever run? when they move if I ever come? bad man never fret the war, tell’em come general we have the stock, the mad fire burn I-ya,
I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind, two of a kind but one won’t survive, my images reflect in the enemies eye, and his images reflect in mine the same time, I-ya, I-ya,
I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind, two of a kind but one won’t survive, survive (x16)
Reign supreme in your U-N-I, V-E-R-S-E with the sharpness, narrow row building no space for partners, no space for drivers, no space for walkers, no space regardless, your on my path then get off it, hardheaded and unresponsive, get they lives put on target with harshness, come with the canons sparkin’ they darken, who am i? one man squadron, Ma stir the fire this time that’d snatch your tomorrow, the thousand-yard spear that’ll pierce through your armour, you can get it on right now if you want to, but when ya front 9 get marched through, I warned you, You know who forever belong to,
I-ya, I-ya I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind, two of a kind but one won’t survive, my images reflect in the enemies eye, and his images reflect in mine the same time, I-ya, I-ya, I against I, flesh of my flesh, and mind of my mind, two of a kind but one won’t survive, my images reflect in the enemies eye, and his images reflect in mine, survive survive (x16).”
Tonight the United States of America chooses their leader- their president.
The world is watching. So many people are hoping for change.
I sincerely hope that the United States makes progress in their quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (as stated in the declaration of independence).
Here I present a video of one of my most respected and favourite artists/musicians/poets…Dead Prez…This is their appearance on Def Poetry Jam called “4 The Hood.” It includes the beautiful and heartfelt “Window To My Soul.”
Their spoken word pieces and music are filled with intelligence, social justice, critical thinking and soulful, revolutionary poetry. 4 the hood begs the question: is money the real president?
Is voting really choosing between the lesser of two evils or the evil of two lessers?
Lyrics
RBG…RBG…
Look look
Yo, you expect me to vote for the lesser of two evils?
NEVER!
It’s more like the evil of two lessers.
That’s like sayin’ – M! Choose your oppressor!
Pick one! Jeffery Dahmer or Hannibal Lecter
You want Crack, Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper?
THEY ALL FU**ED UP and neither one of ‘em better
Cuz Crack is like a Democrat
Cocaine – Republican
Marijuana – Independent Party
SAME GOVERNMENT!
You really think your vote counts?
Ask my folk down in Florida didn’t they straight THROW they sh*t out!
And them crackas act innocent,
KNOWING they depend on this
Benefit from HUSH money from big businesses
MONEY is the president!
Dead Prez,
Dolla dolla bill, and I bet no convention ain’t spinnin’ this
Soon they gon’ need us
BELIEVE US
When these cats pick rappers to be POLITICAL LEADERS?
Don’t be pawns, be Lolita Lebrons
Run up on them all like ‘Muthafu**a it’s ON!’
If CONGRESS can’t make PROGRESS
Let’s change the PROCESS –
NO MORE TOMS RUNNIN’ FOR OFFICE!
Talkin’ like that these crackas’ll call you crazy
What’s crazy is, ain’t no difference in ME and JAY-Z –
The SAME BOAT brought us the SAME PLACE in slavery
So we rock the same chains anyway
BABY, BABY!
But the problem is that the body, the physiology, takes a hard hit on drugs.
Drugs injure the nervous system, so they just make it harder to get those experiences on your own. I have smoked marijuana, but I no longer do.
I went to art school in the 1960s, so you can imagine what was going on. Yet my friends were the ones who said, “No, no, no, David, don’t you take those drugs.” I was pretty lucky.
Besides, far more profound experiences are available naturally.
When your consciousness starts expanding, those experiences are there.
All those things can be seen.
It’s just a matter of expanding that ball of consciousness.
And the ball of consciousness can expand to be infinite and unbounded.
It’s totality. You can have totality.
So all those experiences are there for you, without the side effects of drugs.” ―David Lynch
…”It’s the kind words you gave to that homeless man without judging that man it’s the fact that you gave; and showed compassion ’cause he humbly asked you for change…”
can’t get but so far in this life being selfish. a free spirit a giving heart that’s what wealth is we rich when we recognize the power that’s within it’s not all about the money it’s the time that we spend it’s the hand that we lend to a friend when we can it’s the kind words you gave to that homeless man without judging that man it’s the fact that you gave; and showed compassion ’cause he humbly asked you for change i know the blessings I receive is not just for me a shared blessing comes back to you that’s what I believe to help someone in need to throw down some rope to be a ray of hope ya know?
sometimes you gotta help somebody sometimes you gotta help somebody sometimes you just gotta be helpful when life gets stressful sometimes you gotta help somebody sometimes you gotta help somebody what goes around is gonna come back ’round what goes around is gonna come back ’round when you help somebody
donate my extra clothes to a clothing drive. help the lady cross the street bring her bags inside. send a letter to a prisoner to lift his spirit. be a mentor to a child ’cause it takes a village.
lend a hand, help a brother that I learned the hard way all for one one for all it got to be the squad way the early bird get the worm it’s corny but it’s true first impressions last forever careful how you move first you crawl then you walk the 1 before the 2 nothing new under the sun the golden rule lazy people work the hardest that’s my motivation everything in moderation even moderation
yo yo, when you put out your hand, is it to give or to receive? see what goes around will come back around I do believe that the positive and negative is relative to where you live not from experience that’s what we tell the kids ’cause they are the seeds the stronger the root the stronger the tree if we eat from the fruit the stronger we be if we do it today tomorrow we free.”
Cold winters are sheltered by crack houses instead of recreational centers that they claim to not have the paper to keep open for operation…
What’s a young boy to do when he doesn’t want to do wrong but there’s a lock on the right door?
When he has the heart of a soldier, the aggression of a prizefighter but no one’s taught him what to fight for…
Young Tupac was one of many boys without fathers {as Black Ice says}. However, the absence of his father was eclipsed by his mother’s fierce love. Afeni {a former Black Panther} passed on infinite wisdom to her son so it isn’t true that “no one taught him what to fight for.” “My mother taught me three things: respect, knowledge, search for knowledge. It’s an eternal journey.” -Tupac. I included this caption of Tupac because he had “the heart of a soldier and aggression of a prize fighter”- not to mention the mind of a revolutionary leader.. In the end, Tupac defined manhood for himself and became quite the revolutionary man. I would have loved to see Tupac become a father…
See, most of our families are fatherless and quite poor so we miss out on meals as well as kisses and hugs.
Imagine we lived in a world where there was no suffering, injustice/oppression, “third world” class distinction or any class distinction whatsoever.
This is the world that I want to live in…
Art by BANKSY
Peace & Namaste.
{More posts about poverty/social inequality/injustice, sociology, spoken word poetry, Tupac, Dead Prez, Black Ice and hip hop coming up in the future…}
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an inspiration to millions.
While 2Pac was most famous for his rap career, he was also a gifted actor, poet and thoughtful while outspoken advocate for the poor and the overlooked in America. During his life, he produced an immense amount of artistic work, which included studio albums, major Hollywood feature films, and published works. He was most prolific in the music industry, selling over 75 million albums. 2Pac’s unapologetic lyrics were relevant, important, and reflective of the hard lives led by many. His music earned attention and respect through a poetic style that embraced street vocabulary while being innovative. Today, 2Pac is still considered by many to be one of the biggest influences on modern hip-hop.
2Pac’s career has earned him six Grammy nominations and three MTV Video Music Award nominations. In 1997, Shakur was honored by the American Music Awards as the Favorite Hip Hop Artist.
Born on June 16 1971 in New York City, Shakur’s parents were both members of the Black Panther Party whose militant style and provocative ideologies for civil rights would come to influence 2Pac’s music. At an early age, Tuapc’s love for performance and the arts began to show, as he began acting at age 13 and later enrolled in the Baltimore School of the Arts before dropping out at 17. Shakur broke into the music business with rap group Digital Underground as a back-up dancer and roadie. Eventually Shakur released his first solo album in ’91, 2pacalypse Now. 2Pac’s music career began to grow as his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z included two top 20 pop chart tracks: I Get Around and Keep Ya Head Up.
Shakur’s legal battles began after he established his rap career. In the early nineties Shakur faced a wrongful death suit which settled out of court, accusations of assaulting police officers where charges were ultimately dropped, and even an incident where Shakur sustained five gunshot wounds from shooter Dexter Isaac. In 1995 2Pac was sentenced one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison for sexual abuse. However, not even prison could slow the success of Shakur’s career.
While incarcerated 2Pac’s latest album at the time, Me Against the World, was number one in the pop charts and would later go double platinum. Shakur became the first artist to reach number one in the pop charts while serving a prison sentence. Making the most of his time in jail, 2Pac became a passionate reader. Among his favorites were the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance writer whose works were in part the foundation for western political science. Shakur’s appreciation of his work inspired the nickname: Makaveli.
After serving only eight months of his sentence, 2Pac was out on parole thanks to a 1.4 million dollar bond paid by Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records. Now signed with Death Row Records, Shakur went on to create All Eyez on Me, which featured hits How Do You Want It and California Love.
2Pac’s life was cut short in September of 1996 when Shakur became the victim of a drive-by shooting while his car waited on a red light. While Shakur survived the surgery that followed he was pronounced dead almost a week after the attack.
Even today, 2Pac’s influence is wide-spread. From the Library of Congress where his song Dear Mama was added in 2010 to the National Registry, to artists like 11 time Grammy winner Eminem who in an interview with MTV said:
“He made you feel like you knew him. I think that , honestly, Tupac was the greatest songwriter that ever lived. He made it seem so easy. The emotion was there, and feeling, and everything he was trying to describe. You saw a picture that he was trying to paint.”
2Pac leaves a legacy of honesty and passion in his songs. Respected by many, 2Pac has become an inspiration for artists and a standard in rap music.”
Our mission is to provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents. Each and every child desires freedom to creatively express themselves. We provide an environment that encourages freedom of expression, serves as a resource for families, and empowers via education.
ABOUT
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) is home to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, just outside of Atlanta in Stone Mountain, Georgia. TASF was founded in 1997 originally as the Shakur Family Foundation by Afeni Shakur, mother of multi-talented Tupac Amaru Shakur. Since its inception TASF has offered performing arts camps, essay competitions, youth book clubs, visual arts workshops, community development projects, and scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate degrees.
On June 11, 2005 the TASF opened the Center! The Center is dedicated to providing youth and the community with educational programs in the arts. It is a fact that early arts education improves school grades, as well as offers invaluable life lessons while building self-esteem and confidence. For nearly 15 years, the Foundation’s programs have served youth of all social and economic backgrounds, giving countless young people the courage to get off the streets and learn vital skills that have the potential to positively impact their communities. The Center is open to the public and hosts several noteworthy events throughout the year.
MORE ABOUT TUPAC
Tupac Amaru Shakur dealt with great obstacles such as homelessness, hunger, and pain, amongst other situations during his youth. Performing arts provided the hope that would seed the expression that would one day influence generations worldwide.
Tupac accomplished a lot before his murder at the age of 25. At an early age, he wrote and organized family productions, casting himself as the lead and his older cousins in supporting roles. Tupac formally trained at the 127th Street Ensemble and Baltimore School for the Arts. At the age of twelve, he experienced his first formal stage role as the character “Travis” in the stage play ‘Raisin In the Sun’ at the prestigious Apollo Theatre in Harlem.
Tupac was eventually cast in several feature films and recorded several chart topping albums. In fact, he released the first ever double hip-hop CD. Today, years after his physical departure, he is the second highest selling Hip-Hop artist of all time. His gift- his words and creative talent- continues to inspire others around the world!“
“Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, scholar, and peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Martin Luther King Jr. for his efforts in generating peace and reconciliation in his native country. Thich Nhat Hanh travels internationally, teaching from his book The Art of Mindful Living. He lives at Plum Village Practice Centre in France, a Buddhist monastery for monks, nuns, and laypeople.”-Shambhala Sun
“Learning how to be kind to ourselves is important.
When we look into our own hearts and begin to discover what is confused and what is brilliant, what is bitter and what is sweet, it isn’t just ourselves that we’re discovering.
We’re discovering the universe.
When we discover the buddha that we are, we realize that everything and everyone is Buddha.
We discover that everything is awake, and everyone is awake.
Everything and everyone is precious and whole and good. When we regard thoughts and emotions with humor and openness, that’s how we perceive the universe.”
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven’t met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God’s children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, “nourish them.”
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you.
Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie.
Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they’ll be thriving like never before. They just can’t see it from where they’re at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it’s reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all “So worth the wait.“
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe.Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil libertiesand clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable.Someone is curing the incurable.
“Danielle LaPorte is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, which has been called the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.”
Please visit her website for some inspiration and wisdom…She is so brilliant. I just “discovered” her and will most likely be doing more blog posts about her and her writing.
If you want more inspiration and wisdom from Danielle, please go to her website: http://www.daniellelaporte.com/to sign up for her newsletters. You can choose to receive via email a “daily truthbomb”, a “somewhat weekly” newsletter and a “monthly digest” newsletter. I am signed up for all of them and highly recommend them.
Danielle has generously provided the first chapter of her book for free on her website. You can read it on Scribd or download it in pdf format. Please click on this link: The Fire Starter Sessions Chapter One.
“The question is one of fighting the causes and not just the effects.
This revolution is bound to fail if it doesn’t succeed in reaching deep inside them, stirring them right down to the bone, and giving them back their stature as human beings.
Otherwise, what’s the use?”
-Che
“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.”
–Bruce Lee
How can you live your potential?
*
For more information on Bruce Lee, please visit his official website:
“I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.” -Malcolm X
“Your life is your life. Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
Be on the watch. There are ways out. There is light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness.
Be on the watch. The gods will offer you chances. Know them. Take them. You can’t beat death but you can beat death in life,
Sometimes and the more often you learn to do it,
The more light there will be. Your life is your life. Know it while you have it.
You are marvelous
The gods wait to delight in you.”
-Charles Bukowski
I just love the idea of beating death in life…pure genius.
I totally agree with Tom Waits that this poem is a beauty!
He was just too “dangerous” according to “the powers that ruled.”
The most inspiring thing about Eldridge is that he did not allow “the man” any access to his head.
His mind was all his own.
I shall be re-reading Soul On Ice for the undisclosed time and writing about it again.
There is so much to say!!!
I feel I need to revisit it every so often as each time it offers new insights and creative gems.
It is such a shame that in the university that I went to this book would never be studied- let alone read.
There is so much to learn from it…
*
It is as the poet and writer Henry David Thoreau said, “For a companion, I require one who will make an equal demand on me with my own genius.”
Soul On Ice is this companion for me.
It demands me to look inside and to awaken my potential just as Eldridge did in writing his Magnum Opus/ his great work.
To honour Eldridge Cleaver, Soul On Ice & Revolution, I offer the song Revolution Solution by a favourite artist of mine named Thievery Corporation {featuring Perry Farrell}. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFn5E2PJPh4
*
Ever since reading Soul On Ice, I have been using the nick name “MYSOULSONICE” as in “MY SOUL IS ON ICE.”
The Love Affair Continues…
and so does the Revolution…
received no formal training to be a writer.
and I believe this to be the real reason for locking him up.
Reflection for today…Critical Reading -Henry David Thoreau & Tupac Shakur
13 Sep* Editor’s Note: Today {September 13th, 1996} marks the 23rd anniversary of Tupac’s tragic death at the age of 25.
Rest in Peace Tupac.
We will continue to celebrate your life and your legacy.
{Things are not the same without you…}
https://2paclegacy.net/today-marks-23-years-since-tupac-was-killed/
In this reflection, I wanted to explore the intellectual and poetic side of Tupac that is rarely discussed {the same happens with Jim Morrison the lead singer of The Doors}.
I hope to explore other artist’s reading lists in future reflections.
*
“Readers are plentiful;
thinkers are rare.”
–Henry David Thoreau
*
Tupac Shakur was always hungry for knowledge.
He was a voracious reader and student of life. His passion for learning and social justice advocacy was a part of his essence.
Tupac’s intellectual power came from a vast knowledge of eclectic topics. He loved to explore esoteric, the metaphysical and philosophical topics. This study became the foundation for his song lyrics and life philosophy.
His mother, Afeni Shakur, had already instilled in him a revolutionary education as she was a member of The Black Panthers. She passed on her wisdom and Tupac continued to polish the jewels.
Tupac was truly an autodidact {a self-taught person}. He would educate others through his song lyrics.
“Before his tragic death at age of 25, Tupac rapped about poverty, violence in the black community, police brutality, black empowerment, political strategy and spirituality.” https://www.blackfaves.com/story/11-books-tupac-shakurs-bookshelf-still-relevant-today/
*
In this short video, Tupac’s first manager Leila Steinberg discusses Tupac’s love of literature and critical thinking.
“Leila Steinberg is an artist and community organizer who began working with youth twenty years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. As the daughter of a criminal defence attorney, she grew up surrounded by the workings of the justice system and took a front row seat at the personal tragedies and socio-economic pressures that turn so many at-risk youths into hardened felons. Steinberg helps them connect with their hearts and turn anger and pain into creativity.
AIM promotes artistic expression as a way to handle problems as opposed to choosing violence, drugs or other forms of escape. As the program facilitator, Steinberg sees confronting pain as the best way to move past it. She believes self-awareness is a key to making better choices.
Steinberg is committed to helping people who fall through the cracks of society. In 1995 she began a series of specialized programs for youth within the juvenile justice system and those residing in residential treatment facilities. As hip-hop music became the expression of today’s youth, Steinberg began training artists to develop voices powerful enough to reach a generation. While conducting poetry workshops in Northern California, she met Tupac Shakur and he became a regular participant in her class. They shared a vision of developing a space where each artist in attendance is encouraged, inspired and motivated to address social change in their work. Tupac referred to Leila as the “bow” and himself as the “arrow.” –http://www.pinlight.com/leila.htm
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This clip is from the movie Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel.
It is said to be a “documentary examining the politics, music and life of Tupac Shakur.”
This is the description from the Youtube video…
“This is a list of books read by Tupac during his lifetime including while he was at the Baltimore School of Arts and in prison. They are presented in no particular order. The topics include Black history, the afterlife, religion including Zen, war, women’s liberation, music, and poetry. Reading these books, it is clear how they moulded Tupac’s thinking and language. This is a handy list of good reading material if you ever find yourself locked up.”
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1984
Written by: George Orwell
Ah, This!
Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
All God’s Children:
The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence
Written by: Fox Butterfield
All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Written by: Donald Passman
And Still I Rise
Written by: Maya Angelou
Art of War
Written by: Sun Tzu
Assata: An Autobiography
Written by: Assata Shakur
At the Bottom of the River
Written by: Jamaica Kincaid
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
As told to: Alex Haley
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada
Black Like Me
Written by: John Howard Griffin
Black Sister:
Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980
Edited by Earlene Stetson
Blues People
Written by: Amiri Baraka
Catcher in the Rye
Written by: J.D. Salinger
The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences
Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Written by: William Styron
The Destiny of the Nations
Written by: Alice A. Bailey
The Diary of Anais Nin
Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil
The Grapes of Wrath
Written by: John Steinbeck
Great White Lie:
Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes
Written by: Jack Gratus
The Harder We Run:
Black Workers Since the Civil War
Written by: William H. Harris
Here and Hereafter
Written by: Ruth Montgomery
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Written by: Maya Angelou
I Shall Not Be Moved
Written by: Maya Angelou
Imitation of Christ
Written by: Thomas a Kempis
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens
Written by: Alice Walker
Initiation
Written by: Elisabeth Haich
Interesting People:
Black American History Makers
Written by: George L. Lee
James Baldwin: The Legacy
Edited by: Quincy Troupe
Kabbalah
Written by: Gersham Scholem
Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Written by: Ira Peck
Life as Carola
Written by: Joan Grant
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs
Written by: Linda Goodman
Makes Me Wanna Holler
Written by: Nathan McCall
The Meaning of Masonry
Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst
Moby Dick
Written by: Herman Melville
Monster:
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member
Written by: Sanyika Shakur
Music of Black Americans: A History
Written by: Eileen Southern
Mysticism
Written by: Evelyn Underhill
Native Son
Written by: Richard Wright
Nature, Man and Woman
Written by: Alan W. Watts
No Man Is an Island
Written by: Thomas Merton
Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond
Written by: Peter Lorie
The Phenomenon of Man
Written by: Teilhard de Chardin
Ponder on This: A Compilation
From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul
The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing
Written by: Mark Bricklin
The Prince
Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli
The Psychedelic Experience:
A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
The Psychic Realm
Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.
A Raisin in the Sun
Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Roots
Written by: Alex Haley
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools
Written by: Jonathan Kozol
Secret Splendor
Written by: Charles Essert
Serving Humanity
From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey
Sisterhood is Powerful:
Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement
Written by: Robin Morgan
The State of the World Atlas
Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal
Social Essays
Written by: LeRoi Jones
The Souls of Black Folk
Written by: W.E. Burghardt DuBois
Teachings of the Buddha
Written by: Jack Kornfield
Telepathy
Written by: Alice A Bailey
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz
Thoughts and Meditations
Written by: Kahlil Gibran
Tropic of Cancer
Written by: Henry Miller
The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg
Written by: Paul Portuges
Wisdom of Insecurity
Written by: A.N. Watts
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Written by: Robert M. Pirsig
Copied from: https://www.thuglifearmy.com/index.php/tupac-reading-library.html
{Goodreads also has an alternate list of books that Tupac read}.
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For more information…
Henry David Thoreau…http://thoreau.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau_life.html
Tupac Shakur…http://2pac.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23942.Books_Read_by_Tupac_Shakur_
Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel Movie…http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314806/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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Peace & Poetic Love…
-V.
Tags: Ability to Think Critically, Advocate, Afeni Shakur, Autodidact, Book, Books, Creative Reading, Critical Reader, Critical Reading, Critical Thinker, Critical Thinking, Eclectic, Education, Enlighten, Enlightening, Enlightens, Esoteric, Henry David Thoreau, Hip Hop, Hip Hop Artist, Hip hop music, Hip Hop Musician, Intellect, Intellectual, Intelligence, Intelligent, Knowledge, Learn, Learning, Legacy, Literature, Metaphysical, Metaphysics, Music, Music Therapy, Musician, Old School Hip Hop Artist, Old School Hip Hop., Passion, Passionate, Philosophical, Philosophy, Poet, Poetic, Rap Music, Rap., Rapper, Read, Reading, Reading List, Religion and Spirituality, Revolution, Revolutionary, Self Taught, Social Commentary., Social Inequality, Social Justice, Social Justice Advocacy, Spiritual, Spirituality, The Black Panthers, Thoreau, Tupac, Tupac Shakur