Guiding Principles of Moral Living

[Moral Living]

How many seasons have flowed from our beginnings? Twenty-one billion years in the making, from this universe, galaxy, solar system, and planet; from inorganic to organic to single cells to multiple cells to tissues to organisms to invertebrates to vertebrates to reptiles to amphibians to mammals to primates to hominids to homo sapien sapien to modern humans to human societies-communalism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism. 

Twenty-one billion years of this majestic forward flow of history, unfolding in Africa with the earliest civilizations emerging along the Nile, struggling for life, generating surpluses, giving birth to classes, private property and a state apparatus to manage indigenous African class, gender, ethnic, and cultural relations.  Settlements became villages, towns, cities, regional chiefdoms, kingdoms, then confederations, federated nations and empires in KMT, each eventually undergoing its natural internal birth-death-rebirth cycles.  For thousands of seasons the Black African race developed life, culture, language, education, science, morality, government, and a system of justice reflective of the best of who we were over time.

Ancient KMT, an indigenous African civilization covered the longest time span of any civilization known to history.  Its monuments are the most massive and longest lasting.  Its records, chiefly in stone, carved into mountains, buried in great underground temple structures were directed for at least 42 centuries toward providing a satisfying and rewarding present and after-life for its population. Extensive in time and massive in the volume of their architecture are the remains of KMT civilization.  The earliest of these fragments date back more than seven thousand years.

The place of settlement of Kmtian civilization was the Nile river system that poured from the interior of the African continent to a delta region, 4,144 miles to its estuary built out into the Mediterranean Sea.  Annual floods left their rich black silt deposits to nurture the soil along the lower reaches of the river.  Massive outpourings of river water irrigated sometimes rainless desert countryside.  Skillful engineering drained the swamps, adding to the cultivable area of a narrow valley cut by the river through jagged barren hills.  Deserts on both sides of the Nile, and a massive mountain area on the eastern flank for centuries protected this indigenous African civilization/nation against foreign agressors.  Within this natural sanctuary the KMTians built a civilization that lasted with minor break, over 4,200 years.

All civilizations have a life cycle that includes a period of birth, rise and expansion, maturity and stability, and a final period of of decline, dissolution, and disintegration.  If the society dies naturally, it is reborn from within the culture; if it is invaded and destroyed, then it becomes dismantled with its cultural and scientific elements being carted away.  From a position of political supremacy and cultural ascendancy, KMTian influence weakened politically, economically, ideologically and culturally until the year of the Persian Conquest in 525bce; KMT became a conquered, occupied, provincial and colonial territory.  Africa's highest civilization had collapsed under the weight of internal decay and external invasion and conquest.  Its best was dismantled and carted away.

These centuries and waves of planned military invasions resulted in the conquest and occupation of KMT then the whole of Africa; the subjugation of the indigenous African citizenry; esablishment of alien Greek, Macedonian, Roman, Arab, Turkish, then modern Arab governments in conquered North African territories; the reduction of native Africans to the status of second class citizens, then to enslaved chattel in their own homelands; exploitation of food, fiber and natural resources; levying of tribute; imposition of taxes and expropriation of gold, silver, precious stone, fine works of art, bullion and other treasures by the invaders. 

In sum, the disintegration and collapse of KMTian civilization occupied only a small fraction of the time devoted to its up building and supremacy but it was devastating for the whole of the African continent, sending much of it into a 2,700 year period of regression and disintegration. 

The key to rebirth is rooted in African people's willingness to overcome the forces that promote regression and disintegration.  Beginning with our inner and moving to the outer self, we can remake ourselves and ultimately the world in such a way that the lives and humanity of African people are valued.  The process of rebuilding the inner begins with establishing a strong, moral foundation on which to stand.  With feet rooted firmly in morality and ethics, we may then more deeply understand who we are and what our purpose is, as well as soberly chart the path toward fulfillment of that life's purpose. 

Morality and Living in KMTian Tradition

[Moral Living]

Given that KMT civilization lasted so long (several thousand years), conceptions of the cycle of life changed our time.  In spite of this change, however, several fundamental values persisted and are used as a basis for guiding principles in the current period.

The philosophy and practice of morality are reflections of the objective conditions in which our ancient ancestors lived.  They systematically observed their environment, maintained precise records of their observations, conducted experiments for the purpose of deepening their understanding of their environment, made comparisons across time and space to establish patterns, made predictions that informed future actions, and continued contributing to the improving documentary record for thousands of years; in the process KMT bequeathed live wisdom to future generations.  Their methods are clear to students with integrity; for although anyone with an understanding of scientific inquiry can extrapolate the stages of research, only those with integrity will call it truth and apply it to modern practice. 

Through tehuti (scientific) inquiry, KMT developed a moral system that reflected a deep understanding of the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all things.  The development of this system is intimately connected with the cycle of life.  The Ancients' understanding of the world stemmed from their continued study of their environments and whatever records were bequeathed them from prior generations. That the Ancients were precise in orientation, we know through their works. They studied their environments exhaustively, documented their observations over time and recorded advanced understandings-doctrine, philosophy, theory, methods, and practices-on virtually everything that could be carved, painted on, or otherwise built.

Through the domestication of various plants, the Ancient KMTians gained an appreciation of the life cycle-a seed grows and develops in a proper environment and a certain point dies; however in the process of dying new seeds are produced, which lay the foundation for the continuation of the plant's life. Their varied experiences led the KMTians to continue observing, studying, understanding, and learning their environment which in turn gave rise to their attempts to both adapt to and change elements of their environment.

Their system of morality naturally stems from an understanding of and appreciation for life and the cycle it undergoes: as something is born, so it dies; as it is created, it is destroyed; as it comes into being, it goes out of existence. During the course of life-that is, the time between birth and death-all phenomena leave an imprint on the historical record.  The quality of each imprint reflects the moment in history that produced it (if prevailing conditions promoted its success) and its determined effort to ensure its reproduction on a higher level (preserved in later generations).

Although KMT was destroyed and so much of what KMTians built no longer exists, we can extract elements of how they viewed and organized morality (issues of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust) through what remains.

How to Use the Guiding Principles

[Written Instructions]

The principles here form the basis of the guiding principles for children, youth and adults.  The moral system developed and sustained for over 2,100 years stands as a testament to the Great Work done by our ancestors.  With such strong foundations laid, we have the capacity to bring to life their great work and build upon it for use today.  By living righteously, justly, honestly, and with integrity, we take charge of our lives and put our children in a position to do the same.  In striving for the greatest good, from heroic tiny seeds, we will remake ourselves and our world in rightness.  This is a purpose to which all can aspire in this lifetime. 

The guiding principles presented are intended to be recited and contemplated daily; everything starts with a small seed.  Daily recitation, contemplation, and meditation heal and strengthen one's heart, while disciplining the mind for action.  Recommendations for use of guiding principles are below:

Children

• 1. Thirteen Firsts: upon rising in the morning;
• 2. Morning Declarations: upon rising in the morning;
• 3. Daily Questions: upon going to bed at night;
• 4. Evening Confessions: upon going to bed at night (after Daily Questions).

Teenagers

• 1. Thirteen Firsts: upon rising in the morning;
• 2. Morning Declarations: upon rising in the morning;
• 3. Problems and Their Solutions: refer to throughout the day
• 4. Forty-Two Declarations of Innocence: upon going to bed at night.

The act of reciting the daily guiding principles must be taken seriously, as the quality of our hang in the balance.  Consider the following guidelines:

• 1. Place your principles in a location that you can access easily in the morning. Some may prefer to post them on a wall or place them in a place where they can sit comfortably.
• 2. Upon rising in the morning, but prior to reciting the principles, wash your face and brush your teeth. It is important to be alert to what you are doing so that the principles naturally become a part of who you are. In addition, all that we do must be done with care and precision.
• 3. Drink a cup of water and stretch you muscles briefly to wake up your body.
• 4. Recite the guiding principles out loud or in your mind. Children should read them out loud.
• 5. Select one or more to reflect upon throughout the day. As you think about the principle you selected, jot down any thoughts that come to your mind about what it means, especially if you see or experience it some time in your day.
• 6. Before going to bed, recite your principles in a quiet place.