Blessings to one and all.

Perhaps this is not the thread to post this thought on. But relating to The point of Europeans benefitting from their ancestors wickedness and owing reparations.

For the way I see it, it is really only in these modern times, say the last 50 years or so that the masses of Europeans have benfitted from the ill gotten gains of European evils.

Europeans society and its huge wealth was in the hands of a tiny minority for hundreds of years.

The masses have always lived in severe poverty and extreme hardship. Whether tied to work the fields and farms as peasants on the Aristocracies land (they still own most of the UK), or after the industrial revolution, toiling in appaling conditions in their Factories and living in squalor in slums.
The Working classes in Europe, survived with very short lives and in extreme conditons with only the Horrors of the workhouses to turn to in extreme desperation.
It has always been a minority of the ruling class who have exploited others in order to sustain their vast wealth and power.

There were examples of some early kind of human unity amongst working class Europeans and Africans, in the Textile Mills of Northern English towns where workers striked over the use still of cotton brought forth form the hands of African slaves.

It is only as the Labour movement grew and the masses of the Working classes got together and fought for decent working conditions and gradual improvements in housing, education and healthcare that raised their living standards to the point where we now sit at the trough somewhat.

Its only in the last half century, say following the 2nd World war, that ironically the Working class masses have started to lgain access to the dream once only known to their former exploiting leaders and employers. The upper and middle classes.
So it is a fairly recent thing that the mass of Europeans have reaped these wicked rewards of wealth and stability and comfort gained and continued to be gained by the bloodshed of our African Brothers and sisters.

I think these points are important to consider in order to bring some links and a wider shared humanity. That Europeans be educated about the realities of their comfort and wealth, and the History of it. To see that there will always be the exploiters and the exploited and not to forget your background and the realities that brought you to where you are today. In comfort you can soon forget the hard, hard paths your mothers and fathers walked and remove yourself ffrom caring about the realities of others.
You can get too easily sucked into the system.

At present it is Fairtrade Fortnight, and little things like that have an impact too in raising awareness of the injusticies of this present World. Of re-addressing the balance.

Only through knowledge can we be set free. Europeans eyes need to be opened.

Returning to the main reasoning here.
It is through explaining the true position of the Rastafari that we will all grow in stregth.

It is upon all of I&I to make clear to ones who may come to the order out of curiosity, or in some confusion, that Rastafari is indeed an Afrocentric movement. A Movement of Black Power. A Pan-African order to cary forth the works of His Majesty and Great, great ones as Marcus Garvey in this path. African Stregth and Unity is the forefornt of everything we think and do.

The spiritual strength, power and peace that flow through I&I is channeled into these works, so we do not fall in our duties as others do due to in-fighting and division, or self grandiment or greedy self interests.
Rastafari I sight can lead the way in these matters because I&I have a higher dimension and knowledge to the works required.

Unfortunately because of the kind of commercialisation of Rastafari and sadly, through Reggae music too, a fairly twisted interpretation of the order has been spread almost wider than the correct Original teachings. We do need to correct this and quick, and call on each and every True heart to make the foundations known. Is not about shouting down the next man, but kindly showing him the right path and teaching.

Greatest Love and Raspect to each and everyone.
Give Thanks for allowing me to put forth a few thought and be grateful for ones views and reasoniings on them.

Oh and just to make it clear. I am NOT equating the hardships of the white working class history as being in anyway the same as the horrors endured by Africans. That is not the point of my post in case anyones think that is what I was alluding to :o)

Love and Bless everytime

Africa and Africans First.