The Viable Alternative

Some time ago, I read a book called “Slave Testimonies,” which is a compilation of: letters of slaves written to family members and their masters, interviews of fugitive and slaves freed both before and after the Civil War, transcriptions of testimonies of slaves during abolition meetings, and newspaper articles that covered stories told by runway slaves.

What was particularly interesting to me was that those journalists, abolitionists and historians that wrote the stories recanted by the fugitive slaves before the Civil War perceived that though these runaways that they had the privilege of interviewing were giving them a firsthand account of what slavery was like for them and millions of others, they were still left “wanting” for more because they knew they weren’t talking to the “average” slave.

These slaves were considered a “different breed” from the millions of slaves that were still held in slavery. They were considered the “extraordinary” ones.

In my life, I’ve always wondered why certain people are able to rise above the mindset of an oppressive system while most remained imprisoned by it.

To me, slavery, American slavery that is, served as an extreme example.

American slavery differed from most others in history not only because it was racial, but also because the slaves where considered chattel, or a piece of property, like a horse or a cow, whereas in other parts of the world slaves were considered members of the family.

Also, these slaves were constantly reminded that they were subhuman, inferior to their Masters and their Masters’ race, that they had no rights that any White man should respect, and had their power of life and death in someone else’s hands. Any attempt to think “highly” of themselves and hold their heads up high was taken as an affront by their Master and others who perpetuated the system, and that slave was subsequently “dealt with.”

In addition, any attempt to gain knowledge of their humanity and self-worth was completely stamped out, to the point that it was even illegal to teach a slave how to read, because then, he may actually think he was worth something. God forbid! The goal was just to keep the slave as an unfeeling brute, there to work and bring profit to the system.

For many slaves, they had achieved their goal.

YET, despite all this, there were some slaves, who despite all the unsupportive conditions, were somehow able to find the embers of their self worth that glowed within, and fan them until they became a spark that ignited an inextinguishable flame that propelled them to take their destiny into their own hands and go take what was rightfully theirs, namely their freedom.

Many of the slaves I read about said that somehow that they just knew that there was something wrong with them being a slave. Others said that from the time they were young they had it in their minds that one day they were going to be free.

What’s more, when I tried to look for a common thread as to how a slave was treated was a determining factor in their likelihood of running away, I couldn’t find any. Some slaves were treated just like family and still decided to runaway. Some were “slaves without masters” in that they had a “measure” of freedom due to the fact that they were able to hire out their time and give their master a portion of their earnings, yet they still ran away, not being able to come to terms with the fact that as an adult they had to get another man’s “permission” to hire themselves out.

On the other hand, others were treated CRUELLY and were “repeat offenders” as in they had tried running away before and had been caught and were subsequently at the receiving ends of cruel punishments and torture, yet, after they recovered, they tried again until they succeeded.

I believe that what set these slaves apart and made them “exceptional” no matter the condition of their bondage was that they were able to realize that they can appoint themselves the right to be free and have the same rights to freedom as any man i.e. self-appointment. In essence, they said to themselves, “Screw what everyone else says about me, I’m worthy of freedom just like my Master because I say that I’m worthy, I don’t need anyone else’s validation but my own.”

This realization I had when I was only twenty years old, that I can give myself the right to go after and attain the things I desire rather than wait for others to give me the permission to attain these things, rescued me from my previous life of depression, feeling like a victim, being angry at the world and wanting to commit suicide.

Slavery is an extreme example, but if you were teased as a child like I was, or born with some sort of supposed “disability,” been on the receiving end of some type of abuse, experienced some extreme level of hardship that left you scarred in some way, or are simply just someone walking this planet who has inevitably been one way or another affected by The Illusion that tells you whatever you want to be, do or accomplish is impossible because of a, b, or c, self appointment is the way to take back ALL of your power and put your destiny back in your own hands.

Self appointment via validating yourself says my own personal permission to achieve, do or acquire what I desire is good enough on its own and with that decision you get the access to all your internal resources and treasures that were hitherto kept from you because you were seeking permission from someone else.

Self validation is a form of Faith, because not only do you not let people dictate to you your right to go after something, but you don’t let circumstances either, and as such, despite how things may appear to be, you stand firm in the reality that you desire.

The Illusion tells you “depend on me” to tell you what you’re able to be, do, or have, The Viable Alternative tells you give yourself the permission. Slaves who were able to figure this out were already free even though they may have physically still have been in slavery with their physical freedom becoming almost inevitable.

Hope this helps,

Ike Love