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RE: ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ #๐๐ ๐ฅฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐? ๐๐โค๏ธ
Great work, thanks for this post-Justin. Love the quality.
I thought there was a difference between Rastas and Rastafarians
ย ย ย ย ย I use the words interchangeably, as do many others. Rasta is just short-form of Rastafari or Rastafarian(s). But when written as "Ras Tafari", we are dealing with the birth name of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I. It's confusing I realize, but I have always thought of myself as a Nazarite, and H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I as the divine being at the center of my nucleus.
ย ย ย ย ย Rasta is a word people have too many misconceptions about, just like the word vegan. When I meet non-Rastafari-culture-aware people for the first time, I am generally asked the same questions after the name exchange.
ย ย ย ย ย "Why the turban, beard, etc.?" "What's your religion? "Are there dreadlocks in that turban?" I try to answer all these questions without using the words "Rasta", "Ital" and "vegan." I prefer to let people get to know me as a person first and realize I'm quite normal before mentioning deeper things.
ย ย ย ย ย Using words like "Nazarite", "Ital" and "Haile Selassie" later on are going to foster conscious conversation and lead to questions and answers. Using words like "Rasta" always end up with the person telling me they also know a (white) Rasta with dreadlocks too. When I ask further questions about this "Rasta friend," I usually find out it's just a weed-smoking reggae music enthusiast that has taken on the dreadlock hairstyle, and they generally know nothing of Abyssinia, WWII, etc., but love Bob Marley.
ย ย ย ย ย Sorry for a long convoluted answer, but I hope this also explains why I tend to shy away from words like "Rasta" to be honest. That word almost forces me into a club of other people associating with that terminology, and I can't be responsible for their actions. Most brethren and sistren I've seen truly living an upright life are pleasing "H.I.M." with their works and not their words.