They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.
When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child’s song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child’s song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song.
Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person’s bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life.
To the African tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.
The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that would hurt another.
A friend is someone who knows your song and sings it to you when you have forgotten it. Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself.
They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.
You may not have grown up in an African tribe that sings your song to you at crucial life transitions, but life is always reminding you when you are in tune with yourself and when you are not. When you feel good, what you are doing matches your song, and when you feel awful, it doesn’t. In the end, we shall all recognize our song and sing it well !
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This post is a straight “Copy-Paste” from a Good Morning mail that Swatantra sends each day. I found it moving and extremely profound.
very nice thanks for sharing it with us!
“The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that would hurt another.”
How true? If a tribal group could do this then why not the so called elite ones. In our society if somebody had done a mistake, he is almost stoned by words to death. Here death does not mean lifelessness. He almost becomes equivalent to nothing because of the way the world treats him. We need to learn from the tribes.
Hi Kavi,
You are so generous!!
Thanks for sharing this with your world!!
Messages like this keep me inspired to make the good morning message more and more meaningful!!
Many Thanks to you!!
“they hear the song of the child” this story was very different. If i born in Africa, me too will have a song i think:)
“they hear the song of the child” its very different story. If i born in Africa, think i will also have a song:)
which is perhaps why dr.alban has a song that goes ‘in African tribes we sing’ 🙂
Nice article!!Very informative 🙂
A song brings joy, happiness and sorrow and thanks for sharing kavi:-))
the songs of life. thanx for sharing sarr!
That really was amazing – again we seem to come back to the same theme- acceptance ,that song, that unique song which each of us have within ourselves, do we hear it, if we switched off other sounds maybe we can still hear it.
Yes i would love to have a true friend to sing my song for me – but am slowly realising that i should 1st sing it to myself !