god only gave us conditioned free will?

I thought smoking pot was about being Jamaican--after all, don't all Colombians drink coffee???


Just kidding!

About Bob Marley--I am a big fan. I don't know much about reggae in general--I haven't heard much other and didn't connect with what I heard.

As the owner of more than a couple Marley t-shirts (which I got after getting into his music and for what they say)--I can only say Bob is deep and real, and loves his fellow man. Obviously he was not a conformist--no one tries to kill those who fit in.

My favorite shirt says this:

Who feels it, knows it.

That is why I like Bob Marley.

Here's the back of one of his CD's I had:



Who's the guy pictured in the center? Not Bob, but the portrait above him? Also, I thought the lions with the crosses had some Christian significance.

As far as wearing Marley shirts, I'm busted! I wore a lot of skater stuff including a Stussy shirt with the lyrics from Redemption Song "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery". I was a bit of an outcast myself 'till college where it was much more prevalent.

His "Don't Worry" lyrics always remind me of Matthew 6:25.

"Give thanks and praise to the Lord and it will be alright." - One Love

Reggae is the stuff! My favorite right now is Yannick Noah, but having picked up the CD since it's import and costs a lot of $ I think :p

Also annie, Juan Valdez sends me a 'Thank You' card every year for Christmas.

[edit on 31-8-2005 by saint4God]

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
No problem with the ism thing it's just one of those things,I had a look at that dictionary,made me laugh anyway,just funny to see the same old cliches,smoking herb and can't cut your hair,how shallow they must think we are.

"Main Entry: Ras·ta·far·i·an·ism
Pronunciation: -E-&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
: a religious cult among black Jamaicans that teaches the eventual redemption of blacks and their return to Africa, employs the ritualistic use of marijuana, forbids the cutting of hair, and venerates Haile Selassie as a god"

Time to write them a letter I think. I would, but don't have the background to do so.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
I do realise that many people perhaps can't see past these things but neither smoking or growing dreadlocks is of any real importance within Rastafari,none of the founders grew their hair and it didn't become widespread until relatively recent times and wasn't really brought up until the 50's as an outward expression of the rejection of society,the name dreadlocks came from the idea they caused dread and shock in those who saw them.The earliest Rastas that wore them were guards and Leonard Howells camp Pinnacle,it was adopted because it was a hairstyle used among warriors in many African cultures.If you see pictures of the Mau Mau from Kenya that fought colonial rule many of them have this hairstyle.

Interesting history, thanks!

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
Doesn't seem to be saying much just a bunch of random statements.A lot of people seem be drawn towards Rasta because they maybe agree with peace and love bit,they like the reggae and smoking herb and assume it's some kind of hippy business,just wear some red,gold and green buy Bob Marley cd's and shout Jah Rastafari and One Love.I suppose it does no harm and if they take something away from it that helps them live a little better and show love then it's for the good but it causes a lot of misperceptions.

I can see that. Thievery Corporation is a bit random too . Just wondering what they were talking about.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
mmm,thats a tough one,I think it could be pretty mixed but going by my own interactions with others I would say most would probably not but their are no doubt some that do.Rastafari is a very personal thing it's about our individual relationships with God and kinda hard for me to speak for others so that's just a guess.

Alright, that does help though it may not sound like it on the offset. Basically I'm understanding that being Rastafari is independent of whether a person believes Jesus as Christ, that there is no hard-line since Rastafi is not a religion.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
The avatar is Marcus Garvey the founder of the U.N.I.A. (universal negro improvement association) who taught black people to uplift themselves through education and self improvement and to look to Africa for their future, I would think all the early Rastas were U.N.I.A members although he wasn't to keen on them and reputedly made them sit at the back at meetings

and almost all of the people who would go on to free African nations from colonial rule were also members.He was a great man,teacher and inspiration who worked tirelessly for others.
www.pbs.org...

Learning new stuff everyday! Keep it coming if you have more, and thanks again.

I think it's great you both like Bob he did a great work in spreading Rastafari and judging by a lot of peoples reactions he managed to express Rastafari thought in away that it touched people on a wider level.
One thing about "Who feels it knows it" that was a song they first did back in the 60's and Bob didn't write it or sing it at that time and as far as I can recall he never recorded it at anytime,it was Bunny Wailer's song which he changed a little and did later on his own but as with most things from that time Bob seems to get associated with everything.It's sometimes on cd's that say Bob Marley on the cover but if you come across it and listen carefully it's not Bob who sings the lead,its Bunny's much sweeter voice.Beautiful song none the less.This is from the later one.

"Every man thinks his burden the heaviest
But it's common they know,because they feel it
And who feels it know it
Who feels it knows it,yes

Now don't sit by your window
Gazing at the streets
Sorrying for yourself cause you've got none to eat
There's a light within you, so let it shine,shine
Get up and move and start trying,trying,trying "

Who's the guy pictured in the center? Not Bob, but the portrait above him? Also, I thought the lions with the crosses had some Christian significance.

That's Haile Selassie,the lion's a symbol of Ethiopian royalty it's symbolic of the Lion of Judah.I've seen similar imagery of a lamb with the same type staff somewhere.

Jah Rastafari
One heart
One love
One moon
One earth

Getting back to this for a moment had another look at it and I realised it seemed familiar,is it someone talking rather than singing? because it's from a cd called Rastafari Elders where there's nyahbinghi music (drumming) and chanting then spoken parts and poems between the music it's spoken by this man Ras Pidow there's lines missing within that part which made it seem more random and why I didn't spot it at first,just interested whether they've taken his voice and cut lines or just the words.

Originally posted by madmanacrosswater
[quote[ you'll either be sent through chute A, or chute B, regardless of what choices you make, there are still only two choices. a limit for the limitless? what if one does not wish to go down either chute? or instead wanting a chute C option, or maybe also chute D option, and so on and so forth.

Those "chutes" are available to us on a dailly basis. Those that pick the wrong chute already live in their hell.



It is only when I do think that there appears to be 2 or more chutes. In reality, however there is only one chute.

Instead of continuing to ask questions and branch out the "rabbit hole" tree of knowledge, seems to me if we invert to the original truth that inspired all questions we may find the one seed of the tree of knowledge, and the tree of life.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
I think it's great you both like Bob he did a great work in spreading Rastafari and judging by a lot of peoples reactions he managed to express Rastafari thought in away that it touched people on a wider level.
One thing about "Who feels it knows it" that was a song they first did back in the 60's and Bob didn't write it or sing it at that time and as far as I can recall he never recorded it at anytime,it was Bunny Wailer's song which he changed a little and did later on his own but as with most things from that time Bob seems to get associated with everything.It's sometimes on cd's that say Bob Marley on the cover but if you come across it and listen carefully it's not Bob who sings the lead,its Bunny's much sweeter voice.Beautiful song none the less.This is from the later one.

"Every man thinks his burden the heaviest
But it's common they know,because they feel it
And who feels it know it
Who feels it knows it,yes

Now don't sit by your window
Gazing at the streets
Sorrying for yourself cause you've got none to eat
There's a light within you, so let it shine,shine
Get up and move and start trying,trying,trying "

Interesting how someone gets credit for another's work simply by association. Ziggy did one called "Love Power" that I like a lot too. The video was very tropical and relaxing. Made me want to hope a plane and go.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
That's Haile Selassie,the lion's a symbol of Ethiopian royalty it's symbolic of the Lion of Judah.I've seen similar imagery of a lamb with the same type staff somewhere.

Ah! That clarifies it for me then. It's very similar to a lot of portraits from Jesus. Looked to me like the crown had twelve points (stars) which bears significance in the New Testament as the number of disciples. Unfortunately, I left it at home so I can't take a second look at it right now. I've seen the staff used by clergy, though not any denominations I've attended. Lion and the lamb, also important imagry in Christianity since they're used as descriptors thoughout the Bible.

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
Getting back to this for a moment had another look at it and I realised it seemed familiar,is it someone talking rather than singing?

It is. In trip-hop I think it's about 50/50 whether the male voices sing or talk. The guy on the CD from Theivery Corportation, Babylon Rewound, will either talk or rap singingly. Great fusion of Trip-hop, reggae and Middle-East sounds, that one. Even more interesting (perhaps for an Illuminati thread) is the following lyrics on another song that I can't find cited on lyric sites:

"Living at the bottom of the pyramid scheme,
Never really knowing what the symbolizism mean."

Hm? What? Ah well...

Originally posted by Ras Dedan
because it's from a cd called Rastafari Elders where there's nyahbinghi music (drumming) and chanting then spoken parts and poems between the music it's spoken by this man Ras Pidow there's lines missing within that part which made it seem more random and why I didn't spot it at first,just interested whether they've taken his voice and cut lines or just the words.

Interesting. The CD I have is a re-mix so the group didn't include the original sources. Guess that means I gotta buy the original - Richest Man in Bablyon. I'm certain though that's the connection. The group strikes me far from random. The other songs address government corruption, oppression, and social problems.