There is a tribe in Africa where the birth date of a child is counted not from when they were born, nor from when they are conceived but from the day that the child was a thought in its mother’s mind. And when a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him. And then, when they make love to physically conceive the child, some of that time they sing the song of the child, as a way to invite it.
And then, when the mother is pregnant, the mother teaches that child’s song to the midwives and the old women of the village, so that when the child is born, the old women and the people around her sing the child’s song to welcome it. And then, as the child grows up, the other villagers are taught the child’s song. If the child falls, or hurts its knee, someone picks it up and sings its song to it. Or perhaps the child does something wonderful, or goes through the rites of puberty, then as a way of honoring this person, the people of the village sing his or her song.
In 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.
And it goes this way through their life. In marriage, the songs are sung, together. And finally, when this child is lying in bed, ready to die, all the villagers know his or her song, and they sing—for the last time—the song to that person.
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. You may feel a little warbly at the moment, but so have all the great singers. Just keep singing and you’ll find your way home.This is the most amazing thing I have ever read.
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL IM ALMOST TEARING UP
Reblog for eternity.
*reblogs post before i finish reading it* wait shit i don’t agree with that
Did yahoo think when they bought tumblr…? I think not…do animals think in english or in the sounds they make
this is what yahoo paid $1.1 billion for
(via lokilaufeylicious)
“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” J.K. Rowling
(via hellodraco)
THIS.
This should be on every billboard across the world until people truly understand it’s meaning and everyone accepts everyone else as equals
yes^
This is perfect wow
tumblr has fallen
david karp is dead
yahoo is coming
your second sentence only has 5 syllables. Haiku fail. Though… they all do have 5, poem pass, haiku fail.
it wasn’t a haiku, it was a harry potter reference:
“the ministry has fallen
scrimgeour is dead
they are coming.”
#ooh #says the man who thinks everyone is needed #says ‘in nine hundred years of time and space i’ve never met someone who wasn’t important before #loves everyone so completely has such faith in humanity #values life so so much #he’s met so many amazing people #seen so many amazing things #of course he values life #just not /his/
Would people be as comfortable buying meat if the date the animal was KILLED was displayed alongside the ‘best before’ date? Consumers should remember that meat is the dead flesh from a once living breathing sentient animal who didn’t want to die.
actually i would feel more comfortable. it would make choosing fresher meat easier. thats a very good idea.
when vegan ideas backfire completely
A minute of silence for all the good books with bad movie adaptions.
A minute of silence for all the bad books that are getting movie adaptations.
A minute of silence for books with the movie adaptation on the front cover
A minute of silence for The Last Airbender
ten minutes of silence for The Last Airbender
Two hours of stunned horrified silence for The Last Airbender.
i connect with this advertisement on a emotional level
i went to a high school where they played jeopardy music when you had about 30 seconds to get to class and i shit you not best part of the day was seeing kids sprinting to class with this music playing
whaT FREAKING HIGH SCHOOL WAS THAT






