Righteous Minds

Like most systems of mysticism, there can be found nuggets of truth, bits of wisdom, and pieces of thought by which to live. Though most of it is wrapped around contradictions, embedded in fallacies, and tangled around falsehoods, billions of people live by these codes, consciously or unconsciously. With the Nation of Gods and Earths, a movement that arose during the Black Nationalist movement with ties to the Honorable Wallace Fard Muhammad, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and the Nation of Islam by Clarence 13, there exist three types of people in the world. There are the 85 percent who are the “deaf, dumb, and blind,” or those who possess a philosophy, but cannot articulate or embody it with adroitness. They go about their days with any mishmash of utterances, visits to psychics, and also point to the zodiac for guidance.

Then there are the 10 percent. This lot knows what’s going on in the world. These are usually Wall Street warriors, Silicon Valley slayers, politicians, clergymen, witch doctors, or any other type who has wisdom and knowledge. They know that they are wise. They just don’t share any of that with anyone else through irrational self-interest.

Finally, the five percent, or Five Percenters, are the poor righteous teachers of the globe who possess and can articulate their knowledge and wisdom to the masses in exchange for fiscal and spiritual payment. Often, the poor attribute is relative. They’re usually millionaires, but not billionaires. They’re usually well-off, but not extremely wealthy. This particular set of men and women represent an excellent metaphor for Objectivists. By dropping all of the mysticism, one can surmise that adherents to Ayn Rand’s revolutionary philosophy are like the Five Percenters. They are rational, selfish, hold truths, they profess those truths, and they know from where this knowledge originated. It did not come from some voice on high, or the scales a of a crocodile, or the rubbing of a rabbit’s foot. It came from the inner workings of the mind, the power that lies in thinking.

If the statement that only five percent of the population are real men and women was true, as of this writing, that would mean that there are about 350 million out of seven billion people who stand for a “righteous cause.” What is this cause? The preservation, enhancement, and advocacy of the mind. Five Percenters employ a system called daily mathematics where they recite the number system related to various ideas including wisdom, knowledge, and power. While this may seem bizarre to some, it can be viewed as a stepping stone for young minds within the movement to discover a more profound, thorough, philosophic system: Objectivism.

Ayn Rand could quote people like Reinhold Niebuhr and Reverend Ike with simplicity. She knew that their systems were not only false, but were destructive to the mind. Yet, she could appreciate turning Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer into an objective way of viewing the facts of reality. And with Reverend Ike, she could repeat his phrase, “If you want to help the poor, don’t be one of them,” because it is true. Now, does that mean that she renounced her atheism and became an ascetic for Christ? Of course not. But she ascertained that there is a chance for non-believers to soak in the essences of religious dogma, only to have them washed away by the guiding hand of reason.

To take these various ideals purported by Zen Buddhism all the way up (down) to Scientology, one must be careful to not get overzealous about them. The school of Objectivism provides a fire retardant that prevents the studier of the philosophy from being incinerated by false ideas and applying them to their lives. What the Nation of Gods and Earths brings to the fore is the possibility to employ likeness to philosophy—to look, not touch.

But maybe for the future, there will be religious lore that will be appreciated by Objectivists and believers alike. This future will look like a brand new way of thinking, possibly using new ways for brain connectivity to energize and promote the mind. This lore will be passed down through generations as the ultimate way to express thought. This will strengthen the resolve of thinkers and allow the religionists to view the future as a bright spot—not one of misery. It will be filled with excellence for righteous minds.