onthor wrote:my mind feels as though it is scrambling in futility to make some sense of the world ...
I admire and congratulate you for trying ... but, especially, trying to get up to speed from your sleepy sojourn in BKism.
If you find any definite answer, please let us all know. And, more to the point, especially if you work out how not to be depressed or dejected at what you find.
Yes, I think one answer is that if there is "anything left to stand upon" it will be a thing of your own making.
I think that is a big part of the puzzle. No more riding on Dada's or Dadi's coat tails. Dig you own foundations, learn your own lessons, and build your own creation.
From memory, there was only 3 or 4 'negroid' BKs during my time. Perhaps there were a few more later in the Midlands when Easton was active within the BKs, but he's more than half out now and doing his own thing. I'd say the older ones that did not live in bhavans were somewhat marginalised. There was Garfield but he was doing a disappearing act at the time. Was he the gentle/shy guitarist, or was that someone else?
Remember Cynthia? Sweet soul but appeared a little pained and although deeply surrendered, I wonder if she suffered a little from 'the face not fitting'. Paul who wanted to be a 'soul' singer (irony alert ...
presumably being a boxer was Avyakt enough so what is a young black man supposed to do). I wonder why on earth he joined the BKs rather than some church with a decent choir?
On one level I have to think dressing up as a Brahmin and adopting Hinduism Lite™ it is a huge cultural leap for a African-Caribbean to make, even to adopt the path of a yogi. But then, on the other hand, there has been Indian-Indian blood and genes swirling around the region for a few hundred years. I always questioned whether Rastas adopted some of their culture, and the dope smoking, from Indian saddhu influences (
could be way wrong though).
How is BKism for Dravidian Indians who can be equally dark skinned?
How much is it about being of the right class rather than the right colours?
Looking back though, mostly I see it all as some kind of dressing up game for the slightly misfit which we were hypnotised into to amuse the Kirpalani Klan.