One of the keys to our mutual success is building positive and healthy relationships. This is made possible by balancing our emotions, and understanding that while things like fear are there for our protection it is also a path leading down a downward negative spiral. Black people are a very creative, very spiritual, and very emotional people. It is because we are so emotional that we are so creative. Emotions are both strengths and weaknesses and no connection between us exists deeper than our emotional connection. And what you will find is an emotional component in everything you do which is part of the reason you do it.

The Black Lion Society believes in a holistic approach because if we were machines certain things would be easier for us to do because we could simply perform the task, implement the solution, without our emotions getting in the way. But we are not machines. Most of us want to unite but emotions can get in the way when someone does something or says something we don’t like or agree with. It happens all the time. Someone says something and someone else gets defensive and before long we are biting and scratching at each other over the internet, virtually fighting, because someone’s feelings were hurt.

If you think about it a lot of the violence in the street is based on emotional reactions to dramatic interpersonal relationships or… “drama”. We can be a very reactionary people also and when disrespect is perceived, often emotions come into play as well as ego as it motivates us to protect our public persona.

Love, peace, and harmony are not just words to us. If you look closely you’ll see that one actually leads to another. Through love we have peace and through peace we have harmony and through harmony… a lot of things become possible. Emotions are tools; instinctual tools that trigger like muscular reflexes. There are times when you need to be angry in order to do what’s necessary to protect yourself, family, or community. Being able to tap into that energy, in the right hands, is power. However, if it isn’t tempered with discipline it can also blow up in your face.

Being aware of emotions is just the beginning. We should also exercise them in positive ways. Before yelling at your children or spouse because you’re angry maybe you have something else pushing more anger to the surface and venting that energy, like releasing steam, would help release the pressure and keep your family from absorbing too much negative energy.

All energy is either absorbed or deflected. And every relationship is an energy transaction. You release some of your negative energy and someone else absorbs it. Once it gets too much for them to contain then they have to release it. Some people seem to be too negative in general and that’s why they have a draining effect on you. They bring your whole mood down. Instead, we need to be sensitive to each other and balance ourselves so that what we share with others is also balanced. It’s easier to deal with a friend who is going through some problems when you can provide that emotional support they need and when they can do the same for you and when they have good things to say that make you feel good. Everyone wants to feel good. Many people also want to feel bad sometimes. We are all different with different ranges and expressions of positive and negative emotions. And it’s all okay and we need to accept it and accept ourselves.

Emotions aren’t just a feeling. They are an indicator, like a nerve that senses pain or pleasure, they let us know that something in our life is doing harm to our emotional being or the opposite. The Black Lion Society is a judgment free zone. You’re not wrong, bad, evil, etc. We are all imperfect and imbalanced seeking balance and perfection. And we do this through our relationships with others. Many of you have heard that certain people tend to be more left-brain and others right-brained. And that right-brain is integrative vs the left which is segregative. This has to do with how we understand things. Left brain understands by breaking things apart and the right understands by putting things together. In reality the universe does both. It destroys and builds. If we want to be part of nature, part of the natural cycle, we have to work like the universe works. Emotions are definitely an aspect of ourselves that we must bring into balance so that we can work more effectively and have better relationships.

Planning the Black Lion Society wasn’t hard because if your mind is open the right ideas will come. Creating an organization is the easy part. How effective it is will depend on the people involved and how they work together. There is no way that we can separate the emotional side of ourselves and try to come together with the kinds of objectives that we have and build relationships without considering the emotional element and how it subtly changes and manipulates us. Emotions are tools that we must use to our advantage. Otherwise we will be the tools for our emotions.