Lessons learned from Black Panther

By Ora Cook

 

Lessons learned from Black Panther

I can’t help it. I always seem to learn from whatever I experience, whether it’s an actual life event, a book, or as in this case a movie. The movie Black Panther did much more than simply entertain me; it enlightened me. Here are the four lessons that resonated with my soul.

Anger, especially misplaced anger, does more harm than good

One can completely understand Erik Killmonger’s anger. His father was murdered by his own brother. As a result, he was left to grow up without his father, someone who he dearly loved and admired. Based on his comments about the injustices of Blacks in America, we can assume he encountered his share of racism and other inequalities. He was robbed of meeting his family and one day going home to a beautiful place as promised by his father. In addition, he could not understand why the Wakandans did not share their resources which could have easily bettered the lives of African Americans.

Erik was intelligent, skillful, and powerful. This is evident in how he survived the loss of his father, prospered in the armed services, and befriended and manipulated Ulysses Klaue. Without him, the museum heist would have not been successful. He did all of this plus more while strategically planning his journey from America to Africa. These are attributes that could have been used positively, but instead, were used to bring harm to everyone he encountered.

Although he may have been justified in his anger, that anger caused his demise. Rage that festers and grows eventually only hurts the person harboring it. Erik’s fury stopped him from living a truly blessed life. He was so blinded by rage, he could not think straight and forfeited the opportunity to live a life most people only dream about.

Every one of us has been wronged at some point in our lives and unfortunately, it probably will happen again. Life is not fair, never was and never will be. If you have not experienced any injustice, consider yourself fortunate, but most people, especially African Americans have. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but, we can control how we respond.

Anger is powerful. It can be used to plot, plan, and manipulate. However, there comes a time when the rage begins to work against us. It starts to eat us alive. We become bitter, unloving, hostile, and hard to get along with. Rage prevents us from viewing life through a healthy lens adding to the hurt and pain we have already endured. Yes, we need to stand up to the wrongs and injustices in our lives, but there is a right way to do it. After all, as my mother always said, two wrongs don’t make a right.

There will always be a Judas

Years ago, I heard a preacher say, “There will always be a Judas.” That statement resonated with me then and still impacts me now. This may seem like an extremely harsh statement, however harsh, it has been proven again and again. The minister went on to explain that whenever someone is working toward a worthy cause, bettering their life or the lives of others, developing an organization, or achieving their goals, there is usually a Judas in the midst.

The most hurtful thing about a Judas, is that it is always someone you least expected. Someone close to you, someone you trusted, as was the case with W’kabi and T’Challa. When T’Challa was not able to revenge the death of W’kabi’s father by killing Ulysses Klaue, W’kabi became T’Challa’s Judas.

One of the problems with a Judas is that they only see things from a one-sided perceptive which is usually a selfish perceptive. W’kabidi didn’t know nor was concerned with the effort and work that went into capturing his father’s killer. He only focused on the fact that what he wanted did not happen. He did not want to listen to reason or try to understand. All he cared about was that he was not able to get what he wanted.

There may be times when our Judas takes us completely by surprise. But for the most part, if we pay attention, there are usually signs of impending betrayal. Even in the movie, the way W’kabidi spoke about the importance of revenging his father’s death and how he was pushing to make sure it happened was hinting that he was going to turn against T’Challa if he returned without Ulysses.

Unlike Jesus, we may not know who our Judas will be. But, if we are truthful with ourselves, there is usually “that something” which does not feel right. The problem is, most of us ignore it.

Let go of toxic relationships

The Wakandans were a loving, peaceful, and merciful people. We saw this in the battle between T’Challa and M’Baku. The king could have followed tradition and killed M’Baku. Instead, he showed compassion and reasoned with his competitor and convinced him to gracefully bow out.

This same gracefulness was extended to his cousin. Instead of letting him die, T’Challa offered him the opportunity to live in harmony with his people. He wanted Killmonger to experience the abundant life of the Wakandans and to enjoy his inheritance. It was commendable that the king wanted to make things right for Killmonger. However, it would have never worked and Killmonger knew this.

Due to Killmonger’s personality and character, he would have been a constant problem for the king and his people, even if he didn’t want to be. He was beyond changing and he knew it. He could never be happy and would have always been a thorn in their side. After all, a snake is a snake is a snake.

Regardless of how much we may love someone, we cannot change their nature; only God can do that. Many of us try to hold onto or try to change people that we need to let go of. For whatever reason, they cannot bring good into our lives. They are filled with toxicity and will only spew their poison onto us, making us miserable. At some point in the relationship we become aware of this, but still try to hold onto them anyway.

The cousin knew that he could not change and gracefully bowed out. I admire Killmonger for this. It is very rare when these types of people choose to leave. Most will hang on until they completely destroy us. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to terminate the relationship, not theirs.

When we know better, we do better.

The Wakandans hid their powerful resource from the world. However, I am sure we can all understand why. Africa is one of the largest producers of diamonds, gold, and other gems. However, everyone but the Black Africans have benefited from these resources. Africa still has some of the poorest countries and cities on earth. They did not want a repeat of history.

But as Nakia and Killmonger pointed out, it was time to change. It was wrong to withhold such powerful knowledge and resources from those that needed it most, those who looked like them in America, those who were constant victims of racism, poverty, and several other injustices.

It was good to know that the king understood this and was courageous enough to let go of tradition and forge forward. His decision would not only lead to a better life for people of color, but for all. By sharing his knowledge with the United Nations and building in the area where his uncle was killed, King Ti’Challa showed he was willing to make life better for everyone.

These are some of the lessons I learned from Black Panther. What resonated with you?