Words of Advice for Young [Black Male] People

Some mistakes were made.

Q. What advice would a black man aged 35 or older give a black man in his 20s?

A. The biggest mistakes young men make (that I made) are the following.

1. It is very hard to account for your long-term strategy among the people you deal with every day. So you often just do what’s current, rather than what’s long term.

2. It’s very hard to get the attention of the woman you want, so you split your attention among multiple women you don’t want, but you can get. This is actually self-destructive.

3. All attraction to ghetto life is self-destructive. If you’re in the ghetto, get out. If you’re out of the ghetto, stay out. Stop making excuses about ‘being in solidarity with your people’. Your people are the ones who give you keys to their house. Nobody else is ‘your people’.

4. Blackness changes faster than you can adapt. Do not assume you know it, or that what you know of blackness, rules. ‘Remember where you came from’ is a reference point. It doesn’t mean ‘Stay where you came from.’ Stop talking about stuff you did in high school.

5. Never assume hostility, when stupidity explains it too. Avoid stupid and hostile people. If you must deal with them, be regal.

6. Don’t fear. But don’t front. Be calm and confident. Be T’Challa, not Killmonger. You don’t need a revolution to achieve success. You need you to be a better you.

7. Strive at all times for wisdom. Read the big, classic books. Listen to the old classic music. Hear out more than just a few old men.

8. Understand that human psychology applies to all humans at all points in history. That is the science. Not what you read in the papers.

9. Take care of your health. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Faster than you think.

10. Always respect virtue, especially in the face of chaos.

Forty Virtues