THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LIFE
By BLACK MAN CLAY
Introduction
Greetings, folks!
I’ve got something to say. After years of meditation that I’ve done within myself, I’ve come to my conclusions, and I came to my understandings before I came to my conclusions. And after concluding that I knew everything about anything that I knew about that all it took for me to know, I knew that I was grounded. And good things started happening to me. First before I go through what I’m going to offer the general public for the first time, there’s something that I figured out within my own head, and I came to a conclusion as to the way it was set up in my head. It came as a dream, and I call it the Seven Principles of Life that I have elected to live by.
In the past, on occasions, I have run into people and they ask me things like, “Who are you, Clay? What are you all about? How did you come to your understandings?” And then I tell them that after years of meditation, I came to my understandings, and then after I came to my understandings, I came to my conclusions. And I knew the way of life, and I began to live it. And I set up Seven Principles.
What I will do is write the seven principles, then I’m going to explain what I mean with each of the Seven Principles of Life:
#1 – Do #2 – Be #3 – Exist #4 – Cope #5 – Truth #6 – Love #7 – Communication
These are the seven principles that I have been living by for years and years.
My Background
Before I explain what all these mean, I’ll give you a little bit about my background. I was born in Hallettsville, Texas on the outskirts of town. I grew up in the fields getting along with everybody, on the farm first in the cotton fields and then we moved into a small town. Then we went to San Antonio, Texas, which is west of Hallettsville. At the age of 9, I felt that I was a human relations expert. Everything was cool. Don’t let your frustrations take hold of you. At a young age, I was thinking this kind of thing. At age 12, I was so confident that I could solve any human problem that may occur just by talking it out and thinking it out and realizing what life is all about.
I ended up joining the Air Force right out of high school. I had a great 20-year experience in the Air Force, and I retired with an honorable discharge. I didn’t want a parade because I never was one to accept compliments. I’d rather people not compliment me because I was doing everything from the bottom of my heart.
Upon entering the Air Force, I went through many things relating to human beings, probably 30,000 people between when I first entered the Air Force and when I retired. So I did many things. I always volunteered for different work. I was always in a good frame of mind, always seeing people getting along so well.
In the last part of my career, the commander asked me if I would take charge of his Human Relations and Race Relations Department. With that went career counseling, the weight control unit, and safety inspector. So I took on all those jobs. I am also a Vietnam Veteran, and I retired after 20 years.
After I was in the Air Force, I found myself going through a change. I changed my life from being a hard-core meat eater to becoming a vegetarian. I began to notice my spiritual being was coming out, back to my roots. My mind went back to my past and I started bringing up more and more spiritual feelings.
I wrote a spiritual show and put it on the road. I performed on college campuses and in street fairs, state fairs, nightclubs, and concerts. I had a radio show in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
I read the book “The Tao Te Ching” which is “The Way of Life” by Lao Tsu. He taught about the Tao, which is the Spirit, the Life Force behind everything. He taught how to live a humble, simple life. He said, “Be utterly humble. That holds to the foundation of peace.” I realized I needed to humble myself to everything that happens. I needed to wait and then be peaceful with everything that happened in my life.
I sang about this and taught these concepts when I performed. I did my best to live it in real life.
When I moved to Tucson, I started to study Rastafarian consciousness, and I realized Bob Marley was singing about the same thing. My heart touched his, and I joined his clan. I began to play music and sing with reggae bands because I realized that this music uplifted me to a high spirit of understandings and taught the higher consciousness I learned from Lao Tsu.
I have been playing music and teaching in Tucson, Arizona for the past 30 years. I have been performing at clubs, parties, on the radio and television. I love what I do and what I have become.
May you grow and become a better person by learning the Seven Principles of Life that I live by.
The Seven Principles of Life
Number One: Do
What I mean by the word “do” and when I say the way of life is to do, what I really mean is do the best you can with yourself, with all that you have to do with it. When others become involved with you and your doing, merely tell them truthfully why you do what you do. Only one time. You don’t have to tell them too many more times. Do whatever you want to do in life as long as whatever you are doing doesn’t end up doing you in. Moderation is the name of the game. Do unto others good things, polite things, respectful things.
When I say the word “do,” I remember the great Lao Tsu, who is still living within me. The Way of Life, according Lao Tsu, the great keeper of the archives of China. The Way of Life is to do. At first it kicked me, “What? What does he mean?” “Do!” And he went further. He said whatever we are doing, we are living a life doing. And we go through life, since we have to do what we do each time that we do it, anything that we do, we strive to do the best we can. And whatever we do, that is the best that we could have done because we already did it.
Another thing we can say is do unto others. Do for others good things, polite things, wonderful things. And do the best you can with yourself as long as you don’t let whatever you are doing do you in, my friend.
I go by the words of the great Lao Tsu, “I elected in my life that I will do unto others good things.” So go in peace, my people.
If somebody comes up and says, “I need your help,” do the best you can to help them. Even if it’s not lifting a finger to do anything for them, try to be as polite as you can and fair as you can. And do what you can, not provoking negative energy.
I see a lot of people get upset when a beggar asks for money. They turn their head and look down on that person. One out of 10 gave him a dime, quarter or dollar, and that’s the best they can do. Even the ones who look away in disgust are doing the best they can. We can’t say it’s right or wrong. But I would elect to do the things that make you feel good. Give the person a dime or two. Quite naturally, blood is thicker than water, and if one of the members of your family is in trouble, stand by them. Do the best you can.
If you see violence on the street, do your best to quash that violence. Do the best you can.
Do the best you can to spread the word about doing.
Number Two: Be
Be yourself at all times. Establish yourself to be you at a very young age. Don’t have fantasies that you will be somebody else. Don’t wish you were a rich person with lots of money or a famous athlete. At this moment in time, just be yourself.
Plan everything you want to go into carefully. When you meet people who can help you on your way, show them you. Be whatever you want to be as long as you are being yourself. The reason why I stress being yourself is because your self won’t allow you to be anyone else. Your self will let you be somebody else for a little while, but in the end, you’re going to go through some hard times, and your self is going to bring you back to being nobody else but you, like you always have been. And don’t ever change again. So be yourself. Your self will not allow anything else to happen.
Also the great Lao Tsu said to “Be.” “The way to do is to be.” I shook my head. “What does he mean?” I did some wondering. And wonder into wonder, existence forms. I realized I have to be me, myself now. For 20 long years in the Air Force, I tried to be someone that someone else wanted me to be. I was a physical competitor. I was being the best of all. I was the winner of all my challenges. But little did I know, it took a mere suggestion for me to change.
So the great words mean to be yourself at all times. Don’t go into the fake world. I see a lot of fake this, fake that, and they are being the best they can be. But be your true self.
One time I was a young man, and I saw a man I thought was beautiful. Tony Curtis. I put my hair like his hair. Here was a black guy trying to be like a white guy. Here I was, a poor farm boy trying to be like a suave rich white singer. I can remember when I was about 4 years old, I recognized my reflection. I saw a beautiful brown boy. And a woman said to me later, “You’re in love with yourself, always looking at yourself.” I told her I wanted to be a movie star. I went from wearing short pants and no shoes or socks to wearing a zoot suit of the 1940s. I had a long coat, necktie, beautiful shirt and shiny shoes. I looked the part. My brother did the same thing. He called himself “Sir Chas” and he dressed like the best of them. People said I favored Gregory Peck. I used to get a lot of ladies to follow after me because of the fake look I had. We had a lot of fun together, but once they got to know me better and saw that I was just a nice little farm boy trying to play the part of a city slicker, they told the other girls about this. I realized it was really the country girls who could relate to me.
Over time, I changed to be my true self. My true self came out, and I took on a new name of Black Man Clay. The name came to me out of a dream. Over the years, I’ve changed to be myself. That’s what was told to me in my dream.
Number Three: Exist
This word “existing” is so simple. You have to always open up your mind to realize that you are only one in this vast planet earth existing among all other ones. Don’t leave out anything. The grains of sand, one at a time, are existing somewhere. Animals exist, plants exist. Everything that is being here now is existing here now. Realize that you are another speck in this universe existing along with everything else. The wind comes, no one rules the wind, and specks of sand can get in your eyes. The wind is the only thing that is free. Go ahead and exist and realize that you are existing along with all others, everything that’s out there outside of your own one self that’s existing just like you.
Always realize that you exist as One, all with the other Ones and other things, each entity one at a time is another entity existing, just like you. You are no better and no worse than the other ones existing. Pick up a grain of sand on the beach and realize that that one grain of sand is existing along with all the other grains of sand. Part of it is mixed in with the ocean, mixing with the fish. Every individual exists as one.
Realize that you are existing, and respect one another’s existence. And help one another to exist in a good place, one by one. We’re all alone. In existing, you’re going to be coming into contact with one another.
Every time I think about existing, I think about people. If you understand your existence, then you may get the attitude that you are no better or worse than anyone else that is existing and that we should all come together towards one goal: love.
Number Four: Cope
Cope using positive vibrations. Cope with any situation, any time, any place, anywhere and with anyone. And always have positive vibrations that you really want to get to the bottom of this confusion or this misunderstanding. You are coping with it. You’re driving along and have a car accident. Don’t get disturbed. Use positive vibrations and say, “Oh, well, I think I know why that happened.” And try to figure out things as they happen to you. Be cool always. Cope with the situation at hand. Whatever lies before you at that time, give it time. If you have too many things before you, just pick a priority, priority number one, two, three, four, five. Slowly but surely cope with each one in their priority.
While we are existing, we learn to cope with one another, using positive vibrations. If circumstances come about that cause conflict with others, cope with the situation using positive vibrations, always looking to settle dispute, misunderstanding. Not letting your emotions overrule your better judgment.
For instance, a very unusual circumstance occurs. A little boy is walking his dog down the street, happily, having fun. There’s another little boy riding his scooter up and down the street, but he was ignorant of the fact that he was too close to the boy walking the dog. The dog lurched out and bit the boy on the scooter. So the little boy jerked the dog back. He went through traumatic emotions. The little boy on the scooter was traumatized. This was a situation that was not planned. This is a circumstance that took place, so everyone needs to cope with the situation. No one is guilty. It’s just that circumstances happen in people’s life, and it’s us existing, coping with that situation. It’s important to come to the greatest settlement with the most positive vibrations that everything is going to be alright. Nothing was planned, it was just something that happened.
That’s coping with the situation at hand. The answer is understanding, and the real truth lies within. When you start to search inside yourself, then you begin.
So cope with any situation any time any place with anyone, always using positive vibrations, always hoping that the best result will happen with everyone working with one another.
Number Five: Truth
This is a very powerful one that has always existed in this universe. Truth. Live in truth, by the truth. The meaning is what really, really happened. That’s the truth. If somebody wants to twist the truth around and create something else that may have happened, that’s their truth. Respect it. If somebody else wants to talk, give them time to speak their truth. Speak your own truth quietly and clearly. And listen to others’ truth.
Truth is the only absolute. It’s final. There’s no other thing. You can’t go any further. Once you deliver your word, it’s a perfect word because it can’t be duplicated. The individual’s truth is to be respected at all times. Keep asking questions about a situation, but don’t say, “You’re lying.” You don’t know if the other person is lying or not. This may be the way that person saw it. Live in that realm of understanding of what truth really is. Don’t live in hearsay, what others say. Ask the person who did it. The truth is a person’s own truth. Respect it.
Truth is the only absolute. I’ve got to face the truth. I have to see that I was born in the country and living in the city. It’s true that I am one with the universe. You can’t run away from the truth. If it involves you, you know your truth. Nobody else does. The truth lies within you.
So always, if you want to live happy in your life, live in truth. Speak the truth and be truthful. The truth is the only absolute. It’s the only way, and it all lies within.
It’s true that everyone has a guide, the Most High. But some people don’t realize it. The mind had a conversation with the soul, and decided there is a Supreme One within you – reasoning power, the power of the mind.
Number Six: Love
Love means having an understanding between two people. Love has no boundaries. Love is something you can’t understand for another person. You need to establish your own understanding of love. Loving one another doesn’t mean having sex. Love won’t allow you to love only just one person. Love isn’t satisfied until you love all entities that are existing. Love is the guide. Love is mystic and mysterious. Some people call it God, Christ, Krishna.
Love is doing good things unto others. Love doesn’t have any rules. Love can’t make you happy either. Love can’t make you sad. Love won’t allow you to be good or bad. Love is something you can understand only for yourself. To love one is to love all. Love will demand that when you meet people that you look straight across at one another, not down to condemn and never up to be afraid. Don’t let anything or anyone out there intimidate you. Just look at everyone straight in the eye and see where they are coming from. When you find out where the other person is coming from, you’ll know what to do. Love deals with beautiful things. Love makes everything come together. The love will build and build because love makes it happen.
Love. There’s nothing you can say that describes love. Love will not allow you to love one or two things. If you love, that’s good enough. Love will give you the power to see the right thing to do. Whatever you do, in your doing and being, include love.
Love brings people together. Once you are attached to love, then the love train goes on. One by one, you will be directed to other loves that think like you, do like you.
Love is responsible for it all. I would use love as my weapon, my sword and my shield. No matter where I am, on the battlefield or high in the sky, or deep under the water, I will always be with the power of love.
Love conquers all. You can’t love a little, you can’t love a lot. If you love, that’s good enough. Look to love.
Love is supreme. Love will cause you to befriend one another. Love will cause you to spread love to each other. And love will cause you to forgive one another. Each day, love is the only way.
Number Seven: Communication
Communication is when you dialogue with one another. When you talk among each other, there are so many things to talk about. There are so many things you do and so many ideas among people about making this society and world better. You have to talk about it, communicate. You’ve got to be heard. You have to take the time to communicate.
When you communicate with one another, look across at the other person to see where they are coming from. When you hear their truth, don’t accuse them of lying. Look across and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. When you come in contact with others, be aware that you don’t know who they are at the time they are presenting that energy to you because people are being what they are being when they are being.
Everybody has to communicate. To know one another is to talk about your likes and dislikes and explain your personality. We’re all so different. Since we are all so different, each soul is a different entity, we all have to communicate with each to let another way where you are coming from.
When you come in contact with one another, look across at one another to find out where one another is coming from. And when you have enough communication going back and forth and you find where one another is coming from, then you will know what to do.
Communication is the only way that any organization can run well, whether it is between one or two people, a family, a business, a store, a complex, the military. Communication is the most essential thing that will make life run smoothly. Communicate love, not hate. Communicate with one another about good, happy things. Keep on up with the communication. Using truth, love. I think that’s all we need to help the nation.