Welcome to the world and mind of Ajamou Butler, the Black man who travels. In four days, I embark on my third international trip. This time, I’m journeying back to the origins, my roots, in South Africa. Traveling the world expands your view; your mind naturally opens to the reality that life is lived outside the comforts of home. We’re not meant to live and die restricted only to what and where we’re born into. Just because I was born on the block doesn’t mean I’ll die there.
I feel a handful of emotions about this trip – anxious, nervous, excited, curious – but more than anything, I’m humbled and grateful. I often talk about the trials and tribulations unique to my journey that took me from the mud to the missions I’m on. I know that it’s nothing but God who led me to this point in my life where I understand why I have to see the world and have multiple opportunities to do so. God showed me that Milwaukee is and will always be home, but the world has my crown and my throne. I’ll only live the life made for me if I’m willing to go beyond what I know to learn what I don’t.
My travels in this chapter of my life are centered around growth because anything not growing is dead. You can look at the trees and the plants in your home to fully understand the necessity of growth and forward movement for any living thing. The point of life is to be and to move, to change.
I’m blogging about my travels to keep a record of my journey, but more importantly, to show other Black men that it can and should be done. There are many paths to psychological and physical freedom for Black men, and traveling is one of the most fulfilling. As you follow me on these trips, I want you to walk away with these gems each time:
- Be an eternal student of life and recognize the real is found outside of the resorts and tourist destinations
- If you have street smarts, you can survive all over the world
- Anything not growing and healing is dead
- Showing up is half the chess move. The other half is doing so authentically
Tap in, and let’s see the world together. Brotha Heal the Hood takes on South Africa!
