Monday, January 16, 2017, we celebrate the
life of a man, a belief and a dream of hope. His famous words have lived a life
longer and larger than even he would have thought possible at the time. “I still
have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream –
[one day this nation will rise up and live up
to its creed, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are
created equal.” " I have a dream...” Martin Luther King Jr.]
His hope, that one day all men would
not be judged by the color of their skin, but by their character was not only
about race it was a statement on what really makes a person.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream
; http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
From a jail cell in Birmingham Martin
Luther Kn g, Jr. pened a letter in explanation of his method of civil
disobedience which included the following phrase, “ I am trying to point out - In no sense do I advocate evading or
defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy”. In all he spoke to the call of bringing
change and awareness through non-violent means. His final sentence in that letter brings his
hope, prayers, purpose and his dream into full circle agreement with his heart.
“ Let us all hope that the dark clouds of
racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will
be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant
tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great
nation with all their scintillating beauty. … Martin Luther King Jr. 16
April 1963
I find myself wondering what this man
of hope and faith would be saying now.
Would he be supportive of those who continue to bring awareness through
the heart of anger and separation? Those
who stood beside him all those years ago, the Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons,
Rep. Lewis fighting the fight for positive change in our country’s society, are
they speaking and acting out for his dream or for their own need to be relevant
in todays world? The call, no the shout,
of calling out “RACIST” has become a weapon rather than a call for understanding
and change. That has become a slur used
by some to stifle any form of discussion and in doing so diminish the
possibility of merging colors into a rainbow of unity. Rather than building on the progress toward
color blindness, some choose to insist on scratching the scab rather than
letting the wounds heal. Bigotry in any
form is not restricted to one race, one color or any one religion.
Bigotry is etched on each person’s
heart through the use of repetition and propaganda foisted upon the young or
those in some sort of pain. It is simply
a means of placing blame on someone else rather than taking the time to search
for “what can I, myself, do to make the situation better.”
What took place this week between Rep.
Lewis and President Elect Trump is a great representation of that
practice. Mr. Trumps response to the
once famous Civil Rights veteran, for claiming PEOTUS has no validity, is
catching all sorts of screeching from the Progressive side of our people.
Trump in effect asked “so what have
you done lately to help us realize Kings dream of unity” what have you done
lately to improve the education, the safety, the positive change for the “minority”
people in our country?
My question to Rep. Lewis, and the rest of
those who have chosen the position of race baiters profound, would be what are
you doing to bring about unity in our society, understanding, safety, and the
mutual sense of brotherhood. What are
you doing to change the course of social and individual character traits that
would bring safety, schools, businesses and hope into the neighborhoods
blighted by death by gangs? Well? Speak up for character sir.
In response for those jumping up and
down in anger toward Mr. Trumps stance I say this: because I was a knight in
shining armour yesterday that deed of the past gives me no license to do ill
today. The propagation of hatred, and
distrust serves our country no good, we do not need to be made aware of
something we have been made aware of every day for the last 60+ years. There is a quote from a prayer, that The
Reverend King spoke, one that is some 2200 years old and it goes like this: “forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.”
This week we should be able to
experience the peacefull transfer of government, the reuniting of our country
behind a leader that has been chosen through the election process. A process that was set in motion by our
founding fathers and that has been successful in form and function since the
inception of our country the “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”. We as a whole deserve an opportunity to
continue the practice of that unification.
The direction we move in, the path that we take needs to be seen. Without
allowing our new President the opportunity to achieve what we believe to be
possible, we will never know.
Give him the opportunity to help our
country deserve its reputation for greatness.
Pray for your neighbor and God Bless
the USA
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