All i knew was what i saw and what people told me,
because it all happened before i was born. The horrifying
image of a man lying dead at the feet of his friends,
at a motel somewhere in Memphis. The many fingers
pointing firmly towards space.
All i knew was what i heard, which was unlike anything
i ever heard before! Perhaps the greatest orator since
Winston Churchill. Deep compassion and confidence.
Rhythm and music. Love for country. Demanding change.
Appealing to us and God. Certain in his vision for the
future. Certain of a personal and collective overcoming
of great and tangible darkness and suffering. Offering
hope for change. Prayers. Marches. Practicing the principles he
preached. Forgiveness. Starting a critical dialogue. Confronting
the enemy on enemy turf. Demanding we come together in
new and nonviolent ways.
A great tragedy, overshadowed now by unified cultural love
in memoriam for a great and selfless man. A decided day
to remember. To honor one who sacrificed himself for his
people and social justice, in the end. Shaking up and
waking up a culture embedded in fear and racism. Making the
unconscious, conscious. Bringing light into darkness.
Today in the USA, racism hides mostly behind closed
doors. Or so I thought. Recent events across the USA
have suggested otherwise. If Doctor King was here,
what would he say? What would he do? All i know is
he would show courage and ask others to stand behind
what they believe in. He would not be scared to speak
truth to power. We would listen and learn. Some of us
would get involved; try and speak truth to
power, ourselves. Despite immediate consequence.
Having the courage to stand behind our beliefs and speak
freely.
In honor of Doctor King, I tell myself today:
Do not accept or protect the ISMS. Speak TRUTH to POWER.
Support nonviolent movements toward social justice.
Get out there and get involved, whenever possible!
Practice loving kindness towards ALL sentient beings.
Express gratitude. Pray. Dream large! Meditate. Forgive.
Inspire hope toward a NEW PARADIGM WORLDVIEW!
I love to listen to Dr. King's charismatic speeches,
whenever possible. Thank God we have these recordings.
Change comes over culture like a slow, pacific wave,
washing us clean of our troubled and divided history,
and offering us a chance toward UNITY.
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