Monday, Jan. 21, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day meant to recognize the efforts and the accomplishments of that great civil rights leader.
King was a remarkable activist for the civil rights movement in the United States. He worked hard to make others see the inequities among the different races in this country and abroad.
America owes him a debt of gratitude, for he paved the way during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency for this nation to legislate equal rights to all men and women, regardless of race or religion, color or creed.
Yet today, there still exists in this world bigotry and racism. Prejudice does more harm to all involved than one could possibly imagine. It promotes an atmosphere of hate and feeds into what's worst in human behavior - and it leads people through this world without any connection to kindness, compassion or humanity.
We all need to realize that hate is destructive and ill-conceived in our world, which has become considerably smaller over the years. We are part of a global community these days, a multicultural community. Dr. King would be pleased with that.
Dr. King was an eloquent man. Here are some of his words about the world, and the way he thought it should be. We should all have his vision. If only.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.
- From "I Have a Dream" speech, Aug. 28, 1963.
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."
- From "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
- From "Strength to Love," 1963.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
- From King's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964.
So on Martin Luther King Jr. day and beyond, remember his teachings and try to incorporate them into your daily lives so that we can all learn to live together in peace and harmony. That's certainly a dream worthy of King's memory.
