A friend commented in his blog this morning that many communities have forgotten the message for which this day was created as a reminder. Eloquent in his simplicity, he courageously stated that the black community as a whole seems to have lost the message. And though he - and I - are aware of the dangers of generalizing, I have to agree.
I'll go a bit further, though, and state that most of us have lost the message. And I have to give credit where it is due, because I don't believe that Dr. King was a stellar human being, and I don't believe that he was any more special than the rest of us (in fact, I believe the opposite, as the majority of us would be aghast at the mere thought of cheating to obtain an honor), and I don't believe that his message was his alone. I will still render kudos to the dead Doctor for being brave enough to stand up and say it, even though he knew full well he'd be martyred. Hell, maybe that was his penance.
And my friend who blogged earlier today about lost messages in certain communities hit the nail on the head without even realizing the fundamental glory of his words, because what Dr. King's famous speech was about was human pride. Dr. King inspired a Nation - not just a People - to rise above poverty, oppression, legal discrimination, and violence. Dr. King asked us - Americans all - to be better than we were. Dr. King reminded us not to crush the little ones as we stepped up to greatness. Dr. King asked us - ALL OF US - to forgive ignorance and relieve others of their burden of prejudice. And on that day, there was a great shift in consciousness that continues to reverberate today.
It was noble work then and is noble work now. I am blessed to know it.
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2 comments:
Well I wish I would have written what you did, awesome! In a politically correct society even the mention of certain subjects closes peoples ears and bring out established defenses. Some would read what you wrote and call you and your friend a racist but I don't think the definition of racism includes wanting and hoping a certain race of people better themselves and in the process betters society.
It's funny you should mention this friend because I too posted something on this very subject on my blog and it wasn't near as good as your post or your friends post sounds. This friend of yours sounds pretty nice, where can I read his stuff? ;)
I was curious if the Abby video ever worked?
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