Martin Luther King Day

[cotten]

I did a good bit of reading from MLK, Jr. Monday. Wise man in many ways. We need to re-hear much of what he said. Unfortunately, I cannot post quotes of what I think were his most profound words. He was, after all, a preacher, and most of what he talked about would violate our forum rules. Still, I encourage my friends here to look up and read the things he said, and not just what others said about what he said. There is some profound stuff there, even for today.

cotten

[architype]

Originally Posted by cotten

I did a good bit of reading from MLK, Jr. Monday. Wise man in many ways. We need to re-hear much of what he said. Unfortunately, I cannot post quotes of what I think were his most profound words. He was, after all, a preacher, and most of what he talked about would violate our forum rules. Still, I encourage my friends here to look up and read the things he said, and not just what others said about what he said. There is some profound stuff there, even for today.

cotten

I would say especially for today.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

Oops. Maybe I should have waited a bit longer for the coffee to kick in. Thanks for catching my oversight.

Sorry, didn't mean that as a correction, your post just made me think of that quote!

[Dirk Hofman]

Dr. King was not, to say the least, universally accepted as a wise man fighting on the right side of history in his time.

I think a useful exercise is to ask, why not? If I wasn't around, what would I have thought of Dr. King if I were alive (or an adult) then? Who are some figures now who are like him? How do I feel about them or their views? Why does the passage of time change people's views on historical figures?

I found this a useful exercise for myself.

[Dr. Spivey]

I was only 12 when he was murdered, but even as a youth, I was captivated by his speeches and would listen intently. More has been gleaned from his words over the years.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

Dr. King was not, to say the least, universally accepted as a wise man fighting on the right side of history in his time.

I think a useful exercise is to ask, why not? If I wasn't around, what would I have thought of Dr. King if I were alive (or an adult) then? Who are some figures now who are like him? How do I feel about them or their views? Why does the passage of time change people's views on historical figures?

I found this a useful exercise for myself.

I have been doing this inquiry since I read your post earlier today. It is a useful exercise, particularly if one refuses to take the easy way out (blaming others).

[cotten]

Dirk is right. I was a kid in South Mississippi when Dr. King et al were leading the Civil Rights Movement. I heard a lot about his all too human failings, and not just from the racists. I don't worship him the way some of my friends seem to, but that takes nothing away from the sacrificial struggles he endured and the accomplishments he achieved. We would do well to go back and read or listen again to his actual sermons and speeches, rather than just snippets or synopsis, and apply them to our lives today. Our world would be a far better place!

cotten

[Dirk Hofman]

Thanks for the notes back, Rich and Cotten. I wasn't around when Dr. King was doing his work, but my father joined in the March on Washington. I would like to think I would have also been on the side of justice and equality, but things are more complicated in real time than in the neat annals of historical narrative. One never knows, but one can learn from history and conduct themselves accordingly, to the best of their ability.

My father is a good, decent, and courageous man who flew jets in the early Vietnam era and walked for Justice with Dr. King, both in the same 2 year period.

His American arc is one I won't replicate (and contains many other chapters), but I take inspiration from who he is. My father responded to his call for justice, as he was not a religious man. Dr. King seemed to have something special for people many stripes.

[Song Writer]

There is a tradition that winners of the Nobel Peace Prize do not nominate others for this award. In 1967, Dr. King broke with that tradition to nominate Thich Nhat Hanh. He said, "I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity." While Nhat Hanh did not win the award (there was no winner in 1967), what Dr. King did in nominating him was to educate some of us on just exactly how far one could go in the world of non violent struggle.

[Mr. Jelly]

I was raised by some very decent and honorable racists back in the 60s. I can't say I followed much of what Dr. King was saying or doing. But I still got it. It resonated with me as being true, right and good. I appreciate the man and his spirit more so today than ever. If only people put more effort into the positive instead of the negative while following what's true, our lives would all be better.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I was raised by some very decent and honorable racists back in the 60s. I can't say I followed much of what Dr. King was saying or doing. But I still got it. It resonated with me as being true, right and good. I appreciate the man and his spirit more so today than ever. If only people put more effort into the positive instead of the negative while following what's true, our lives would all be better.

Thanks for your post, Jelly.

Some of my family members were also racists: honorable, decent, and generally kind people who didn't appreciate that there attitudes and stereotypes might be unfair, inaccurate, and sometimes harmful. The kind of people who made good allies in any kind of fight or tough situation, but who also had a character flaw that promoted injustice, subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) dehumanization, and uneasiness on the part of people who did not deserve to feel uneasy.

I appreciate you drawing a quick (but effective) sketch of the complexity of people who, though meeting the definition of a racist, do not at all conform to the stereotype of "racist".

And also, it is heartening to hear another example of how, in just a generation, ignorance can be disspelled.

[cotten]

Thanks, Rich and Jelly. Wise words. Much has been accomplished. Much remains to be done as we continue to strive to be one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.

cotten