On this day, the day of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I believe that his hope of unity is more possible in our country and in the world more than ever before. Hope calls for peace. Hope embraces change. Hope defers to others. Hope is beautiful. YES, WE CAN!
Being is believing the many possibilities of our very existence. It is the immediacy of change. Being is believing the imminent forever hopeful possibility of change. It is forever present, though perhaps not seen. It is the fulling of Dr. King's most beautiful "Dream." Being is believing all things are possible if we believe. Being is believing: YES, WE CAN!
Being is believing: YES, THEY CAN!
Being is believing the hope that does not disappoint.
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"Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
A very astute and remarkable woman shared this quote several days ago on this very blog! Words by Dr. King himself that clearly can be a catalyst for profound change. A change that builds on our common ground as a society. Many people seemed to have missed a very profound and essential passage of the "I Have a Dream Speech" that was just as true in August of 1963 as it is today..."The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone."
The problems of crime, drugs, access to good schools and health care, and better paying jobs to name a few affects all communities. The bigger and broader the coalition is that can be formed to address them, the better and more expedient the solutions will be found and implemented...the "we" in "Yes We Can"!
Each and every person can be a champion of racial and societal harmony. We don't need to wait to have a national "debate" and rely on our political or religious leaders to prescribe a solution. The solution is in each of us. It's not our words alone but that our actions and words match that enable others to assess the content of our charecter. A heart full of grace and a soul generated by love....Yes We Can indeed.
Judith, thank you!
Dave...what beautiful words! Thank you so much. It's ironic. I posted "Being in Believing" earlier in the day. I had no idea what would be in store for me as the day progressed. It turned out to be quite a challenging day...so much so that I had to remind myself, at various points throughout and awakening saying as the young people in the video, "Yes, I Can! Your words too mattered. Thank you.
While my experiences yesterday were exclusive to me, it is the "we" in the Yes, We Can! that reminded me that others, both black and white, have trodded down this same road before and because they have been there personally gives me great hope that Yes, I Can!
The individual and collective are inextricably bound: us and them, those and these. I love your quote by Dr. King. It is so true. There were so many people who joined in the struggle of different races and ethnicity all over the world, if only in spirit alone.
My friends range from people of every possible hue, every social economic background, and from many countries around the world. There are also many people that I have met with good and willing hearts, including those with whom I have been privileged to discuss such important issues in forums such as this.
Many thanks to you, Dave. You have a great compassionate heart and an agile and willing spirit that can only cause others to believe, YES, WE CAN! I sincerely thank you. It is because of people like you sharing and giving in many ways that ignorance and darkness are dispelled. Enter: light.
Dave...your words are so truthful, so beautiful, that I needed just to highlight them...repeat them...once again. Thank you so much. Words such as these can lead to action; they can lead to the individual increasingly collective change needed:
"Each and every person can be a champion of racial and societal harmony. We don't need to wait to have a national "debate" and rely on our political or religious leaders to prescribe a solution. The solution is in each of us. It's not our words alone but that our actions and words match that enable others to assess the content of our charecter. A heart full of grace and a soul generated by love....Yes We Can indeed."
What beauty! I hope that we will all take these words as our own and work to bring them into reality in small or not so small ways.
May God continue to bless you, Dave. May God bless us...all.
Great videos, Judith. The piece on the Bronx school teacher reminds me that our urban educators are missionaries on the front lines. (They're certainly not working for the pay.) I'm always humbled by their stories.
Meanwhile I'm finally getting past the sanitized media portrayal of MLK and beginning to see the fiery (and, yes, angry) radical he was. There was a ferocity to his commitment I find very attractive. Being nonviolent does NOT equate with being non-disruptive.
John...this is so true: "being nonviolent does NOT equate with being non-disruptive. It is often that we embrace softly benign words and reject fiery prophetic ones. I practice listening beyond tones and sometimes even word themselves to the truth of the matter.
We should always consider the time in which words are spoken, the audience, and the reason. Many of us believe in the words of Jesus Christ, but if we actually looked at them, we would see that he spoke with great passion and prophecy, often rejecting and denouncing the political and religious establishment.
But Jesus Christ was so beautiful. It was said of him that "a bruised reed he did not break." His fury was not toward those who were missing the mark, but reserved for the pious, self-righteous, and rulers of his time who did not govern with kindness and love. In this vein, Dr. King's vehemence is indeed attractive.
Wow, Judith, you kill me. "It is often that we embrace softly benign words and reject fiery prophetic ones." Another quote I may use for my book.
Re Jesus, it appears there's been more attention paid in recent decades to the radical nature of his message (politically and otherwise). "Liberation theology" was taking hold in the Catholic Church in Latin America until the last pope quashed it (another reason for me to reassess my support for Catholicism). That was one reason Rev. Wright got my attention last month. I wanted to hear more of THAT (minus some of the hyperbole).
Great stuff, Judith!
John...I am not Catholic but I really liked the last Pope and from what I gather the current Pontiff seems like a fine man also. Now, I understand well the historical complicities of the Catholic church and even the fears of today. But I also embrace that we are all seeking...trying to move toward something greater than ourselves, even when we have utterly missed the mark. I loved the many priests and nuns that I met while living in Rome for two summers and love the brillance of the Jesuits.
And...John....Mother Teresa has been a beloved soulmate of mine since I was a child. So, I love Catholics.
By the way, I was educated by the Jesuits. I ALMOST became one, in fact. But that's a story for another occasion. I felt a new possibility for the Church was created at Vatican II by Pope John XXIII, but it was squandered by his successors. So I've been traveling a different path since the 60s. And I no longer believe all roads lead to Rome. :-)
The road to Rome, however, is indeed a fascinating one. As a student of art, I sat in the catherdrals of Rome day after day, thinking of the millions of people who had been to the altar.
Sitting there I wondered what their lives might have been like from the Medici's, to Michaelangelo to the peasant to the modern day tourist.
Hey, John... John Lennon himself may have also made the pilgrimage to Rome, if only to see the Sistine Chapel.
As I now listen to Pope Benedict's Homily and remembering our discussion here, I wanted to write to say that I am blessed by his words. I am also blessed by his actions during his visit to the US to take responsibility as leader of the Catholic Church in meeting with the sex abuse victims. May God bless Pope Benedict. May God bless us all.
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