Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2012

It is one of the most significant and important holidays of the year today. It is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, also known as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, as many choose to dedicate today as a day of service in honor of all Dr. King did for others. In fact, Congress designated it as a national day of service in 1994.

He was a peaceful, non-violent activist who did so much and had so much courage, never resorting to violence no matter what cruelty he faced. He once wisely stated, "I have not urged a mechanical fusion of the civil rights and peace movements. There are people who have come to see the moral imperative of equality, but who cannot yet see the moral imperative of world brotherhood. I would like to see the fervor of the civil-rights movement imbued into the peace movement to instill it with greater strength. And I believe everyone has a duty to be in both the civil-rights and peace movements. But for those who presently choose but one, I would hope they will finally come to see the moral roots common to both." 

What King accomplished is well known and also not fully realized by many. He took away a lot of fear and empowered so many. His actions continued to influence others far beyond his short lifetime. He changed the world. I could never do it justice. I cannot begin to sum it up in my humble blog entry.

He would have been 83 this year. He is remembered in many ways by so many of us. The King Center was established by his widow, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, after his assassination. It is fully called The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. 

Here is one of his most memorable speeches, one that has always touched me, one I used to have on a poster in my college dorm room. His words are still so important to hear as we still have quite a distance to go as a society...

Peace Begins With You

I'm going to insult you now, so let me apologize in advance. Just kidding. That's just one of my favorite film lines. I have no idea why. I don't think that insults are funny in any way, shape, or form. In fact, bullying is one of my most loathed things. Perhaps it's just the way that actor Christopher Meloni said it. 

Anyway, what I really wanted to say is how important you are. How important I am. How important each person truly is. There is a great saying by Albert Schweitzer (who I first heard about from a line in "Cheers" when I was a child. Sam asks Diane to, when she remembers him, think of him as a good person. She retorts that she'll think of him as Albert Schweitzer). Yes, I've seen too many movies and television shows, but I have an independent mind nonetheless. On to the quote.

Schweitzer said, "The Thinking person must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another." 

I came across this beautiful video posted by Sarah Kiser, an artist I've only just discovered, yet who is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It's beautiful to watch, and it makes some important points about the power we have and the choices we need to examine.

On Cheering the Death of Osama Bin Laden

I remember how I was horrified by footage of some people cheering at the devastation in the aftermath of 9/11. I was a college student at art school in New York City when the horrible events of that September morning of 2001 happened. To this day, I mourn those who were lost that day, and I feel sympathy for their family members.

However, the loud cheering today on the news over the death of an admittedly very evil man seems somehow very disturbing. Rejoicing in death -- and planned murder -- is something so very sad. I myself was overwhelmed with emotion at the news before getting the details and tweeted about my relief.

Yet, sometimes you just express gut reactions. In the spirit of true honesty, I feel it'd be wrong to just delete those tweets. Yet, it's not exactly what I feel and think overall. I do not believe in the death penalty. I do not think that killing someone really establishes any form of justice. It does not bring back victims. It does not undo the evil done by someone. I am in good company when it comes to my vision of peace:

• "The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind." - Mahatma Gandhi 
• "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." - Jesus Christ

Terrorism must be stopped; that much is undeniably true. I am extremely thankful to be a citizen of the United States of America, and I am so thankful that I can speak my mind loudly. So, I am not writing because I have a clear answer. Just some thoughts.