Thinking of the Kings

Martin Luther King, Jr died before he was able to bring his dream to fruition and I wonder what kind of man King would have been had he not died so early. Would he have remained true to his vision, would he have remained true to himself?

There are times within the fight for what we believe that we give in to the pressures exerted by internal and external forces and the fighting spirit within us diminishes until it’s no longer a driving force. We throw our hands up in futility seeing only that which is current and losing faith in the validity of future possibilities. Had Rosa Parks refused to stand for herself, how much longer before someone came along who would? When we think in terms of what one person can do by one single act to change the tide of history, it can catapult us from complacency; from acceptance of what we find wrong with our immediate environment and the world at large. Everything we do reverberates into life in some form. How often has a simple kindness to a stranger prevented him from a path of self-destruction we couldn’t possibly see? One belief thrown into the world has the possibility of affecting the thoughts and beliefs of another. We don’t always know what effect our words and actions will have but they can make a difference. Unfortunately, in the so many cases, such as Parks and King, the results of their words and actions brought them immediate grief and suffering but they were willing to risk all for their beliefs and discontent to continue life in oppression so they acted on hope and faith. One voice in the darkness of despair, loneliness, injustice, sickness, or whatever, can make all the difference in the world.

Would King have been swayed from his dream had he lived a lifetime as that of his wife or would he have continued the fight and remained true to his beliefs? Had he lived, would Mrs. King’s impact on society have been the same? We’ll never know that. What we do know is that for the short time he was on this Earth, he was the voice which made us believe that uniting all people was possible and he paved the way for the fight which so many others continued.

It is Mrs. King whom I admire the most. Perhaps it's because we share the same gender and I know what we, as women... mothers, wives, and daughters, face. During the era in which she was born, it was still the woman’s expectation to be a dutiful housewife and mother. The older woman I became familiar with tells me a lot about the young woman she must have been. While living in a world of racial segregation and the unfairness of society towards blacks, she could have allowed bitterness to have become her primary emotion especially when losing a husband and being forced to raise children under that banner of hatred. She contemplated suicide; she mourned privately even among her children; she endured days of solitude in which she could have internalized all that was negative. Somewhere amidst the grief and disillusionment, she made the conscious choices of what she would allow herself to feel and believe and what legacy to leave in the hearts of her children. Amidst the suffering, she found her own purpose and acted upon it to continue a life which not only honored the man she had chosen to follow and support, but herself as well. We see Hilary Clinton moving forward today with her own agenda of being the first female president of the United States and it is in stark contrast to what Mrs. King was able to do for society in her own quiet, unpublicized way. But then, that’s one difference in doing something for the common good of humanity and doing something for a personal agenda.....it’s not about the individual.

Within each country there are martyrs and heroes and within each of us is the ability to be the best person humanly possible. Whether we affect those in our closest circle, reach out to encompass the world or only ourselves, it is by our thoughts, words, and deeds that we allow ourselves to grow to our fullest potential. Our choices reflect who we are and we should all be true to ourselves and our individual vision. There is untold strength within each of us when we believe in ourselves , have confidence in our abilities and have faith in our convictions. The world is far from perfect and there are many areas of inequality still to be dealt with, but with each person lies the chance to make a difference however big or small. Again, as is said so often, it is the pebble thrown into a pool and the ripple effect created there which personifies that truth.

The King Center http://www.thekingcenter.org/csk/bio.html

Rosa Parks link http://montgomery.troy.edu/museum/

I wrote this in reply to someone's point being made that no-one mentioned MLK on his birthday and, in thinking about Mr King, I found myself drawn more to thoughts of his wife. Because Monday is Martin Luther King Day, I decided to edit it somewhat from the original site and share it here. I hope there is nothing within the lines to offend. For those of you who have that day off from work, which I do not, I hope it's a day you enjoy and find brotherhood (sisterhood) with others.