Today was Martin Luther King's Birthday.
If you turned on the TV or the radio you might have heard a clip of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, but my favorite King speech is actually his "I Have Seen The Promised Land" speech-delived ONE day before he was killed.
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
It's like he knew. Somehow he did.
After the "I Have a Dream" clip you see today you'll then see an interview or two with a black person saying how far we've come or how far we have to go. And while it certainly is important to use today as a reflection on civil rights and how they do or do not apply to ALL people in this country (and in a post "Katrina" US I'm not optimistic), Dr. King's legacy is far more complex and challenging than that. Rarely today do you hear King's assesment of the economic apartheid in our country and around the world, which has only gotten worse since he died. Rarely do you see clips of his declarations against the Vietnam war, or that he wasn't going to "study war no more". And while I don't want this to sound like a lecture, do yourself a favor and read-or better yet listen to- some of Dr. King's other speeches today. His voice remains a call to arms and reminds us that to truely be a citizen we are called on to do our best in times of crisis. May we all respond with 1/100th of what he gave.
If you turned on the TV or the radio you might have heard a clip of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, but my favorite King speech is actually his "I Have Seen The Promised Land" speech-delived ONE day before he was killed.
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
It's like he knew. Somehow he did.
After the "I Have a Dream" clip you see today you'll then see an interview or two with a black person saying how far we've come or how far we have to go. And while it certainly is important to use today as a reflection on civil rights and how they do or do not apply to ALL people in this country (and in a post "Katrina" US I'm not optimistic), Dr. King's legacy is far more complex and challenging than that. Rarely today do you hear King's assesment of the economic apartheid in our country and around the world, which has only gotten worse since he died. Rarely do you see clips of his declarations against the Vietnam war, or that he wasn't going to "study war no more". And while I don't want this to sound like a lecture, do yourself a favor and read-or better yet listen to- some of Dr. King's other speeches today. His voice remains a call to arms and reminds us that to truely be a citizen we are called on to do our best in times of crisis. May we all respond with 1/100th of what he gave.
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The Palm Springs version of sedate seduces me every time. I can't tell you how much I like it more than Vegas at this point. When were you last in PS?