Martin Luther King Day (within)

I am glad that my country chooses a day on which to remember the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968). Today is that day.

I am glad not just because King became a symbol for equality and justice, but also because it is nice to have a high-profile reminder of the cruel and idiotic, sage and wondrous activities of the past, the present and the future.

How much of what is right and true and wondrous and comforting today, whether socially or personally, will be thrown into an entirely different light as time passes? Slavery, lynchings, segregation and other depredations may be widely regarded as failures today and are easy pickings, in one sense. Once, however, that was not so. Black people were cattle, not people. And while there may be a long road ahead, still, views and beliefs have shifted somewhat with the passage of time.

MLK Day offers a time of reflection that might well be taken in a wider way, I think ... a time to reflect on the beliefs and hopes and assumptions and comfort zones that shape anyone's life. Love is good, war is bad, terrorism poses a threat, money is wondrous or evil according to perspective, religion heals or hinders, etc. ... just to reflect a little on the goose down in your pillow.

I think anyone can reflect in this way.

And I think a national nod to Martin Luther King Jr. may help.