In Dr. King’s book, Strength to Love, he wrote “The strong man holds in a living being strongly marked opposites.” I strongly feel that his quote speaks to the duality that exits within each of us. To accurately establish a true sense of self, one must encounter opposing forces, or opposites. That way we can identify with clarity who we are, and who we are not. The duality that resides within each of us can be categorized in different ways. I choose to label them as good or bad.
We confront what feels bad in new environments, new situations, roads travelled throughout our lives, or just what we do on a daily basis. We get to choose who, how, when, why, and what we learn. Our decisions inform whether we choose good or bad. To travel though life, is to embrace opposites. To live life, we must embrace opposites. Sometimes at night when I cannot fall asleep, I listen to Dr. King’s speeches. I choose to learn from him in those moments about human reality. Not only did he identify our societal problems, he developed and shared strategies to better humankind. Had he been alive today, we would have elected him president. Why? Because he was reasonable and respected every living person. He inspired us to endeavor toward equality. He made us act, and he knew how. Now we use his strategies against causes of good. I see a country becoming bad. I see a country crumbling to pieces, because of over-reactionary tactics caused by the first black president. Think about the many changes that have occurred since his presidency ended? Many of them are discriminatory toward someone or another, depending on the day. Recently, I walked down a street in San Francisco and saw a person hit a crack pipe, a boy stick a needle in his girlfriend’s arm, and multiple people walking around with a meth addiction. This was on my way to the Women’s March in broad daylight. If the argument for the wall is drugs, why is prevention more important than treatment? Why is prevention more important than treatments? Is it really more complicated than that when we are talking about human lives? Do we not want parents who are clean and sober raising kids rather than perpetuating the cycle of addiction? Do not forget the duality: nature v. nurture. I don’t think that our government is identifying, vocalizing, or even exploring alternative solutions. I think that Dr. King would be ashamed of them. “Courage is an inner resolution to go forward in spite of obstacles and frightening situations.” “Fear is mastered through love.” “Hate is rooted in fear, and the only cure for fear-hate is love.” Those are only a few of Dr. King’s quotes. I know for my job I am required to study and allow space for learning. I am only as good as my willingness to listen and learn from others. We all have egos. However, we also have the to ability to silence all the noise our egos make. How? Through love. Many Blessings on Dr. King’s Day.
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