Today we celebrate the man Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an inspiration to our nation and the world. He came up from the heart of the south, Atlanta, Georgia, to become an international symbol of civil rights done the non-violent way much like his contemporary Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Mandela was jailed for nearly thirty years during the 60s-80s but became President of South Africa when his efforts from jail realized a momentous shift in the political climate of his country. Unfortunately, the non-violent pleas from Dr. King were largely ignored. Violence reigned and Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 so his life was not played out to its fullest. But his legacy is lasting and potent. President Ronald Reagan officially made the third Monday in January, a day to honor the strength and commitment of Dr. King to the objectives of civil rights and harmony for all people.

Dr. King said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a country where they will NOT be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. Why are leaders being chosen now by their skin color or gender instead of their character and credentials? They may have both character and credentials but they are being promoted by attributes they were given at birth instead of attributes they developed over their lifetime and career.

I lived during the turbulent, violent decade of the 60s when assassination of our best and brightest happened too often. It was a time of “revolution” when the country was divided and hate held the country hostage. I’m seeing so much of the same attitudes prevailing today. Reasons for revolution may differ today, but they are only symptoms of the dis-ease of division. It saddens me that, as a country, we cannot see that we have more in common than we have to divide us. We allow leaders, political and otherwise, to foment division for their own political or economic benefit. Does humanity never learn from our tragic history? President Lincoln, a hero to most people now, was reviled by half of the citizenry in the 1860’s and assassinated by that hate. Are we doomed to repeat those awful decades?

Or IS the learning being done by those who find a way to harness dissension for their own aims? The rest of us are pawns in their machinations.

If words would heal then let Dr. King’s words prevail. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”.

I don’t pretend to have any answers, just more questions.