I don’t really have the blogger credibility or the correct writing faculty to write a good post about Martin Luther King, Jr. Especially in light of the current climate: a bigoted idiotic wannabe dictator as president, the invasion of American cities by his fascist racist goons, everything that is going on.
To be perfectly clear, King is as relevant now as he ever was, maybe even more so given events. But I understand my limits as a writer: that when I broach certain topics I veer wildly towards the way too overwrought. I cover a lack of clarity of thought in unnecessary language and hope some kind of meaning comes through.
Our co-blogger ghost is great at this kind of writing. Which is appropriate since he does it as a job. I write marketing copy as a vocation. And maybe some fiction and I wish I could write some new songs.
But today is the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, and, like many other privileged individuals, I have the day off work (writing marketing copy) with the aim of meditating on his life and work. Sure, this rarely happens, but it behoves us to think on him, both of his successes and when he was less successful, not just today but every day.
He wasn’t a perfect individual. No man is. But he was a force of good in this broken world, and fell as a result. It’s hard to say he is a rarity: even at this moment I can find videos and photos of people continuing his work towards a better democracy and society through causative action. The hope isn’t dead: it’s out there, on the streets of American cities every day. Visible to millions thanks to the godforsaken social apps. The state is (still) doing violence against the people, and the people are fighting back—not with guns but with words and grace. And most of it is a result of the work he himself did decades ago. A tribute through action, the greatest tribute one can give.
I’ll end with this passage from Letter from Birmingham Jail, a document so important that it may as well be considered a new book of the Bible. As relevant now as it ever was:
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider
