The Capital
On this Martin Luther King Day we celebrate a man who was given a gift of understanding. There is a poignant statement he stated that resonates today. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are we doing for others?”. It is these words spoken by Dr. King that we must remember every day. We are given each day not for ourselves, but to have an impact and help those around us that are in need. On this day, and every day we must see the world around us with a broader vision. For life is meant for kindness to be prevailing, the attribute sought should be to understand other views, and the continuous practice of communicating with respect.
I work in government as a public official. It is a job that is challenging, but it is rewarding in the peace that is felt from helping others. There are those that do not understand some decisions made. I work diligently at what I do, and I understand the existence of variances of a personalities. I read correspondences and listen to those that speak out, and wonder why certain statements are said aloud when kindness is always an option. If we would all concentrate our breaths and efforts on helping the community around us instead of using our life’s time nescient or benighted with conjecture, everyone would be in a better place.
My birthday falls roughly at the same time as Martin Luther King Day, so I have always spent this time of year reflecting. He was given a short life, but with every morning he awoke believing in the future and the ability to make a difference for those around him and generations to come. He was oppressed, but hopeful. He was subjugated, but he knew he could rise. He struggled with the existence of hate, but he prevailed with presence of love. Each day is given to us. It is up to each how to impact the future.
Each day we rise and we must be mindful of our words, our actions, our decisions made. We must recall his words and remind ourselves the importance of doing for others. For I have learned, that often those that are the quietest, the ones that can offer a smile but hide beneath the shadows of others, are at times the ones most in need of our attention. The loud can remonstrate and cavil, but it is often the silent who are truly suffering. We must live each day to hear those that want attention, but understand that behind every loud voice or individual agenda, there are numerous others who require our help in having basic needs met. We must always assist those that struggle without asking or speaking aloud. We must listen to the silence and look to help those that do not ask for themselves. We are given this day to make tomorrow better for those around us.