Day 3045. It's one of those days. You go to get a copy of a key at the hardware store, which usually takes 2 minutes; and it takes 20. You go to the coffee shop to get some work done, and there are no seats. I woke up early and have been moving and working all day, but little inconveniences here and there have seriously up-ended my productivity. It's days like today when you need perspective.
Being MLK Day, I elected to take this mornings run down to the MLK Memorial. As I approached there was a family of four taking photos. They didn't ask anyone for help, so each photo represented a family of 3. I snapped a photo for them and continued towards the memorial. We talk about race and divisiveness in this country ad nauseam, yet only the bad. It's not a sensational enough news story that as a whole, race relations and equality are better today than they were 10 years ago. And 10 years from now they will be even better.
What do you think was worse? The race riots in DC in 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Or, the riots in Baltimore last year? The riots in 1968 were the largest occupation in any US city since the Civil War, and probably since. As bad as Baltimore and a few other cities were last year, they were nothing like 1968. And the worst that is to come, the absolute worst that could potentially come, will pale in comparison to 1968. Because our society as a whole has continued to evolve. They may be loud and receive more publicity than the rest of us, but the numbers of those on the wrong side of morality are shrinking year by year.
Let's not allow the loud beligerent voices of a fraction our society, cloud our perception of reality. Let's celebrate today. Let's take some time to reflect and thank one of the amazing men who is responsible for the seismic shift in our countries race relations evolution over the past century. MLK has many memorable quotes. One I saw at his memorial today stuck with me.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." MLK 1963
6.9 miles down
11 dogs