2021 Reflection on the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., some make much of the imperfections of this great man, magnifying human foibles; attempting to diminish his wisdom and determination, downplaying the patience he exhibited and his ultimate sacrifice.

He had times of difficulty and doubt. He had contemporary critics that he was too slow, too patient, that he didn’t do enough. But he marched on. 

Just as dangerous is glossing over his sins and mistakes; it makes the small persistent struggle for righteousness and justice seem out of reach from the rest of us. That it takes supermen and the sainted. It does not. It takes each of us doing right in ways large and small. Every. Single. Day. 

We celebrate today the man and his mission for equality and justice. We remember him and his sacrifice. We do well to heed his messages and guard ourselves from ignorance, stupidity and hatred. Any of us can be ignorant, stupid or filled with hate - these things have a way of getting into all of us at some time. We must remain vigilant. 

We should not be satisfied with where we are today as a people or nation. We have a lot of work to do. It starts with each of us working on ourselves and loving our neighbors - loving everybody. Always.