As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday and revisit the inspiration that brought some semblance of racial unity to this country by breaking down the laws and traditions of segregation, I believe his spirit calls out to each of us to look inward. Look inward for continued solutions to the lingering remnants of discrimination, segregation and racism. Part of looking inward means for each of us to look at ourselves and see what we are doing individually to solve problems.
As companies and successful individuals, do we practice equality or just give lip service to it while perpetuating the past? As families, parents and students, are we taking responsibility for our own shortcomings? If you have no job, are you returning to school to learn new skills or an occupation? If you're a member of a gang, or a parent of a gang member, have you made a move to get away from the gangster life? That may mean moving away from the "hood." If you are in a dysfunctional family, or are on the brink, with your children watching and looking to you for direction, has your selfishness driven you away from what you know you should be doing? Are you in church this year to help yourself, your family and the community, and to follow the lessons and examples of your religion - or only there to be seen? Do you spend more money on booze or drugs than you do on progress? Do you spend and allow your children to spend more time watching television than studying for school? And are you blaming someone else for all of your problems?
When you've looked inward, remember, on the occasion of Dr. King's birthday, that Dr. King was a man of action. If you've looked inward and found a problem, you've found a target for your personal action. King used to say that "most of us have an amazing capacity for external criticism. We can always see the evil in others. We can always see the evil in our oppressors." What we all need is the moral courage, after we do some external criticism, to move to correct what is wrong or missing internally.
For this season, let's all take another look at Dr. King's life, not comparing him to Malcolm X, but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.to yourself. However, both of these men were men of action. What about you? Dr. King didn't just talk about change, but moved to make change. What about you? It is hypocrisy for us to celebrate his birthday without resolving to change something that we find missing or wrong in our community and in ourselves. Don't let this year pass without joining the church, or volunteering to be a mentor or donating to some worthy cause. Don't spend more money on possessions than you spend on progress this year. Don't spend more time in front of the television than you do learning a new skill. Don't spend more time across town with the boys and the girls, than you do with your family.
Look inward, and then do as Dr. King did - act, and keep the spirit of Dr. King in the front of your mind.