MLK, Jr. Day 2009

These are Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes culled from the Internet, if you find an inaccuracy here, please let me know:


"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

And Away We Go

So the trip to Texas was good, it would have been great, but I was sick for most of it. Got to see family and friends, and even made a couple of new friends. Gloria was able to meet up with a childhood friend she hadn't see in a long time. Thanks to Facebook, we've been able to reconnect and connect with folks we thought were out or gone from our lives. I'm now in the process, thanks to Facebook, of meeting up with some childhood friends of my own.

I had another Small Word moment over Xmas Break, two actually. The first, Gloria's long lost friend Cindy, had actually lived here in Indiana (Syracuse) after leaving Texas. Her sister lived in Goshen only until recently, and they have in-laws in the area. Then, as we were making the rounds and saying hello to family, we discovered that one of Gloria's peoples is neighbors with my aunt who lives in Mexico.

Oh yeah, we were attacked by flying ice on our way down to Texas and now have two dents on the roof of the RAV to prove it. If it had been much lower, it would have flown through the windshield and decapitated Gloria, that would have been gross. And sad.

Hmmm, we're in the mood to move. It usually happens once or twice a year, and we usually let things hold us back (our finances are so good right now, i need my graduate degree first, we haven't had a kid yet, family, etc). Neil says if we go out to visit him in Colorado, we won't come back. I wouldn't mind Austin, San Antonio less, but nowhere else in Texas unless it was an emergency. So do I start my MLS in state or do I go online, where I can be mobile, but it's expensive? Hmmm?

Let's have a good year, OK.