Something For Sunday
Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Two enormous boulders welcomed me into a garden-like setting overlooking the Potomac River. Immediately, I was overcome with a sense of peace. A full body statue of Dr. King stood 30 feet-tall, carved into the side of massive granite. D. King stood tall and serene arms folded.
Dr. King’s speeches, sermons, and writings were also inscribed on 450 feet long black granite Inscription Wall.
The inscriptions were messages of justice, democracy, hope, and love.
The experience was an extremely important moment for me. It allowed reflection on the universal themes of hope, love and justice.
I encourage everyone to visit the MLK memorial.
Today, with our Nation divided between the “them” and the “us”, the “blue” and “red”, the memorial was an important reminder of a higher truth. That truth being, we all strive for a voice in this democracy, and that we all want dignity and a world defined by peace not conflict.
The MLK memorial provided a peaceful opportunity to reflect. It offered an opportunity to listen to the cries of our brothers. We hear the cries on the right “Make America Great Again!” and cries on the left “Fighting for Us!” There are also cries for a political revolution.
However,“listening” to yearning of our brothers, even when we don’t share the same perspective remains America’s greatest challenge.
My favorite inscription at the MLK memorial was taken from a sermon delivered on Christmas Eve, 1967: “If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”
… The rest of the sermon follows: “No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we try, the more we are going to have war in this world. Now the judgment of God is upon us, and we must either learn to live together as brothers or we are all going to perish together as fools.”
Visiting the MLK memorial was powerfully uplifting.Today’s political and social climate is freighting. We must learn to live together as brothers. To listen with honest heart to our brother’s concern, especially when we don’t share the same perspective. I encourage everyone to experience the memorial.
Shan Potts, Esq. Political and Cultural Contributor, Reel Urban News.
With over 20 years of combined experience, Shan Potts Law Offices, a national law firm, is among the most trustworthy law firms in Southern California. shanpottslaw.com