MLK in the Woods

Today I went jogging in the woods, with no one else around, just the trees around me, the birds chirping, the squirrels jumping from bush to bush, and the sound of nature, far away from the protests in the large cities and the Black Lives Matter movement, but on the road were written in chalk something that spoke louder than any yells and cries at the protests: quotes by the great Martin Luther King Jr. Someone had very obviously written these quotes in the recent past in light of the protests going on around the world, but I thought it was powerful in writing inspiring messages of non-violence but persistent devotion to changing broken parts of the system, and one of those ways is to inspire more people through writing up messages not just on social message where it's sure to be seen but scrolled over quickly along with thousands of other inputs, but also infuse it into daily life as I'm running. The words in chalk were written 4 at a time every 20 feet or so, allowing a runner with an average pace like myself to read the book as if reading a book. Pretty much perfectly situated.

1.) Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -MLK
What a great quote, Just because crime and hatred and evil happen somewhere I can't see it or hear it or feel it, doesn't mean it just goes away or never happened, and just because I haven't yet been the victim of anything extremely heinous or damaging (parking tickets don't count!) doesn't mean it won't happen to me eventually, which is why I need to help ensure a world that plays fair and provides justice as much as I can.

2.) Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" -MLK
The great thing about MLK was that he spoke basic truths and fundamental ways of living life, but those messages are still powerful because they engage the human spirit and make people want to believe in them, without channeling anger or jealousy or competition against the right or some sort of revenge, unlike many demagogues and politicians nowadays, a reminder of what real leadership would be like, without me having to suspect that he had some ulterior motive. Often times I ask myself this question, and the answer is, "not much." Other than a few donations here and there, monetary and blood-related. It's like catching in dodgeball and dependent on everyone buying in: If I think that other people will do it for me, I am more likely to do it for others, and it's a chain reaction of everyone doing for others and paying it forward.

3.) The time is always right to do what is right.
Always be asking myself what is right.

4.) I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Obviously I'm picking just a select few quotes from a large sample and neglecting some that may be inciting violence and aggression ("a riot is the language of the unheard,"in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence or our friends,") but I'd like to focus on King's plea to his followers to do as he did and love instead of hate, to deal with the great amount of hate and evil that was levied at him and turn it into love. That is one of the most difficult things to do in life, for anyone who has felt being wronged by others or discrimination or any act of injustice. Goes to prove how powerful he was, not just for himself but for others. The kind of leader we could really use today.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day only comes once a year, but it's often needed in times of great negativity and the worst of the times in the country....like right now.