MLK
Now that I've gotten all of that knitting silliness out of my system, I've put my mind toward my thoughts on this day commemorating the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The girls and I have already listened to his "I Have a Dream Speech" and talked about it. Children are so beautiful--not only do they find all of those ideals to be rightly taken but they also have a hard time imagining that the world is such is, or has been, a place where these things are not already so.
I popped over to Special K's place and found exactly what I think is the right message for this year. Thanks, K.
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. "
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
So this is what I will say: if you and your family are fortunate enough to have food to eat, shelter, comfort and clothing, then it is time to start thinking what you might do to assure those minimal standards for others not so well off. And this is the very basic point that makes me liberal politically and will keep me struggling against those who do not wish to lend a hand up.
2 comments:
I was out of town and not really surfing the web, so forgive me for not responding in a more timely manner.
It's not that I disagree with your point or Dr. Kings. I believe we have a moral issue to help those who cannot help themselves. I don't agree with the government forcibly taking the money to help them and I don't believe those who receive it should feel entitled to it. I also believe we are too liberal in determining who needs help. Just because someone is too lazy or unmotivated to help themselves, doesn't mean the rest of us should be forced to help them.
I hope you enjoyed your time away from the office, Don.
The wicket gets sticky here when defining "lazy" and "unmotivated" and then finding a way to screen those people out of eligibility. And I tend to feel like regardless of the cause of the unemployment or poverty, none of us can prosper individually or collectively with a growing proportion of our citizenry being unable to produce a livable wage on their own.
But yes, I think we would all resent supporting those who chose to cruise and abuse. The problem is rather thorny.
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