Today we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you're on Twitter, you've seen the outpouring of loving-kindness towards one another along with a feast of Dr. King quotes being circulated. It's quite beautiful. People from all over the world honor this man.
I've loved Dr. King since I was a child. I naturally gravitated to his message of hope and of peace obtained through non-violent means. I grew up in a military family, with the fallout of the Vietnam War evident all around me. I saw how war divides nations and makes enemies of friends. I saw how war leads to repeated conflict and inevitably, to more war. I saw how families lose loved ones to war and how that loss does not only take place through death. Even at a young age I understood the insanity of war and the reasonableness of peace.
Because of Dr. King, I grew up with deep faith in such things as peace and civil rights. I heard and read his speeches throughout my youth. Today I learned that Dr. King nominated the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize way back in 1967. What a testament to his belief in upholding compassion and non-violence no matter who or what the source.
As I write this, I'm moved to tears by the ceaseless waves of love that continue to wash over the people in all nations as a result of this one man. I pray for Dr. King's auspicious rebirth. May he return again and again to benefit beings.
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