Kindness

One of my brothers gave me a book for Christmas that I sure enjoyed reading. In author Allen Levi’s book, Theo of Golden, the main character seeks out ways to be kind through quiet outreach to people without publicity or fanfare. We could really improve our daily lives by following this character’s example.

This week, many of us are thinking about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. In my quest for enlightenment this year, I’m re-reading the Letter from the Birmingham Jail written by Dr. King in April of 1963 following his arrest for civil rights demonstrations in downtown Birmingham, AL. His letter was addressed to fellow members of the clergy in Birmingham, asking for their support for justice: “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

My family moved to Birmingham as I became a teenager, two years after Dr. King wrote this letter. I didn’t begin to learn about the civil rights struggle until I was in college, away from my segregated white community. Learning alongside students from other parts of Alabama, other states, and other countries helped me to value differences. Learning history has been an interest, fueled by an excellent high school teacher and engaging college professor. Then, through corporate moves, I had the opportunity to live in different parts of our country and to keep learning. Words in Dr. King’s letter ring true today: “…we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”

Now sixty-three years after Dr. King wrote this letter, I see signs in my North Carolina neighborhood with this quote from his letter: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I hope that sharing kindness in today’s world can help overcome the hate, violence and trauma inflicted on people daily by our own federal government. In multiple areas of our country, people expressing their thoughts as prescribed in the Bill of Rights have been sprayed with chemicals, beaten, and killed. People who are trying to be kind are treated as criminals; similarly, demonstrators in the 1960’s were called “extremists.”

Internet phenomenon Joshua Johnson shares social commentary infused with humor in his live performances. Recently, Johnson commented that instead of trying to fit an action into a legal framework, we should center action on moral grounds – morality vs legality. His thoughts echo Dr. King’s letter, too. Dr. King wrote: “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.” It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany.” I write to our Congressional representative frequently to advocate for the rule of law. Johnson’s thoughts suggest I should reframe my pleas and ask the representative to stop being silent and to take moral action.

Our pastor shared today that if our minds can create chaos and hate, then certainly we have the ability to generate peace and love for one another. Remembering the advice of Representative John Lewis to “make good trouble”, I will go out my front door on January 20 at 2 pm and play my steel tongue drum, under the light of my Moravian Star. And, as a “non-violent gadfly,” I will pray for kindness, enlightenment and love for one another.