M.L.K. Holiday
Since I'm not a full time government employee any longer I didn't get the day off today. I'm not bitching you understand. Since half the population of Dallas did have the day off it made my daily commute much easier. (now we know which half of the population can't drive!) I'm also not belittling the importance of Dr. King. I was watching the trusty black and white TV the day he made his famous "I have a Dream" speech in Washington D.C. Even though I'm white, and grew up in an all white small town in Kansas, I still was moved by Dr. King's conviction and the power and eloquence of his deliverance. Obviously others felt that power too and were threatened. Those who are small of mind tend to lash out at that which they fail to comprehend. Odd as it sounds growing up in an all white town (2000 population) in the heart of Kansas tended to make me very color blind.
The only contact I'd ever had with a "negro" was at a hotel in Kansas City when I was perhaps six years old. He was an elevator operator and to me he was a giant. My father was six feet tall and John seemed to tower over him. John would let me ride with him up and down in the elevator all day long to give my parents some chance at rest. My younger brother was having complex surgery so they were under a lot of stress. One time, when not much was going on, John took me up on the roof of the hotel and put me up on his broad shoulders. From there the entire city spread below like a little toy town. I could see across the river into Missouri. It was great! Obviously he was the kind of a man who leaves a lasting impression. And to his credit a very good one at that.
As I grew up I did see that many people seemed to hate others simply because of some minor difference. Might be color, or faith or place of birth or anything else that one might use to "justify" hate. Dr. King's urging to "judge others by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin" made more and more sense as I grew up and moved out of my small town and into the Navy and the real world. For me, everyone was a friend until they proved that they were not. Fortunately only about 1% fell into the latter category. I've been in 47 different countries and people are people no mater where you travel. They all aspire to a better life for themselves and their children. The old rule of "treat others as you'd like to be treated" has served me well over the years and made living and working with people of vastly different cultures a wonderful experience. Perhaps one day the simple truth of Dr. King's words will ring true for all of mankind. Until they do, mankind isn't always so kind and has a long way to go before it can lay honest claim to that name.
The only contact I'd ever had with a "negro" was at a hotel in Kansas City when I was perhaps six years old. He was an elevator operator and to me he was a giant. My father was six feet tall and John seemed to tower over him. John would let me ride with him up and down in the elevator all day long to give my parents some chance at rest. My younger brother was having complex surgery so they were under a lot of stress. One time, when not much was going on, John took me up on the roof of the hotel and put me up on his broad shoulders. From there the entire city spread below like a little toy town. I could see across the river into Missouri. It was great! Obviously he was the kind of a man who leaves a lasting impression. And to his credit a very good one at that.
As I grew up I did see that many people seemed to hate others simply because of some minor difference. Might be color, or faith or place of birth or anything else that one might use to "justify" hate. Dr. King's urging to "judge others by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin" made more and more sense as I grew up and moved out of my small town and into the Navy and the real world. For me, everyone was a friend until they proved that they were not. Fortunately only about 1% fell into the latter category. I've been in 47 different countries and people are people no mater where you travel. They all aspire to a better life for themselves and their children. The old rule of "treat others as you'd like to be treated" has served me well over the years and made living and working with people of vastly different cultures a wonderful experience. Perhaps one day the simple truth of Dr. King's words will ring true for all of mankind. Until they do, mankind isn't always so kind and has a long way to go before it can lay honest claim to that name.
posted by Rev. Joe Ruyle | 9:26 PM
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