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Happy MLK day 2010 from gREIBO Media and BMORENEWS.com

TGR: Happy MLK day 2010

Love is still the key!

By Doni Glover, www.bmorenews.com

"The richer we become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the seas like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers and sisters." - MLK, Jr. 

(BALTIMORE – January 18, 2009) – We, as members, of the human species find ourselves in the midst of some terribly interesting times: politically, socially, economically, physically, and yes, spiritually.

Here in the City of Baltimore, one could make the argument that if these five arms of the human experience were better on the same page, life would be better for all. However - at least from my perspective – the politicians and the theologians, the academics and the business leaders are seemingly wayward, lost from their moral compass, focusing instead on the material accoutrements of life that so often lead mankind to an infinite prism of hopelessness and despair – making man a lover of himself … and no one else.

We are too often more concerned about the outer appearance and the façade of “everything is fine” and forget all about the inner sanctum of peace and tranquility. We run through a Christmas season taking no prisoners and focus on the tangible, all the while insulated from the day’s true meaning (i.e., Happy Birthday, Jesus). For us, it is seemingly more important to look good than to be good. It is more important to be the sharpest cat in the club than the wisest man in the family. It’s as if good has to suffer while bad is en vogue.

Meanwhile, little Jamal and little Shante are watching our every move. Despite the rigors of life, despite our mistakes, despite the fact that no material thing we could ever have can ever replace the love we need – we persevere like a wild animal, insistent on making our way “the” way.

Yet, I am reminded of the man whose birthday we celebrate today. Despite a cornucopia of obstacles, his words still made manifest the houses we live in, the jobs we work, and the businesses we run today. No, he was not the Savior. However, he was a modern day reminder of the grace and mercy of God almighty.

God sends every people a reminder – a reminder of the goodness of mankind, a reminder of the pinnacle of hope and the crucible of its struggle. Despite the miniscule routes of the day’s routine, despite the otherwise petty disconcerts that cause us to fall off the wagon, despite the parochial thinking super-impressed upon some of the brightest minds this world has ever seen … there is a balm in Baltimore. There is a life-force so great, so magnanimous that too few even have the opportunity to experience its lustor, its effects, its calming abilities – even to the savage soul.

It is love: the greatest force in the universe. And without it, we are nothing.

I encourage each and everyone to embrace this life-altering force. No matter your plight, no matter your position or disposition, no matter how much money you have or don’t have in your pocket: Please remember that silver and gold amount to nothing in God’s eyes – especially if we don’t have God’s love for each other … regardless of skin color, regardless of sex, regardless of the finite parameters we find ourselves placing on each other.

Yes, my friend: Love! Love! Love! An action word capable of tearing down the most remote of pains, the most devastating scars. Love has the ability to reform the convict, to implore greatness of our children, and to pay homage to our ancestors. Love is more than a word. It is the absolute beginning of a life immeasurable and a destiny fulfilled. Whatever it is that you do, do it with love.   

Tags: 2010, jr., rev. dr. martin luther king, tgr