My MLK day was consumed by speakers, forums, songs, acting,
and much thought. A day off of school
turned into a day full of growth and great internal development.
Monday morning began with a trip to Eastern Mennonite
University to hear Shane Claiborne speak.
Claiborne is a founding member of the Simple Way, a community in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a
great activist and author, and after Monday, a speaker to my heart. Claiborne speaks from a Christian perspective
on how one should live one’s life for others before self. He speaks with great depth and conviction to
the point that it’s impossible to not be taken by every word.
Monday ended with the fast-paced words of Marc Lamont Hill
in Wilson Hall. Hill is a political
activist, professor, and all around racially intelligent man with conviction. While his words were long and drawn out, his
points were poignant and struck deep by the end of it all, and there is nothing
more I could have asked for in a day.
The juxtaposition of the two speakers’ physical dress
(Claiborne in homemade clothing and messy features and Hill in a fine suit with
a well manicured exterior), vocal performance (Claiborne with a southern twang
and inconsistent grammar and Hill with a voice near perfection), and race
(Claiborne being White and Hill being Black) would suggest they had nothing in
common and in no way would espouse the same ideals or ignite similar passions. At least that’s what my thoughts were. I mean, how could they? They’re focusing their thoughts and ideas
from different perspectives and backgrounds; they can’t teach me the same
thing. How can they even both be
speaking about the same person? But, in
the end, they both said the same thing to me:
“Cody, get off your ass and do something. What good is a dream if the person hearing
about it doesn't wake up and take action?”
Wow. That was a wake-up call if I've ever heard one.
But it’s so true.
What good is Dr. King’s dream if I don’t put it into action? I can say I share his dream all I want, but a
dream remains a dream until I wake up and put it into action. But what is action? Well, again, a lesson learned from both
Claiborne and Hill, action is relentless love of others.
Relentless love.
That’s all I need to do.
Love without bounds and let that thought guide and direct my every
action. Love guides us to treat others
fairly, to stand up to those who are keeping others down, and to shout out with
those who are looking for their voices.
Loving relentlessly will require me to notice my personal privileges and
learn how to use them to better the lives of others; to harness them into
something useful and good instead of holding them above the heads of those who
don’t have them in order to keep them down.
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