Did you see the Boondocks last night? The episode was titled, “Return of the King,” and dared to ask the question, “What would happen if Martin Luther King jr came back... The horror in Dr King's soul at the state of modern society should awaken us all to how far away from his dream we are.
The most touching part of the episode was Dr King's book, “Dream Deterred.” The sight of such a great leader being mocked by a Bill O'Reilly style Fox News type talk show for being un-American and a national disgrace is probably the most chilling reflection on our modern world. We don't have a forum for proper debate, anymore. We don't stand up for what his right, anymore. We do not embrace the concepts of nonviolence, anymore.
Why, today of all days, do we tolerate racism in our government? From the disgrace continuing to unfold in New Orleans to national shame of racial profiling, we support injustice by not ending it.
Why, today of all days, do we tolerate sexism in our media? From the portrayal of women as nothing more than sex objects to the depiction of men as brainless sex starved buffoons, we support injustice by not ending it.
Why, today of all days, do we tolerate homophobia in our culture? From the absence of realistic portrayals of GLBT people in the media to the creation of a new separate but equal institutions, we support injustice by not ending it.
Why, today of all days, do we tolerate wars of choice in our world?
We have to stand up and seek truth, justice, and equality, and stop pretending the dream has been realized, we have a long way to go, and a hard road to follow. We need to begin by embracing the three principles of nonviolence.
Satyagraha is the philosophy of nonviolent resistance most famously employed by Mohandas Gandhi in forcing an end to the British Raj and also against apartheid in South Africa.
Satya is Sanskrit for Truth, and Agraha is used to describe an effort, endeavor. The term itself may be construed to mean any effort to discover, discern, obtain or apply Truth.
This would be a could start, and that is what we need, a good start, and great movement, and a triumphant victory.