A Gift From A Stranger by Kyle Leach(Reposted)
Today our nation honors a person who
helped to shape the best parts of who I am. We celebrate the way of life
he left behind, which was based on principles of inclusion, justice,
equality, and peace. By the time I was born Martin Luther King, Jr. had
been gone for nearly three years, but the essence of his work and his
love of humanity still lived and thrived in the hearts and minds of a
generation. His passion and love were filtering into many areas of our
society by the time I actually knew who he was, or how and why he had
been killed.
It says a lot about Martin Luther
King, Jr., that he was able to profoundly influence me in ways that few
people ever have. My memories of his physicality are shaped from nothing
more than archive footage and photos, but his words and the ideas he
held dear were what made him feel like a man who had mentored me as a
child. I've never really felt like he was larger than life, a distant
iconic figure; I've always felt like he was a trusted elder who
constantly gave me sage advice and solace, in a world where it is was
hard to find either. I felt like he showed me a path I needed to follow,
a destination I needed to get to, and gave me everything I needed to be
successful on the journey.
He believed that we could be so
much more than we are. He saw all the potential that humanity holds and
he let that fuel his efforts. He saw that our potential outweighs our
current tortured, selfish nature, our twisted, often cruel inhumanity.
I think he knew that in order for humanity to move forward, it would
have to learn to deal with itself, and alter and heal all of its' many
fractured, conflicted parts. I am certain of one thing. He wanted us to
try. He was willing to risk his life to try. I feel like I can't
disappoint him.
He changed me and we never had the
chance to meet. I think I always feel he is with me because he is the
one that made me really think about being better than myself and helping
others be better than themselves. That is a pearl of wisdom that fuses
to a person's core and helps them change who they are for all of their
life. Better yet it changes them at such a fundamental level that they
then feel the call to help others be free. That is his true legacy, his
true gift to humanity in my mind and it one of the greatest gifts I've
ever received.
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