Let us live and love as he taught

This is his actual birthday, though in the US it is shifted to a Monday holiday so workers get a long weekend. I'm sure they are appreciative as January is a long month without other holidays.

The fight is not over. Racism is rampant still. Consider my 2024 blog to catch up with Civil Rights with Heather Cox Richardson giving information on its history.

Sharing with Thankful Thursday!

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Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
 only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;
 only love can do that. 

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world

 that we must love our enemies - or else? 

The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate,
 wars producing more wars - must be broken,
 or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. 

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love

 will have the final word in reality. This is why right,
 temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. 

I have decided to stick with love.
 Hate is too great a burden to bear. 

Love is the only force capable of transforming

 an enemy into friend. 

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive.

 He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid 
of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us
 and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this,
 we are less prone to hate our enemies. 

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

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The Birth anniversary is January 15 of  Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (now a US national holiday on the third Monday in January each year)

Today's Art:

On my past year's celebrations of his birth anniversary here is his Letter from the Birmingham Jail.

Woody Guthry singing the short song "All You Facists Bound to Lose."

Last Sunday Mike Lux posted his substack with this song.

He said:

The days ahead will require courage. It will be, to paraphrase Frederick Douglass, both a moral and physical struggle. But if we, as my dear friend the legendary Heather Booth says, keep organizing with love at the center, we will beat these fascists. Hope and courage and solidarity will always ultimately prevail, even over violence and intimidation.

I spent Sunday last returning to my roots...to belief in Love as the positive force of life on this earth.  I was sharing an article which another blogger had posted, talking with my son about our current events. 

I want to share a link to a very impressive article which Sabine shared last weekend. I hope you can open it because it is so striking.  Devin Kelly shared it on his substack "Ordinary Plots."

Jim Moore's It Is Not the Fact That I Will Die That I Mind

I'd read it in the morning, but kept thinking about it all day. Shared it with a couple of people...and was struck by the image that was so strong, that each person has unique ways of loving, that that is what is lost when they die. But they are the embodiment of that particular person's love.

We talked briefly about how those who love see so many diverse ways that people might be...and accept their differences readily. Those who chose to hate seem to be more homogenized...only liking those who are exactly like them, and hating all who are different. Their strength lies in setting themselves up as separate and better than, having a limited way of looking at life.

Those who love and know it, who accept those who are not like them, but also are loving people, these people form loose groups, form communities of people who join together in hundreds to demonstrate against the haters, the ICE, the MAGA's, the tRump supporters, the KKK's of today.

Look to the force of Love.

This plaque depicting Greek Physician Agnodice at a birth, was excavated at Ostia, Italy

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We’re in the thick of it, folks. It’s ugly and getting uglier. We knew Trump would escalate as he loses support, but it’s still painful to watch. Having said that, I’m also deeply inspired by and proud of the response we’re seeing from citizens like you across the country. It’s magnificent, brave, and relentless. Let’s keep it up!

We’re going to win. We ARE winning. Trump is weak and scared. Unfortunately the more this becomes the case the worse he’ll act…for now.

But he’s still losing. Never forget it.

Let’s get to work.

Thanks Jess Craven of Chop Wood CarryWater

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