No. 1005 WE MUST ALL LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER!
No. 1005
Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN
WE MUST ALL LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER!
Dr. Martin Luther King, a man I truly respect, once said, “All people in this world are tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
In our nation today, the forces of good and evil are locked into a battle for the hearts and minds of our citizens, and who wins the battle will determine whether we remain a civilized society or deteriorate into anarchy and lawlessness.
Now that is pretty strong stuff, but from what I see from the news that comes down the pike every single day, unless we can turn it around, it does not bode well for the future. To be sure, I am an eternal optimist, and I want to declare here and now that I am on the side of good. Those of us who feel this way must recommit ourselves for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
Following is something that was shared with me by my good friend Dale Brown, former head men’s basketball coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers. He said, “Communities and nations will be transformed when mankind returns to God for guidance. If we are not capable of getting along with each other, then we are not capable of having a true relationship with God.” A paramount example of what can happen when everyone works together would be one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports, the Boston Celtics, who have won the most NBA Championships. What was their secret?
Once a year, the Boston Red Sox held a fellowship breakfast at Fenway Park. Rabbis, priests, ministers, and civic leaders gathered in ecumenical fashion to extol the virtues of brotherhood. At one such conclave some years ago, the Red Sox GM addressed the group. “You are sitting in a sports building talking about brotherhood. May I suggest that the best example is right down the street from here? There’s a team over there in the Boston Garden, made up of whites, blacks, Catholics, and Protestants, coached by a Jew, and they have been world champions for a long time now. Everyone’s running around looking for theories and searching into history for explanations. If you want a perfect example of what we have been talking about, just look at the Celtics.”
“As a matter of fact, the harmony alluded to was one of the beauties and mysteries of the Celtics empire. We are letting many of those virtues slip away from us now. We immediately need an open and honest conversation on race relations in our blessed country. This is not a black or white problem, but an American problem.”
Once again, Dr. King provides some insights, “We must never struggle with falsehood, hate and malice. We must never become bitter. There is a danger that those of us who have been forced so long to stand amid the tragic midnight of oppression – those of us who have been trampled over, those who have been kicked about — there is a danger that we will become bitter. Change can only happen through education, justice and unity. As long as the mind is enslaved the body can never be free.”
And to leave you something to think about are these powerful words of Nelson Mandela, “I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people. I have paid the price for forsaking some of life’s pleasures to give freedom to the black people of South Africa; however we must now stress discipline, education and respect to one another if we are to be truly free. Education is the most powerful tool you can use to change the world.”
And a final thought from Dale: for the sake of our nation, we must all learn to live together.
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(Editor’s Note: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)
