My own MLK tribute

OK, tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day in the U.S. I sort of wish it wasn't always in the throes of winter, but that's the way it is. (King was born on January 15, so we must always celebrate his day in the deep freeze.)

When people commemorate the day, the focus is on race--as well it should be. This nation has made significant strides forward in that regard. Hard to believe that at a certain point in my lifetime, race could dictate which water fountain you could use, which restaurants and hotels you could patronize, and which part of the bus you could ride on. As many have said, the inauguration of Barack Obama moves us up a notch even higher with respect to the status of people of color.

But, I'm a white guy. Thankfully, I didn't have to struggle with these things. So the most important personal influence of Martin Luther King for me did not involve his ultimate goals, but his persuasive tactics. What I owe to Dr. King isn't a better understanding of the need for equality (gosh, I think I've always understood THAT), but a lifelong appreciation for and belief in the value of non-violence.

I read King's Stride Toward Freedom way-back-when. It chronicles the struggle to fully integrate the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama. After that, I read Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? In both books, King explains how he was influenced by Gandhi, and the need to resist, nonviolently, and not to stoop to the level of one's oppressors. Such a stance takes immense courage and self-control. I cannot even begin to appreciate what a price people paid for non-violent resistance in the 1960s. But I can appreciate its impact.

King led me to Gandhi. Gandhi's authobiography led me to an even deeper belief in non-violence. That in turn led me to vegetarianism. And all of that led me to become a Conscientious Objector to the war in Vietnam. One could easily argue that without Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, I would be quite a different person today. And so, Dr. King, I thank you for helping us all to understand that violence and hate can never win in the long run. You are a role model to me not because you advocated for racial equality, but because you showed how that advocacy needed to be done.