In Honor of Dr. King and Gandhi

The following is a version of an op-ed of mine that the Ashland Daily Tidings published back on January 21, 2009. I would like to share it with you here, now.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I wanted to share some thoughts with you all. It is amazing to think that it was less than 45 years ago that segregation was still a legal part of the culture in the U.S. I have so much respect for what Gandhi and Dr. King both stood for and were willing to give.

Gandhi may not come to the top of the mind when one thinks of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S., but he very much was a part of it. It was Gandhi who had inspired Dr. King to use nonviolence to confront the fearful power of separate thinking. The courage and conviction that these men displayed is, unfortunately, a very rare thing. The battles that these individuals were willing to choose are still very much alive today. I hope and pray that we all can embrace the idea and practice of nonviolence in our lives.

I believe it was Gandhi who said that "there is very little difference between thoughts and deeds." I think this directly applies to violence. Often we think of violence as just physical acts, but it is so much more than that. Violence is a way of thinking, and most of it is not physical at all. It comes in many shapes and forms, from the passive aggressive jabs and jokes that are exchanged between friends and family to the honking of one's horn in anger against the person who is irresponsibly talking on their phone while driving.

Violence is a feeling, that feeling when someone has hurt or wronged you and you want the same for them. An eye for an eye is an act of violence. Killing that fly, that is bothering you by merely being a fly, is violent.

Violence is ruling our world, through the governments and its economics, through the power of fear. It is at the very base and foundation of our culture, and it is time for all of us to see it for what it is. The feeling of superiority is violent thinking, because anything superior must be defended against that which is inferior. Think about it, when we say that the U.S. is the best country in the world, what are we really saying?

Please look at a picture of the world today, taken from outer space, and ponder how unnatural the lines in the sand that we have drawn, really are. In a sad way it is humorous, quite childish, like children fighting over a sandbox. We must find the courage to talk about it for what it is. Violence is rooted in self-loathing, a lack of self-respect and the belief in separatism. How could any of us be violent, if we truly loved and respected ourselves and felt the oneness of all humanity?

I truly believe that this issue is the biggest threat to all of us. This is much bigger than an economic depression and bigger than global warming. I believe this because it is not talked about on the news, there isn't a cool documentary about it, because we, as a whole, are in denial about what violence really is. It is the sleeping dragon that is within all of us.

I am making a vow of nonviolence, or "ahimsa," today, and I hope and pray that you all will do the same, for all of our sake. I have hope and faith in humanity because I know the amazing healing power of truth and love. These powerful tools that we all have within us, truth and love, don't work on their own but require effort and commitment. I have faith in us all. Deep love and sincere gratitude to all of you, wherever you are.