Happy Martin Luther King Day

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

Everyone likes a holiday, except the small businessman who has to close his store or pay double time, but Amazon has taken care of those whiners for the most part.

The working stiff on a salary appreciates a chance to take the day off, with many enjoying three-day weekends by spending as much as they made during the four days they worked that week.

Others get lost in video games or television, which certainly costs less.

Spending a lost weekend in a drunken stupor is never a good choice, unless you're a country singer.

Of course, all of us spend at least an hour on the special day in quiet meditation to contemplate the reason for the holiday.

Or maybe we don't.

Yeah, most likely we don't.

I can claim that I read a Steve Berry novel, The Bishop's Pawn, centered by Dr. King's assassination, and Ken Follett's Edge of Eternity, which includes the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's more generally, but not this week.  They're each entertaining and to some extent enlightening, if you want to dedicate a few hours to understanding the era but don't want to crack open a history book.

It is no joke that Reverend Martin Luther King Junior took an impassioned stand for the civil rights of his fellow African-Americans and other minorities.

Ironically, his dream of a color-blind society has been to some extent undermined by well-meaning do-gooders who insist on treating people of color differently "for their own good," not fully grasping that in so doing they go against what Dr. King wanted.

More ironically, rap stars have become the voice of the minority community by using the N-word and other phrases that would be better off to have faded into dead language long ago.

It's probably great to be the rapper making millions promulgating such expletive-filled odes to oppression, but unfortunately young people mimic that trash talk beginning in elementary school.

I suppose that's fine if they're one of the infinitesimal few who become professional athletes or rap stars themselves, but most would be better off learning the language of success in the most financially prosperous culture in the history of the world.  Otherwise, talking like a gangsta is only appropriate if you want to be a gangster.

I truly believe that American businesses for the most part would like to be color blind and welcome --- make that need --- minorities prepared to assimilate into the mainstream.

There are still old-fashioned racists around, too, but they fade off more with each generation.  Let's agree to make them totally irrelevant by calmly challenging any racist words they spew.

Just for today, let's assume the best of intentions from everyone.  It could become a habit.

Okay, enough meditation.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!