One Middle-Aged White Guy’s Thank You Note to Martin Luther King Jr
I must admit this: I don’t know very much about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I certainly know that he was an integral figure, to say the very least, in the civil rights movement…and I know that he was assassinated several years before I was born. There are some other highlights that I could probably share in casual conversation, and I’m sure that I could recollect some of his more famous quotes, at least in paraphrase.
But beyond this veneer, I really don’t know…a lot.
I don’t know about the man. I don’t know about his family. I don’t know about his beginnings, and I don’t know about his struggle.
And so yesterday, I decided to read up a bit on Dr. King. And I will simply share the very first thing that struck me.
When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, he was 39 years old.
I stand before you as a 45-year-old man, reflecting on things such as choices and legacy and leadership and impact. And it is with an admittedly shallow dive, and in the context of these reflections, that I will tell you what I now am certain of, regarding Dr. King.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of action.
It is said that Martin Luther King Jr. had an “inner urge to serve humanity”.
Dr. King enrolled in Morehouse College at age 15, and by the age of 26, with his Doctoral studies complete, he was already an influential leader in his community.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of action.
He stood for what he believed in, and he died for those beliefs. In the process, he made a transformative impact on our society, and left an immortal legacy for his family and his children.
No matter your race, your age, or your political persuasion, these are attributes that can be admired.
He did all of this, by the age of 39.
I stand before you as a 45 year old man, determined to live beyond my existence…for my loved ones, for my society and for my sons.
I have not had many struggles, and I did not have an urge to serve humanity at the age of 15. But I can still learn from the examples of men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I can look at what he accomplished in his 39 years, and take that to the mirror each day.
I can ask myself, am I a man ONLY of words…or am I a man of ACTION?
And to Dr. King, albeit from a white, middle-class, 45-year-old man who is still trying to figure out how to satisfy my own ’inner urge’ to serve, I will just say “thank you”.
