Wednesday; June 6
It is hard to believe
that fifty years ago today Robert Kennedy was assassinated. The 1960s saw the Kennedy family suffer
several tragedies, so it is highly ironic that, in one of the most tragic years
of the decade Bobby Kennedy would be killed while campaigning for
president. I am not sure that history
has ever found a comfortable place for this Kennedy – some hail him as an icon
who could have changed the world while others question his influence – but like
many of the rest of the Kennedys, he was larger than life.
Bobby Kennedy was very
quotable, and the other day I found one that got me to thinking, “Each time a
man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes
out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each
other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples
build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and
resistance.” The 1960s were known as a
time of social and legislative reform, but I think this observation by the
former Attorney General makes a lot of sense.
The think that makes real change is what is done on the street by grass
roots support, not what is enacted in some legislative building somewhere. We might be able to create law, but it is
only when we change the way we deal with each other that things will get
better.
Centuries before RFK,
the Apostle Paul would write, “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they
will be done away; if there are tongues,
they will cease; if there is knowledge,
it will be done away.” (I Corinthians 13:8)
We can do a lot of good things to generate change in our world, but
until we commit to loving one another we will always have issues.
Let’s create a tidal
wave change. It starts one kind act at a
time!
Think About It