Monday; January 20


          Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left an indelible stamp on my generation (and quite possibly several generations to come).  As a galvanizing force for many of the civil rights movements of the mid-20th Century he became a recognizable face in the United States.  Yet, the thing for which Dr. King will be best remembered is his “voice”.  No, I do not mean his speaking voice – which was unique in and of itself – but the words he spoke from his heart and soul. 
          If you search for quotes by Mr. King you will find hundreds of them without trying very hard (and the subject matter will be as broad as his influence).  Throughout my lifetime I have heard many of Mr. King’s quotes, but I came across one the other day that I hadn’t seen, “Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being.  It is part of the earth man walks on.  It is not man.”.  I am not sure when these words were spoken, but they are just as relevant today as they were when they were originally uttered.  We live in a time when “things” have taken on a life of their own.  Whether it is real estate, consumer goods, pets or even cash money, our stuff can easily turn into our focus.  It is tempting to figuratively live and die by how well our stuff is doing for us.  Literally, our self-esteem and self-worth is often wrapped up in what we have.  Yet, as observed by Dr. King, property doesn’t have a human soul or eternal value, it is merely a part of the earth that will eventually be destroyed.
          Let’s use things and love people.  When we get that formula in order, our lives will begin to make more sense.
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more