A Beloved Community

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns, to the broader concerns of all humanity.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

As I write this on the birthday(Jan. 15th) of one of the greatest peace activists America has ever known, I can’t help but think that he would be disappointed in the division of our current nation.

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘Birth of a New Age’ speech he says, “I would like to suggest some things that we must do to live in this new world, to prepare to live in it, the challenges that control us. The first thing is this, that we must rise above the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns, with a broader concern for all humanity. You see this is a new world of geographic togetherness. No individual can afford to live alone now.”

Has anything ever rang so true? Obviously the best thing one can do for another, is to have compassion? It sounds so easy right?

Outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy echo’s this idea in his ‘Parting Prescription for America’, his farewell letter to the American people.

Dr. Murthy says, “That the sense of community has eroded for too many of us, with alarming consequences.” He says that too often he heard, “I don’t have anyone I can count on,” in dispirited and disheartened tones, from people he would meet while traveling the country.

“Through my work over two terms as Surgeon General,” Dr. Murthy says, “I saw the answer to what’s missing is simple, yet profound: Community.” He continues, “The loss of community has become one of the defining challenges of our time. In response, we need a fundamental shift in how we build and prioritize Community.”

Time tells us that this is not easy. Tribalism continues to be a major challenge all across the globe. So we must be proactive, and practice daily. When the urge comes to fault others, let’s instead follow Dr. King’s prescription for forgiveness, compassion, and understanding.

Let’s do as our Surgeon General urges, and focus on relationships, service, and purpose. Dr. Murthy tells us that, “When it comes to community, how we approach our relationships, service and purpose matters. Over half a century ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that we cannot build a healthy community if we are motivated by hatred toward others.”

In his speech Reverend King continued, ”We must conquer the hate of the old age and the love of the new age and go into the new age with love that is understanding for all people. To have with it a forgiving attitude. It has with it something that will cause you to look deep down within every person and see within them something of Godliness. That something that will cause you to stand up before them, and love them.”

Let us pickup Dr. King’s mission to create a, “Beloved Community.” Where, in the words of the Dalai Lama, “We all are part of the human community and have the responsibility to benefit that community. We should take a more active role in helping society by employing whatever talents and abilities we possess to help others. For if the human community is happy and at peace, we all benefit.”