One Day in One City

Written by Bright Sky

Saturday, September 10th 2011

MLK Today is a day of reflection. It is a unique phenomena for an enormous country have a focused, collective recall. We all remember a single moment from a million different perspectives.

But I'm not sure we know where we are right now. A decade has passed in violence and crisis. Everything seems murky, tumultuous. It seems as if nothing is safe.

tree In our distress, we elected a man who personified hope. Since then, we have learned that hope is passive, a wish for a future that might be.

I visited Washington DC in search of a new lesson.

What I found was our National Reflection Pool as a puddle of mud.

Church I found a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr, yet to be dedicated because of a hurricane.

I found landscaping that grew plants that were neither edible nor medicinal.

I found a hundred diverse activists with signs on the raised stage of a church. Say No to the Keystone XL Pipeline. They were just breaking for dinner, to be followed by a legal lecture, about what to bring and how to act. Legal suppor Church t forms were filled out. Participants were to check in beforehand, and out afterword. There were talking points. Costumes were business casual. Every detail was planned. They wanted, they said, to be taken seriously.

Outside, 24 volunteers who live on the road in order to educate and inspire their society to greater care of the planet laughed loudly. Some wore guitars. Some wore button down shirts. Most wore fedoras. They were planning their next move, a festival in New York. The protest in DC was just one stop on their journey.

Love I found two travelers from New Mexico who were called to come to DC because they felt something big was happening.

I found many monuments to soldiers, those who would sacrifice themselves for progress, but only one monument to warriors, those who are dedicated to progress through peace.

That warrior said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Evil cannot drive out evil, only love can do that."

I found that even though my guitar SLR was missing a string, I could still make music.

I found that every American is discovering the warrior within. With that army of compassion growing every day, we are building a country that can be proud of its image, whether in a mirror or reflecting pool.

I found that joy is more powerful than hope.

As I write this, the New SHIRE Institute is cultivating warriors in Austin at LoveATX. Organizations and individuals are gathering to celebrate their interdependence on one another, to learn about themselves and their world. This is just one day in one city.

The waves of transformation are building in every corner of the country. Light will drive out darkness. And our reflections will shine.