What’s Tomorrow? Martin Luther King Jr. Day

My dear friend Nancy brought this quote to my attention today. Another friend of her’s had included it in her Holiday message. It was written by Howard Zinn, a playwright, professor of history and political science at Spellman College and Boston University. He passed away on 2010.

This quote seems to be one of his most famous, first published in 2004, but quoted many, many times since. I am not exactly sure what was happening at that moment that inspired him to put these words down, but they are true today.

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize…will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys are capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” – Howard Zinn

I may not be looking forward to tomorrow, but I am always hopeful that human kind can strive to be better, do better and be kinder. There have been many low points in history, which are followed by sunnier days. My hope is that we don’t let dark days last as long as the dark ages, that damages are never permanent and that we all strive to treat all humans as we would like to be treated. Do not be afraid to speak truth to power.

For me tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That is all it is. A day to honor the life of a truth teller, looking for us all to not stand idly by and watch bad things happen, but to speak up.