Dan and Hannah visit an American Hero in Washington, DC

Emerging from the Metro (Washington’s subway) on to the National Mall, Hannah and I join the crowd watching some of the 30,000 marathoners who are running the Marine Corps Marathon on this chilly-for-late-October Sunday morning.  Impressed with their efforts and just the mass of good vibe humanity, we soak in the atmosphere and pick our way through the crowd down the National Mall toward the Martin Luther King, Junior Memorial. 

Heroes and celebrities.  People can confuse the two.  When I taught writing, one of the choices my students had to write about was hometown heroes.  Moms, Dads, siblings, custodians, lunch ladies, etc.  Celebrities entertain.  Heroes inspire.  Celebrities entertain.  Heroes change their world for the better, maybe one small step at a time.  Celebrities entertain.  Heroes stand for justice and face day-to-day challenges courageously.   Our beloved Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is a celebrity.  He’s not my hero.  My heroes include my wife Hannah who makes each day at the nursing home come alive for each resident who she cares for in her hairdressing ministry; my Mom who is a positive life force and makes anyone she comes in contact with just feel better about life.   Martin Luther King, Jr. is another kind of hero of mine; a global, make-the-world-a-better-place, encourage-me-to-do-better kind.

Passing the Washington Monument on our right with the Lincoln Memorial further down, 

we cross the Kutz Bridge on the edge of the Tidal Basin of cherry blossom fame. 

Bearing right prior to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, we breeze into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.  On this sunny morning many are milling around and taking pictures of themselves with the backdrop of the monument.   Quotes of King’s are etched into the marble wall.  They speak for themselves as they emphasize the four primary messages of Dr. King: justice, democracy, hope, and love. 

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

It is not enough to say "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.

I am stunned by the inspired design of the MLK, Jr. Monument.  It’s no less than artistic genius.  In the background of the plaza is a massive granite Mountain of Despair.  

Sculpted out of the Mountain of Despair is Martin Luther King, front and center as the Stone of Hope. 

It’s a fitting tribute to one of America’s heroes.  

 

PS  Ever really figure out what are your top ten favorite songs of all time? (Read on because this does connect to this blog.)

 

Of course, MacArthur Park sung by Richard Harris, American Pie by Don McLean,

and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad  by Meatloaf are, I’m guessing, on most lists, if not all.  

 

The singer Dion sings another one of my other top ten songs, a classic, Abraham, Martin and John (1968), to pay homage to three American heroes.   

 

Sit back and be transported.