They Also Dream

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January 20, 2020-

In marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Prescott-an essentially conservative and largely White community, has permitted and conducted a march for social justice, from Prescott College, on the Near West Side, to and around Yavapai County Courthouse and  thence to Prescott United Methodist Church, about midway between the two sites.

Today was the fifth time I participated in this march, and attended its subsequent non-denominational service, hosted jointly by the Methodists, the Unitarian-Universalist congregation, the Ebony Christian Church and Prescott Peace-builders.  The message is that of building harmony and co-operation, among the people of Prescott and Yavapai County.

There is also grave concern, especially among the young people present, for seeing that justice is served to those who are apprehended, whilst crossing our nation’s southern border.  There is a sense among many of the college-, and high school, age people, as well as the more actively liberal senior citizens, around the county, that there needs to be a greater effort towards humanitarian treatment of the undocumented.

I have a lot of empathy for anyone who is suffering.  Some, I can help; others, I defer to those who are better-suited for doing what is needed.  There is also the need, as I see it, to NOT HATE those whose viewpoints on this, and other subjects, is different.  Some people who were present today did not seem to hear the words  spoken by a reader of Dr. King’s words:  “Darkness cannot drive out darkness.  Only light can  do that.  Hatred cannot drive out hatred.  Only love can do that.”

I have spoken with several people who fear the young, the liberals, and above all, those who hail from Mexico and points further south.  Theirs, whether the plaints of long-term residents, who see their way of life eroding, or those of  first-generation immigrants, who came here for the benefits of an orderly society-or to escape authoritarian regimes, is the cry for moving cautiously.  I know of only a few, among them, whose underpinning is that of White Supremacy.

That last is something I vehemently oppose.  There is no such thing as a superior race, or any race at all, for that matter, save the Human Race.  There is a key place in the world, for a sane and intelligent patriotism-which will acknowledge the legitimate rights of people in other nations to love their countries, without pitching for a jingoistic worldview, or for any nation’s hegemony over others.

With all that, I recognize that the vast majority of the world’s people have dreams-of a meaningful life, of being loved and appreciated and of finding a path to peace.  There are serious breakdowns in communication, in the distribution of resources and, for far too many-from the mentally ill to the chronically destitute- in the attainment of self-esteem. These issues will prove to have a variety of solutions, for which the prerequisite is the taking down of the walls of ideology-both on the Right and on the Left.

Those one fears, also have their legitimate dreams.

13 thoughts on “They Also Dream”

  1. “There is also the need, as I see it, to NOT HATE those whose viewpoints ~ ~ ” There is no need for hatred, particularly on the basis of differing opinion. Differing opinions are one of the bases for solid friendships — if we allow hatred to seep in, we lose the value of those good friendships! How dull the world in which everybody agrees with everybody else — how interesting to have different opinions to educate, discuss, convince, etc. There is also no need to become so adamant about one’s views as to exclude those with differing views.

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  2. Well, sometimes we’re the cause of the undocumented immigrants’ problems by not forcing them to deal with their governments and countries, or by exploiting them once they come to the United States, or bombing their countries and wondering why they can’t find homes. There is plenty of land for them to chose where they could build colonies, like in Canada, parts of the US, Russia, and other regions where there isn’t a dense population. We also have our own problems to take into consideration. People whine that they take our jobs. I wonder if these people are willing to work the jobs they do. Who wants to pick strawberries for 10 hours a day? Not many.

    I met several noble Hispanics in the army while I was stationed in El Paso especially. They have great family values and a high work ethic you don’t see as much these days in the “cultured” folks.

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      • Russia lets British farmers come over and other remedial labor. Random, but I’d die in Russia. Too dern cold! I have raynauds and become aggressive when I get cold after like thirty minutes of raw exposure. There goes my dream of Putin. I’m joking, but he was hot in 1976 and as an officer.

        Sorry to be weird.

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  4. Acceptance, tolerance and communication are not the ends but the means to arrive at love. We are not alone – everyone and everything impacts us and us them. We must learn to love each other to survive.

    Liked by 1 person

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