07/04/2022
I have worked as a chiropractor and acupuncturist in Deerfield for 30 years. My office is a couple of miles away from Highland Park. We are all mourning this morning's disruption of civil life that occurred at a parade to celebrate this July 4, 2022.
In his sermon "On Being A Good Neighbor," Martin Luther King Jr. describes what Jesus says when asked "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replies "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." Then Martin Luther King Jr. proceeds to ask "Who is my neighbor?" He then tells the story of a "certain man" who travelled from Jerusalem to Jericho, "and fell among robbers who stripped him, beat him, and departing, left him half dead. By chance a certain priest appeared, but he passed by on the other side, and later a Levite also passed by. Finally, a certain Samaritan, a half-breed from a people with whom the Jews had no dealings, appeared. When he saw the wounded man, he was moved with compassion, administered first aid, placed him on his beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." Martin Luther King Jr. goes on to describe who our neighbors are. He says our neighbor is "neither Jew nor Gentile; he is neither Russian nor America; he is neither Negro nor white, He is 'a certain man'--any needy man--on one of the numerous Jericho roads of life." Martin Luther King Jr describes the example of the Samaritan's actions as altruistic, he was "a person with regard for, and devotion to, the interest of others." This brings me to today.
We must be altruistic. We must have regard for, and devote ourselves to, the welfare of others. The welfare of individuals rests in the welfare of society at large. We must be focused on the foundational principle that mankind is one, that the rational soul has no gender, race, ethnicity, or class, a fact that renders all forms of prejudice intolerable. Prejudice grows out of ignorance and materialism, both of which can be erased through education and spiritual principles.
We must be law-abiding, loyal citizens, who eschew partisanship--because partisanship only engenders division and hatred. Partisanship renders unity and oneness practically impossible.
We have to be conscious of how the forces of materialism and greed are at work around us, creating racism.
We have to be conscious of how the forces of materialism and greed are at work around us, creating gender inequality.
We have to be conscious of the many injustices that persist in the world.
Yet we have to be equally clear-sighted about our ability to transcend our differences, harmonize our perspectives, and promote the use of consultation for decision making.
We have to be clear-sighted about the creative power of unity--recognizing mankind's oneness--and humanity's capacity for altruism.
We have to be respectful of the freedom of conscience of every soul and never impose our own standards on anyone. We have to strive to foster fellowship among groups who may traditionally have been hostile to one another. We have to hold humanity's inherent oneness uppermost in our minds, and view everyone as a potential partner to collaborate with.
We are all suffering through cataclysmic disruptions of social, economic and civil life, affecting everyone on this planet, some disproportionately more than others. We have to advocate for justice, tolerance and understanding. We have to champion rationality and science as essential for human progress. We have to emphasize spiritual qualities and attributes--such as trustworthiness, cooperation and forbearance--that are building blocks of a stable social order.
We have to each and every one of us be good Samaritans, we have to practice altruism, and recognize that the welfare of each and every individual rests in the welfare of society at large.
We must resuscitate, rescue and care for every suffering, needy, bloodied, hungry, oppressed, marginalized, excluded individual on the many Jericho roads of life. Let us not pass them by. We must love them as we love ourselves. Let us look out for one another with kindness and compassion. We can all do this. Everyday.
(Excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr. "A Gift of Love," and a Message from the Universal House of Justice, Baha'i World Center, 30 December 2021)
