A Much Bigger Person

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan on March 14, 1968, just a few weeks before his assassination. King was targeted by a racist gang opposed to open housing in the affluent suburb of Detroit.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire Photo File

Today, there was an incident at work (that was not work related) that really shook me for a while. It was hard to concentrate when I could hear that hateful voice and those vile words being thrown at me. How someone could be so devious is beyond me, but I really cannot change people.

Fast forward several hours later to my meeting with Human Resources about the incident and my options are given to me. Questions about security, "Do I feel safe in the workplace?" and the like were posed. One of the biggest things that was pushed was my emotional well-being. "How are you handling it all? Do you need someone to talk to?" Things of that nature.

This really had me thinking about how I was handling everything emotionally. The holidays can be a very stressful time for even the happiest person. However, throw in various factors such as figuring out life, work and the other occasional worries and concerns and life seems pretty unbearable. Crowds in stores, horrible drivers, and rude people like the ones who bothered me today can really instill a sense of bitterness in a person.

I don't know why but for some reason I started thinking of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Maybe it had something to do with a book on non-violence I had seen at Barnes & Noble over the weekend, but whatever the reason I thought of him and his fight to end civil injustice.

The horrible names that man had heard. The atrocities he witnessed. The pain he suffered in silence. Never once allowing the negativity and evil of others to consume him and transform him into a machine of hatred. He continued in his battle waving a banner of love, peace and nonviolence.

Please do not mistake my intentions. In no way am I trying to compare the paltry incidents that I have to deal with to Dr. King and his struggle. Quite the contrary; the way I see it, if someone can deal with the death threats, the accusations, the degradation, and the dehumanization that Dr. King encountered, and still hold strong in his beliefs of peace and non-violence, then what is my excuse?

Two quotes I found that had me thinking:

1)Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2)Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I refuse to hold onto bitterness and allow it to infect my attitude and reactions. In addition, I do not wish to harbor hate in my heart for any person. Those who see fit to continue their antics against me deserve nothing more than my prayers as I refuse to hand over the power to control me to those who wield the sword of intimidation.

I chose this picture of Dr. King for this entry because of his look off deep thought and prayer. It's almost as if one could see the burden of the struggle weighing him down. However, his face is not angry or vengeful. It's reflective and once again as if he was in prayer.

These are just thoughts that changed my disposition. Reflections on a person much bigger than I.


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