Monday, 17 January 2011 (MLK Day)

a Moment for Wisdom…

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DAILY
WISDOM:

“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All persons are caught in an inescapable
network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you
ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.”

Personal Wisdom:

In some ways, it is easy to see ourselves inter-related with other species, with forests, oceans, the Earth Herself. It’s harder to see our inter-relatedness with the neighbor who plays her music too loud. Or the man who opens fire on a crowd of innocent people.

Do you see yourself in a “single garment of destiny” with others? With Sarah Palin? With the shooter in Arizona?

What does it mean to be in an “inescapable network of mutuality”? How can you help the shooter or the bomber (or the next-door
neighbor) to become “what they ought to be”? If you think that is impossible, what does that say about your own potential?

Societal Wisdom:

Martin Luther King was able to “awaken” American society, sparking a consciousness shift in how we think about our collective selves. The election of President Obama can be seen as the crystallization of that awakening…

Now, other awakenings are in order. We are being asked to transcend our smallness, both within our nation and with our relations with others.

How must the systems and structures of our society be transformed, in order for us to awaken to the next level of our mutual destiny as humans on a fragile planet?

a Moment with Sharif…

On this Martin Luther King Day, let’s not just take the day off. Let’s honor his TEACHINGS by actually practicing the discipline of enduring love. Love not just for people that you
like, or people that agree with you, or people you are trying to
convert. Love for all requires both heart and head adjustments. And, plenty of PRACTICE!

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Acknowledgments:

Today’s Quote: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo of King: Life Magazine

Sharif Abdullah photo: Lisa Norton

All other photos by Sharif Abdullah, unless

otherwise noted.

Commonway Institute

for Societal Transformation

PO Box 12541

Portland, OR 97212
503-281-1667

mail@commonway.org

THE COMMONWAY MISSION:

To envision and implement a transformation of human societies, one radical enough to match the times, inclusive enough to heal humanity and all other
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