Dear Friends,
Today we observe the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, in an intersection with the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump and his newly visible that is oligarchy.
The goals of these two men and their legacies could not be more different.
There is a chill that is way beyond the 20-degree weather, that has forced the Inaugural attendees indoors. With the more intimate setting inside the Capitol, we can actually see the cluster of oligarchs staged behind sons Donald Trump Jr. and Barron, the next-gen presence towering over the others. He looks back a few times until Elon Musk finally reaches out to shake his hand. We see the way that the various enactors of power look at or ignore each other; the way they settle into the privileged positions that they have been assigned. Many will be frozen into place politically for the next four years.
Dr. King was about a different kind of community. It came from the spiritual traditions of his father and grandfather, of the practice of invoking the values of justice and spiritual commitment; of honorable behavior, nonviolence; and sacrifice for the good of the whole for justice under the hard-fought democratic principles of the United States Constitution.
There are new and boldly illuminated choices for us to make now. What kind of ancestors do we want to be? What sort of communities do we want to create and live in?
It is quite possible that only in small communities of faith, be it Judeo-Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or agnostic can we create relationships of trust and intercultural support for the psychic, spiritual and physical atmosphere, in which we can breathe and focus beyond our own smaller interests.
Many peace activists are invoking nonviolence and a commitment to community, akin to the values of Dr. King and his spiritual brother, Thich Nhat Hanh, who shared a vision for a Beloved Community.
Below are messages from two spiritual leaders, Dr. Larry Ward, who spoke in Ashland at a Peace House Peacemaker Award Dinner and Valarie Kaur, an attorney and human rights advocate.
They are among so many teachers and leaders who are working in the committed way of the heart; in the way of nonviolence, to stem the tendency to “other” and demean; to stem the economies of greed, war, and violence to each other and the environment.
We have many resources in these teachers; many ways to access their wisdom in the face of the dehumanization and destruction that appear to be upon us. We encourage you to seek comfort, inspiration, connection, and creative acts of caring in your own community, be it small or large.
We have many creative resources in each other. May we build upon the work of the ancestors who have carried out the standard for kindness, for justice and for light in the face of dark time: just as the sun melts the ice on frosty branches on a bald winter tree and brings with it the promise of spring, and new life.
Elizabeth V. Hallett
Director, Peace House
A Message from Dr. Larry Ward
Hello beloved ones,
January 20, 2025 is upon us.
Twenty years after I was born, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered by the echoes of white supremacy, by the echoes of male dominus, by the echoes of war and capitalism in a dance.
I cannot let this moment pass without asking us to remember. To remember what, you may ask?
To remember Martin, his precious family, his wife and children with broken hearts and bald heads. Do you remember the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where he was murdered and where I have stayed to remember, in America, how easy it is to kill someone and get away with it?
To remember, we are a nation still wrapped in the fog of fear. I understand this is also the day of the presidential inauguration. I catch my breath at the tragedy of it all, of the mind of America that will not go forward. They will not remember. They will not repent. They will not repair. They refuse to love themselves.
Please know that love’s unfolding journey steps beyond social othering. It surrenders the pride of narcissism and cannot be tricked by energies of hate disguised as power.
Today, I remember the words of Dr. King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
In love and light,
Dr. Larry Ward
Lotus Institute Executive Director
Senior Dharma Teacher
Poet and Author of America’s Racial Karma
My love Letter to You on Inauguration Day–MLK Day
An excerpt from Valarie Kaur’s Dispatch, January 20, 2025
Today, as we watch the next president make an oath to protect the Constitution — a man whose ideas and actions directly threaten the Constitution, the safety of our peoples, and the future of our planet — let us make our own oath.
Let us vow to protect our hearts. Let us protect our strength to love — to refuse to go numb to suffering, to alchemize pain into energy and action, to fight for our humanity. One act of love at time. Let us pull each other out of rubble. Let us listen when it’s hard. Let us refuse to hate. Let us practice the world we want in the space between us — with every choice, every word, every encounter, every breath. Let us make the meal, pour the tea, lay the brick, plant the tree. Let us sleep and dream. Let us dream of the world we are laboring for and trust in our role in the labor.
Today I vow to stay in the long labor with you. Even with ash in my mouth, I vow to breathe and push with you — so that seven generations from now, they will remember how we labored through the dark with a love so bright, it birthed a world of sweetness and connection, from the soil to the stars.
Imagine thousands of us making our vows together. It is our own People’s Inauguration. Today we inaugurate our dignity and courage, our belonging and joy. Today we inaugurate love. Love will make us brave.
What will you vow today?
