We walked the city of Washington D.C. in the dark of night. It was nearing midnight when we arrived at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. monument. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a light in the darkness. It was one of my favorite places. The beauty gives one pause to reflect. His statue stands in the center and his words surround him. "Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope."
Truly, most of the monuments in D.C.are tributes to loss and the Vietnam Memorial is no different. However, in an eerie way, on this granite wall this list of the names of the dead reflects the self (figuratively and literally). It is seen below during the day with the reflection of the Washington Monument in the background. The weight of the names is palpable.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against the war in Vietnam as oppressive to poor and minorities in America, as they served and died in disproportionate numbers. Listen to a part of "Beyond Vietnam" below.
This walk through D.C. after dark moved and inspired me to more peace and more patriotism.
I am struck by how much light and how much darkness our nation has endured.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy