FRIDAYS WITH PURPOSE

GC New Horizons Community

January 15, 2016

5 Positive Lessons Learned From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As I reflected on his life and legacy, I started to realize that even though I am not a religious person, there are many lessons that I have learned about being a better person,
being who you are, and knowing what you believe in. Here are some of the things he
has taught me.
Always be civil. Even in times of darkness, violence and ugliness, he believed in
and practiced civil discourse. Thats not to say that he was never angered or even inflamed by what he faced, but in spite of those feelings, he rose above the ugliness he
was confronted with. He spoke articulately yet strongly, but he was still always civil.
Upcoming Events
January 18-22 , 2016
Monday 18:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday 19:
Artist Paul Cezanne born, 1839
Popcorn Day
Wednesday 20:
Inauguration Day (Every 4 years:
2013, 2017, 2021)
Cheese Day
First traffic rules published (1900)
Thursday 21:
Da de la Virgen de la Altagracia.
No Docencia
National Hugging Day
First flight of the Supersonic Concorde (1976)
Friday 22:

No Docencia
National Blonde Brownie Day

Peace and non-violence is always better. This was the basic tenet of Kings philosophy. He wrote reams about it, spoke about it, and lived it, even in the face of hostility,
aggression, and the ugly violence that ultimately took his life. I cannot imagine the hate
and hostility that he faced on a daily basis, and am in awe that it did not turn him into
someone even more hateful than those who perpetrated such ugliness against him. It
reminds me that I can be less petty and less harsh with those who I might not agree
with.
You can always do the right thing. There are so many of his quotes where he
talks about this. Whether it is helping others who are less fortunate, or taking a stand
against something that is just plain wrong, he reminds us all that it is always time to do
what is right.

Always help others. This is related to his philosophy about doing the right thing and
about a being a good person. But it goes beyond this. He spoke often about having true
compassion. It isnt enough to help those in need, but we must truly care about them, to
take a good look and see how they got that way. He asked us to examine how we as a
society can change the conditions that led them to be there in the first place. Doing this
makes us better as people. I have found that it also makes me feel better.
Never give up on your dreams. While his life was cut tragically short, he died in pursuit of his dream and in spite of everything he faced, he never gave up on it. He faced
obstacles I could never imagine having to face, and still persisted. This reminds me that
the small things in my life that often seem insurmountable, are just my excuses for not
taking action and are not obstacles. In reality, I am the only obstacle to my own dreams.

Vive el da de hoy Por Nestor Ortega

No existe un da ms hermoso que el da de
hoy. La suma de muchsimos ayeres, forma mi
pasado. Mi pasado se compone de recuerdos
alegres, tristes.
Algunos estn fotografiados y ahora son cartulinas donde me veo pequeo, donde mis padres siguen siendo recin casados, donde mi
ciudad parece otra.
El da de ayer pudo haber sido un hermoso da,
pero no puedo avanzar mirando constantemen-

te hacia atrs, corro el riesgo de no ver los rostros de los que marchan a mi lado. Puede ser
que el da de maana amanezca an ms hermoso, pero no puedo avanzar mirando slo el
horizonte, corro el riesgo de no ver el paisaje que se abre a mi alrededor.
Por eso, yo prefiero el da de hoy. Me gusta pisarlo con fuerza, gozar su sol o estremecerme
con su fro, sentir cmo cada instante dice: presente!! S que es muy breve, que pronto pasar, que no voy a poder modificarlo luego, ni pasarlo en limpio.
Como tampoco puedo planificar demasiado el da de maana: es un lugar que todava no existe. Ayer fui. Maana, ser. Hoy, soy.
Por eso: Hoy te digo que te quiero. Hoy te escucho. Hoy te pido disculpas por mis errores.
Hoy te ayudo. Hoy comparto lo que tengo. Hoy me separo de ti sin guardarme ninguna palabra para maana. Porque hoy respiro, veo, pienso, oigo, sufro, huelo, lloro, trabajo, toco, ro,
amo... Hoy... Hoy estoy vivo.
Vive el da de hoy, el da de maana traer su propio afn. (Mateo 6:34)

What I stand for is what I stand on.Wendell Berry