Today we celebrate the birthday and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I remember how much debate there was years ago over whether or not he should be remembered and honored with an American holiday.  Well, one thing is undeniable about him, as well as so many others in our history.  And that is the extraordinary courage it took to do what he did.

Known history is filled with such examples.  Examples of individuals making a decision that a particular cause or purpose is so important, so valuable, that it is worth the life of the individual.  In each case, the individual believed that there was something greater than himself.  How many of us personally believe that strongly in a cause?

The Civil Rights movement here in the US started with one woman's decision that she would rather suffer physically than to give up her seat to a white person on a bus.  She knew the bus rule was unjust, and she knew she would suffer for violating that rule.  But there was a far greater cause at stake!  When Dr. King heard of what Rosa Parks had done, he took up the cause, fully understanding the obstacles and dangers that awaited him.  Even though he knew he would be beaten, jailed, and likely be killed for standing up to oppressive societal rules, he persisted because his cause was far greater than his own life.  His cause was to persist, and to get others to persist, until America fully realized that "all men are created equal."