Job security. . .
Friday, April 4th, 2008- (by Martha)
- 8 responses
- Category: Uncategorized
Forty years ago, my husband, Charlie, was at a Jimmie Hendrix concert in Hampton, Virginia. It was supposed to be the first of two that evening, but the second one was canceled because Martin Luther King had been assassinated.
I was living in Houston, Texas, around Rice University. I didn’t know anyone who wasn’t stunned and didn’t grieve and didn’t feel that the world was sadly diminished when Dr. King was shot. I suppose there were plenty of people who did not feel that way, but fortunately I didn’t have to know them.
I’ve read several enormous biographies of Dr. King. He was as flawed as the rest of us, but my goodness, he lived in a way that touched the best in us. And still touches it today.
As for the here and now–my beloved public radio station starts its fundraiser today. I get to go on the air and do my best to raise my own and everyone else’s paycheck. This means coming face-to-face with the fact that I have absolutely no job security.
But you know what? I so don’t care. I love what I do. Besides, I don’t really believe in security. I believe in doing the next right thing and letting whatever happens happen.
Or at least, I try my best to believe in that . . .
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It’s great to be able to love what you do…I’m working towards that.
you know what? just for you i’m going to contribute to my public radio station - which i listen to constantly. it will be my nice deed - a project i’m doing this month. what an awesome job, by the way! how did you get into it?
you are an inspiration to all of us!
What a momentous day that was. I can remember it as if it were yesterday. Thank YOU for writing about it too.
since we spend sooo much more time working than playing, you’re right to ‘not care’. i love the way you’re living your life.
and the bean would happily give finger skating lessons, heeee heee heee
Job Security, whats that, oh yes live one day to the next, thats my way too, I love life this way, yes I gotta job but who knows what will happen tommorow, its today that matters.
Yes Martin Luther King and his “i have a dream” speech, must be the most famous speech ever
We’re all flawed aren’t we, Martha? When JFK, Bobby and Martin Luther King, Jr. were killed I was in my 30’s and thought the world was about to end. In a way it did…the light certainly went out, but it was an amazing time in our history.
The only way I can combat this horrendous period that we are living in now is to keep my side of the street clean, work on my flaws and hope that my little attempts will spread out to others.
Dr. King was a great man. I was young when he was assassinated but remember the TV news. It was a shock. Good luck with fundraising. It’s a very worthy cause.
Good article and comments. I too blogged about the anniversary of MLK. That morning I was listening to a speech by Marianne Williamson.
She was talking about the conviction of terrorism and saying that hatred is acting with more conviction on our planet. She was also discussing how haunting it was for the public psyche to witness the death of three great leaders, within 5 years of one another. Not to mention that RFK and MLK were murdered within 2 months of one another.
ANyhow this part of the speech jumped out at me and I connected it to some of the above comments and your article-because sometimes all you can do in this era is revel in an inner revolution and work to better your community.
“The problem on the planet today is that those who are committed to that which it is not love behave with more conviction than do those of us who are centered in conviction of love. It is most dangerous if you feel it and you don’t act on it…..”