A Day at the Park

"The Low Points of Higher Education"

When one thinks of the term “higher education”, many things race through the mind. The student envisions the high of graduating from an esteemed college/university and the parent experiences the pride of watching a child receive a degree that will further their chances of financial success in society. There is the high of receiving that long sought after acceptance letter from your favorite school or for many just being accepted is cause for jubilation. But as realists, we must honestly acknowledge that there are two sides to every story. Everything about higher education can’t be as pleasant as the final outcome portrays. Through critical analysis of higher education and just plain old common sense, we find the low points of 25% of college freshmen will drop out of college at some point during their first year! Frankly, that’s ridiculous, but let’s looks into why they drop out. More research revealed to me a plethora of reasons why people discontinue their college education: emotional issues (3%), distance from home (4%), health problems (5%), family support (9%), poor social fit (13%), academic disqualification (28%), and FINANCIAL PRESSURE (38%). In a country where we claim to be the best and brightest, we still have problems in proper allocation and budgeting of educational funds. There is a triad of issues within that financial pressure that I feel will be best to elaborate on: lack of Pell grants, working students, and investing in the wrong students. Financial pressure has ruined marriages, empires, fortune 500 companies, and higher education is next on the list. Join me as we navigate the labyrinth of why degrees are declining in America.




What are Pell grants? The Pell Grant program is a type of post-secondary, educational federal grant program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. As far back as 1965, between the GI Bill for veterans and Pell grants for average families, the government was footing the bill for the higher education for many Americans. Going to college was pretty much a given for many. There was no FINANCIAL PRESSURE (there’s that phrase again). All a student had to do was go to class and learn. Simple right? You would think so but, then in 1980 corporate greed put its idiot poster boy, Ronald Reagan in the oval office. Now history teaches that under most republican regimes, war expenditures increase and social programs such as education suffer. That’s fact. Reagan, a moron in my opinion, drastically cut the funds for federal contributions to Americans’ education. He placed a cap on borrowing as well as attached an income requirement to borrow. This stupid move opened the floodgates for big banking, little government, predatory lending, preying on the poor, widening the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”, and simply making the pockets of fat cats fatter. He simply cared less for Joe the Plumber and his family. Now Joe may not be able to put his daughter through college, so in turn his daughter becomes Jenny the Plumber because she has no education. That legislation put a huge strain on the American student then and now. 77% of students that attend college borrow a whopping average of $23,600! So, now you’re telling me that before Bobby Booshay, graduate of Pickle Jar State University, will begin his adult life $23,600 in debt and he hasn’t a job yet! This is what the Reagan/Bush administrations did to higher education. Now since students are accumulating massive debt at alarming rates and they come from blue-collar working families, they got out and get part-time or full-time jobs. That’s the logical thing to do right? It may be but it leads us to the next issue in higher education: the working student.




I will be honest with you, I DON’T WANT TO WORK. I work because I have to. In a perfect world, I could just go to school all day and feed my desire for paideia. After to talking many classmates, I find we share those sentiments. 78% of all students enrolled in college have a part or full time job. Working students can be categorized into two groups: those who primarily identify themselves as students but who work in order to pay the bills and those who are first and foremost workers who also take some college classes. Almost two-thirds of undergraduates who work consider themselves "students who work"; the other third consider themselves "workers who study." Part-time student employment may have beneficial effects: for example, an on-campus research position may spark a student's interest in further academic programs or provide important work experience that will improve future labor market prospects. Working part-time as a student generally appears to supplant only non-productive activities, such as watching television. In addition, students who work fewer than 10 hours per week have slightly higher GPAs than other similar students. However, full-time employment may impair student performance. For example, 55 percent of those students working 35 or more hours per week report that work has a negative effect on their studies. Students working full-time also reported the following liabilities: 40 percent report that work limits their class schedule; 36 percent report it reduces their class choices; 30 percent report it limits the number of classes they take; and 26 percent report it limits access to the library. Students who work full-time are also more likely to drop out of school. For example, the available evidence is consistent with a roughly 10 percentage point differential in graduation rates between full-time and part-time workers. In 2008, nearly 830,000 full-time college students worked full-time. Because of the adverse effects of such full-time work, tens of thousands of these college students are likely to drop out of school and fail to receive a college degree. So I hope you can see how forcing a student to work opposed to studying ruins their chances at being productive in class. They will be too fatigued to attend class and eventually drop out. Or if they attend class, they won’t be able to give their best effort. All in all, students need to work less to be successful in college.



The last issue I have with higher education (for the sake of this essay) is rather disgusting and downright selfish, but then again, this is America that we live in and anything goes in the name of Capitalism. Somehow these nitwits in these ivory towers across the country still haven’t figured out where to effectively allocate funds in higher education. Where is it going? Well, I will tell you since you asked. Let’s pick on Auburn University for a while. Auburn is a well respected school in Alabama and aligns itself with the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Auburn boasts one of the elite football programs in the country and participates in the most competitive football conference year after year. They bring in the best student-athletes to their schools and give them the best education money can buy. Yay!!!!! Let’s celebrate!! Okay, let’s cut the crap. First, college is to get an education. Anything else should be secondary to learning. I guess that’s why students are pegged “student-athletes”. The student comes first I would assume. Absorb these numbers. In 2009, Auburn paid its President Jay Gogue a salary of $727, 761! Whoa, he’s really doing well for himself! I mean that’s great seeing that his school graduates 60% of its students. Now, here’s the problem. Auburn football coach, Gene Chizik, made 2 million dollars in 2009. He graduated only 57% percent of his football players. Something is wrong with that picture. No, not really. That is the norm in college athletics today. Coaches make droves more than chancellors. The national average for student athlete graduation is 79% but the bigger schools that pull in the most money have rates around 45%-55%. My dad always told me people show you what’s important to them in how they spend their money. According to this adage, Auburn University doesn’t care about academics. In 2009, they spent 127 million on all academic departments’ combined, opposed to 121 million on sports alone. Sickening huh? I know. Millions of dollars are shelled out in scholarships to students who will not even graduate as they pursue professional athletic endeavors. Colleges are using these kids to line their own pockets. These facts obviously show you where the focus is in higher education and it isn’t education.



Brothers and sisters I know you probably feel as though I'm preaching to the choir, but these are burning issues for me, especially the latter discussed. I hate seeing corporate greed ruin the lives of budding young minds. Coaches’ salary shouldn’t dwarf that of their bosses. Who does that? Congress should step in and set a mandatory graduation rate for athletic programs. Congress must step in and regulate big banking and predatory lending to students. More money needs to be allocated for the Pell grant program. A better life shouldn't cost you $26,000 before you even start this “better life”. If college is affordable, if not free, students can focus their energies in the classroom instead of the break room. According to history, these things may happen because we have a democratic regime now. But wait! Isn't this the same regime that just gave away 700 billion dollars of taxpayers' money to bail out these same banks that have us in this financial mess? Oh hell, why bother? Well at least you know how I feel and that’s all that matters. :-)

IS MINISTER FARRAKHAN THE "NEW" AFRICAN AMERICAN VOICE?

"The force that surrounds power, is the real power." Minister Farrakhan

As I watched the "We Count" forum that Tavis Smiley orchestrated so well, I came away feeling that Min. Farrakhan is the strongest voice in the African American movement of America. Many have said that he is polarizing for his controversial stances on various issues, but I say within a whole, every part will not see every specific the same, but that whole must be rooted in one central premise of justice draped with love. Polarizing Farrakhan may be, he speaks and lives love and justice. Many get hung up on a religious difference, but we know that every religion promotes love and justice in its scriptures and if we look at the brother's body of work, we see he embodies those traits. They said Martin, Jesus, Gandhi, and Malcolm were polarizing. "They", whomever they are, throughout history have blurted out many invalid assertions that we now characterize as idiotic. Often we can deem unabashed courage for being "polarizing". Polarizing figures help to evoke and promote real, authentic thought to our social miseries whether you agree with those figures or not. Without these people, we would be too comfortable in our box of silence and inactivity.

Tell me how YOU feel.

Damien Thaddeus Jones (Damien Speaks) is an independent blogger, student, activist, veteran, and a motivator of our youth fighting to promote effective literacy for our children.


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Honoring Trailblazers from March 4, 1960

I was honored to attend a panel discussion/dedication of the brave men and women who literally sat down as a way to stand up for equality. On March 4, 1960, TSU students Earl Allen, John Bland, Deanna Lott Burrell, Eddye Ridgsby Hamilton, Holly Hogrobrooks, Otis King, Bill Lawson, Halcyon Sadberry Watkins, Eldrewey Stearns, and Harold L. Stovall participated in a sit-in at Weingarten's grocery store in Houston and ignited a local movement that opened many doors and helped to expose and eradicate prejudicial treatment of minorities. The event was a true blessing in itself. To be among such civil rights royalty was spine-chilling. Also to see a plethora of students and alumni there to show there genuine support was very fulfilling. I have to note that I was running a bit late and had to sneak in the back door! There was a extensive panel discussion along with Q & A from the masses followed by a symbolic march from the campus of TSU to the very spot that the movement began. The former grocery store is now a post office in the local community. The post office was the setting for an official outside gala attended by many city dignitaries. As we marched to the gala, I was fortunate to catch up with two individuals closely linked to this movement: Dr. James Ward (Dean of Communications at TSU) and the dear brother Marcus Davis (President of TSU National Alumni Association/Owner of Breakfast Klub/Radio Personality 102.1 FM). And also let me note that Dr. Ward is very proud of his New Orleans Saints and not bashful to let you know he is! Who Dat!

Damien Speaks: Dr. Ward, thank you for taking time to speak with me on such a grandiose day. What did this movement mean to you?

Dr. Ward:It meant that people fought for our freedom. It meant that people had the goodwill to say "We no longer will sit in the back of the bus" and it started other movements. I feel that the greatest movement was the civil rights movement of the 60's because it opened so many doors and people just simply said "I want my piece of the pie now, I don't want to wait to get these rightful freedoms". Today is just remembering what happened 50 years ago.

DS: Now, Dr. Ward, how have you seen this movement directly affect your life?

Dr. Ward: Well, I grew up in an era of segregation and I had a chance to have an opportunity to do the things that I wanted to do, as well as things my parents and grandparents could not do, so it affected me in a great way. Have you ever heard the phrase "I don't want anyone to do nothing for me; I'll get it myself?"

DS: Yes sir.

Dr. Ward: So, it allowed me to come out of that mode of thinking.

DS: Dr. Ward, thank you for your insight.

Dr. Ward: Thank you.

Damien Speaks: Brother Davis, how does this movement resonate with you on a personal level?

Marcus Davis: Brother this movement means everything. This is what Texas Southern is about. Texas Southern is historic, not only because of this particular act, or its affect on the 3rd Ward or African Americans, but this movement changed the landscape of the City of Houston. It was a major part of the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. So, it means a great deal to me to be able to take part in the liberties I have today because of the courage of these men and women that came out to share with us today.

DS: As the newly elected President of TSU Alumni Association, what will you do to energize the alumni to continue to be of service to their community?

MD: Remind them that this was and is the nature of TSU; this is the DNA of Texas Southern. And hopefully they will be able to draw energy from it. You know its the idea of if you don't know who you are, then you don't know where you're going. We have to acknowledge that this is who we are and this is what we do. You talk about the Mickey Lelands, the Barbara Jordans, the Otis Kings, the Eldrewey Stearns, well we have to be those people today in order to have the significant impact on this city, this state, this country, this world.






Damien Thaddeus Jones (Damien Speaks) is an independent blogger, student, activist, veteran, and a motivator of our youth.

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damienthaddeus@yahoo.com

Ode to Malcolm

          There have been 7 great males that have influenced and still influence my life in a major way (Bill Jones, Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi, Malcolm, Martin, and Cornel West). These men have changed the world as we know it, and the least I can do as a student of truth is to absorb as much as possible from these prophetic servants. But on this day, February 21, 2010, one of those men stand out to me because he touched my life in such a glorious way. He helped shape the foundation of who I am today and will be in the future. He told me who I was and more importantly, who and what I was not. He gave me tremendous pride and confidence, he helped me with my homework and writing assignments; he showed me what evolution was all about. I never met this man. Never dined with him or ever heard him speak. The day I read his autobiography, I was around 16 or 17 and it changed the landscape of my life tremendously. So on this enlightening day, February 21, 45 years after his untimely assassination, we honor El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X) for his massive contributions on my life thus far.

          Did Malcolm have an impact on my spiritual life? Well I'm from a small, narrow-minded city called Jackson, MS. So as you know, in the rural south, if you're not Christian, you're going to hell and there is also no respect for other religions. Everything was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and more Jesus. As a bright kid, I questioned everything, in respect to the Socratic method of questioning. When I stumbled across "The Autobiography of Malcolm X", I was about 16 and knew nothing of Islam or Muslims. My only narrow view was that they wore bow ties and peddled the freshest fruit on the corner of our inner cities. My schools didn't talk about Malcolm, nor did my parents. Everything regarding black history was surrounded around MLK and this passive image the media had created along with the "I Have a Dream" speech. By that juncture in my life, I was fed up with Martin and I longed for something with a little edge. "Who was this Malcolm X guy that people wanna sweep under the rug?" were my thoughts. I read his book and got as much understanding from it that a naive, southern black kid could get from it at that time. The story made me want to find out what Islam was all about. If it changed this man so drastically from his wicked past, what could it do for me? After much study, I was ready to convert to Islam, all because of Malcolm, but amid so much criticism and ridicule in my family and community, I was afraid. Later I got the guts to convert and it was a beneficial decision. I found a small pocket of Muslim brothers and sisters and we gathered in an office building as a mosque and my relationship with God (Allah) grew in levels. The Imam was a former NOI member who told me the stories of how they impacted the black communities they lived in and also the hate they endured. He talked about the profitable businesses they ran and so forth. I would sit and absorb wisdom from this respected elder. He encouraged me to stay in school and better myself, something my own family failed to do. He told me the old adage "opportunity costs". I love that brother for that. Being a part of that mosque taught me tremendous discipline. It takes discipline to acknowledge God 5 times a day in a uniform fashion, reciting "The Opening" each time. It takes discipline to stop eating pork when its 80% of your diet. It takes discipline to give up alcohol at the age of 22, and that task I had a great deal of trouble with. Those were the most loving, non-judgmental religious affiliated people I had ever met. No longer did I make the racist 9/11 anti-Muslim jokes. True Islam is a beautiful religion and way of life and I love and adore all my Islamic brothers and sisters all over the globe. All of that never would have happened if I never picked up Malcolm's book. For helping me to find spiritual clarity, I thank you Brother Malcolm.

          Now if you have ever read or listened to any of Malcolm's speeches, you would be astonished to know that he never earned one single collegiate credit. Later on, he lectured at many institutions of higher learning and starred on many panels, but he was never a student. Malcolm's oratory was so polished and fine and he enunciated his words so precise and possessed a special knack for wordplay, but you could still hear the hustler in his delivery. He never lost his everyday connection with the streets; the people he called "those stuck the deepest in the mud". When I found out this fiery speaker was educated in the school of hard knocks and studied the dictionary back to front while incarcerated, I figured a free black student could do the same or better. I began to feverishly study the English dictionary. If you ask any of my classmates from my years at the Piney Woods School, they would tell you that whenever they saw me, I had a bible and dictionary. I would challenge my peers to pick any word in the dictionary and I would know the meaning and word origin. No lie. I would be right 80% of the time. I almost never misspell words. Many times I have been accused of being an elitist because of how I speak. I would search far and wide to provide a defense to their accusation and now I've found that answer. It is all Malcolm's fault. He inspired me to want to improve my vocabulary and my diction by way of his real example.

          Malcolm also gave me confidence. There was no better person to play him in the movie "X" than Denzel. Denzel's natural walk displays immense swagger, which was a carbon copy of the real Malcolm. For me growing up in a racist MS, Malcolm's voice saying "hold your head up high and to be proud of who you are" was something young black males needed. He provided that bravado for me. He told me to love the women/children and protect them. He taught me never to fear any man or any obstacle. His story taught me to seek the truth, no matter who criticizes or how you may look to the natural world. Malcolm taught me to always seek God. Malcolm taught me to love myself in the midst of racism that wanted me to hate myself and who I am. I used to be ashamed of my course hair and wide nose, but when Malcolm finished with me, I was almost arrogant.

          Malcolm is to the thugs and underprivileged what MLK is to the Rhodes Scholar. With most black people being poor and our men being hustlers and ex-cons, his story was a real story that spoke to to that hollow space of hope inside them. His story said that one can overcome no father, racism, drug use, imprisonment, and hate from your fellow brother(all of which our men still endure). His story said that black men can have a genuine relationship with God. His story bled with evolution. His downfall was that he felt he owed his life to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and therefore never questioning the teachings of his teacher. That is the worst attribute of a teacher/pupil relationship. But Malcolm always sought truth and what is right and truth showed him he had been teaching hate, all within his genuine message of love. A flawed man he was. How real is that? Malcolm was real. That's all we ever asked for, reality. Thank you Brother Malcolm for keeping it real. We love you. We miss you. Salaam Alaikum.

"Harry Reid is Ignorant; Just Like You."

Sen. Harry Reid said President Obama didn't speak with a "negro dialect". What exactly is a "negro dialect"? Is there a Caucasian dialect? Somebody explain this to me. Personally, to distinguish a dialect to a particular race is ridiculously asinine and further exposes the ignorance of our country when it comes to the "elephant in the room" called race relations. We all learn the same English language last I heard. Reid apologized for his remarks, but now we know his train of thought and possibly other white Americans. Our President accepted his apology. He says Reid is a fair and decent man and if you look at his voting record, he has done more for the plight of blacks than many black elected officials. So let’s not be cliche' and call this man a racist and condemn him. He may not be a racist, but he's awfully ignorant for thinking as such. But he's not the only one! There are a host of Negroes that cast aside their fellow Negroes for speaking proper and orthodox English language. Now isn't that ignorance as well? So let this be a "teachable moment" in this country. Instead of blowing up and playing the race card, let’s work together to rid ALL communities of ignorance regarding other communities. We all are responsible for this incident, whether you will admit it or not. It’s a mixture of the old white supremacist imperialistic elitist mindset showing (and probably unconsciously) and the crab in a bucket effect with African Americans. I respect Michael Eric Dyson's opinion wholeheartedly as a free thinker, but I disagree with his attack on the President's involvement in race relations. Hello? If you haven’t noticed, this man is the leader of the free world!! He can’t do it all himself!! It starts at the grassroots level. In the churches, at the schools, at home, in the community centers, at the mosque, the synagogue, at the workplace. We need foot soldiers for justice and equality at the lowest level. The old adage is "Think globally, but act locally." What are YOU doing in your local community to prevent these types of happenings? Prevention is better than the cure! Every American is responsible for diluting these negative stereotypes! Every American! Whether blue, black, pink, green, or white!! Brotherhood has no color attached to it! Justice has no hue connected with it! Ignorance is a disease as well as an injustice! Gandhi reminds us to be the change we want to see in the world. There are a lot of changes to be made; we've just got to have the courage to open our eyes. Peace and Love.

Just Give Me a Fighting Chance!

LL Cool J dropped a quote via Twitter that I liked. I've learned it to be an important truth in life. "We have to surround ourselves with people that will lift us higher." That being said, there's a brother that lives below me that I avoid a lot because he doesn't keep good company. On the way from the store today, he stops me and wants to talk. "I have a little time,what's up brother?" He begins to vent and tell his story. His old lady won't work, no vehicle, scarce financial times, along with a dream to produce Christian rap. This 22 year old is lost in the labyrinth of life. "Brother you got to surround yourself with people that will uplift you, take you higher." Then he said "You grew up with your father huh?" Indeed. "Yeah, you sound like it. Well I didn't." That's reality for a lot of people. Fortunately, my dad has been with me since day one. The more I hear a person's story about no father, I appreciate mine more. Also within that, I feel a responsibility to help those who didn't. Having both parents should be commonplace; It should be the norm. Reality is, that ain't reality. 70% of black children are born out of wedlock. According to US Census Bureau Report, 65% of black children lived in a single parent home headed by mothers, whom we owe much commendation. Now that figure compares with 36% of Hispanic children and 27% of white children. A child with a nonresident father is 54% more likely to be poorer than his/her father. 90% of black children will be fed by food stamps. Very staggering numbers. Malcolm referred to poor people as "the ones stuck deep in the mud." Now those numbers are more often the byproducts of 400 years of oppression and the lingering effect, but how long can blame the ref for you losing the game? It gets old. You have to play hard through setbacks to give yourself a chance. We have to start making better life choices as well as lifestyle choices. We must begin to love ourselves, one another, our God(because God must be an activity of our consciousness), our community, OUR YOUTH, and our heritage of humanity. I fervently commend those who do, but according to numbers, you are a minority; so we have work to do. Everybody and everything NEEDS and DESERVES a FATHER. If one is not ready to father a child, be a man of realization, and protect yourself. We aren't giving our youth a real chance! They start underwater and we wonder why they drown. You can't control the psyche of an immoral cop, but you can definitely control whether you assist in impregnation, all the while flirting with poverty. Being without a father affects children in the most important area: paideia! Education! Fatherless children are twice likely to drop out of school. 62% of children living with both parents have parents that are highly active in their school. It is easier to become a father, than to be one. Thanks Pops.

Authentic Love: Agape and Eros

"Love never claims, it ever gives." Gandhi.



The central staple of our lives should be love. Not money. Not success. The funny thing about that is if we begin to really "love our neighbors, as we love ourselves", then all these other goals and destinations that we seek, will all fall into place. But when I converse with the everyday people about everyday issues such as love, we find that we really don't know what true love is and if we cant distinguish authentic love from fool's gold, then we most certainly don't know how to apply love to our lives and the lives of others. The great C.S. Lewis tells us about 4 types of love (affection or storge, philos or friendship, Eros or romantic love, agape or unconditional love)in his writing, "The Four Loves". We will touch on only two.



Now lets differentiate Eros and agape because these are so misunderstood by the masses. When we talk about Eros, we move into a realm of passionate and romantic feeling for another person. Our boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, domestic partners, summer flings, mistresses, etc fall under the category of those affected by erotic love. We see this type of love come and go in our courtships simply because it derives from an impulsive, beast-like place in us that attaches itself to the status or current condition of that relationship. Once Eros burns itself out, most times there is nothing left between the two persons and disdain creeps in and sometimes hate. That is what we want to call conditional love. When the happy and jovial conditions no longer exist, Eros love falls apart.



Agape love is a horse of a different color. I get real excited when i talk about agape! What is agape? Martin said this: "Agape is disinterested love.....Agape does not begin by discriminating worthy or unworthy people, or any qualities people possess. It begins by loving others for their sakes.....Therefore, agape makes no distinction between friend or enemy; it is directed toward both." Agape is true love at its simplest and most basic level, however it seems so hard for people to fathom and also apply this. Agape is the purest sense of unconditional love. What examples of unconditional love can we draw from? There are so many! We can look at the life of Jesus. He loved no matter who you were, where you were from, and what wrong you may have done to him or anybody else. We can look at the life of Gandhi. He fought the injustices of the British Empire through nonviolence while still loving them, despite the atrocities he and his people encountered. We can draw from the prophet Muhammad and his struggle to endure religious persecution by his own people, but still taught love regardless of the situation. Mandela fought the evils of Apartheid because he loved himself, his people, and he still loved his enemies and didn't harbor an attitude of hatred. Martin Luther King taught America to continue to love and bless those who curse you. Those are a few examples we can mimic in our quest to be better humans by loving unconditionally. So what you and this brother or sister have differences of opinion. So what you disagree on religion. So what he or she broke your heart. So what. So what. So what. Paul, one the greatest(if not the greatest) Christian writers, tell us this regarding love: "Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Now if we are realists, and we should be, we understand that nobody is perfect. Humans will always fall short, but in our mission to be God-like, we must continue to love one another. We must love even more within difficult and adverse times. So if a relationship crumbles don't say "He/She doesn't love me anymore!" That's not true. Maybe your Eros has faded, but agape should still be there. Don't say "I hate my mother/father/friend/brother/relative! They always let me down!" Love them despite their shortcomings, for love is and has been the unifying force of the world over many years. Erotic love is nice to encounter, but if agape is not the foundation of any relationship, whether it be erotic or platonic, your setting yourself up for failure. peace.


"When I speak of love, I am speaking of that force which all the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality." MLK.

"We are obliged to love one another. We are not strictly bound to "like" one another." Thomas Merton.

"Love..... is the Law of our Being" Gandhi

"Love never claims, it ever gives." Gandhi