Greetings of love and gratitude from Judy Carman

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebrates His Radical Vision of Nonviolence, Freedom and Not Being Silent About Things That Matter: Today, January 18, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in order to honor him and his radical vision of a peaceful, nonviolent world.  Although he was not vegan, his wife and son, Coretta Scott King and Dexter King both became vegan.  It is a strong possibility that he would have extended his vision of nonviolence to animals had his life not been cut short, especially since he admired Gandhi so much.   Many of King’s ageless messages fit perfectly with this day and week as we mourn, memorialize, boycott, pray, and do what we can to help the animals of earth.  He said, “Our lives begin and end the day we become silent about things that matter."  He called for a rising of human consciousness from a “thing-oriented” culture to a “person-oriented” culture in which materialism, militarism, and racism no longer exist.  Today let us add speciesism to that list.  
In his unforgettable “I Have a Dream” speech, he reminds all humanity that we must meet “physical force with soul force.”   Gandhi referred to soul force as “satyagraha.”  It was a term he loved because he wanted people to understand, as did King, that being nonviolent does not mean we are weak.  Instead they both saw more strength in soul force than in any act of violence. 

Prayer for this Week: Freedom “At Last” For All Beings.  This week, in honor of Dr. King, let us “refuse to be silent,” and let us carry forth his vision of freedom and justice for all people. Then let us extend that vision out beyond humanity to all beings. Together, let us SEE human consciousness rising beyond “thing-oriented” to “all beings-oriented.” Indeed, at this higher level of consciousness, animals are not “things,” as they are still considered by many, but rather “persons” or “beings” with their own rights to freedom, autonomy, life, respect, family, and love—the very qualities that we hold dear for all people as well.   Let us stand, pray, and visualize in solidarity with the truth that  freedom for all people is “inextricably bound” (to use King’s phrase) to animal freedom.  We cannot be free if we keep others captive.  We cannot have peace until we give peace to all.   Today and this week we pray in gratitude and hold fast to three of the most powerful words ever spoken on earth “Free at Last.”  May All People and All Animals Be “Free at Last.”

As always, with tears of gratitude, I send my thanks to each of you, dear Prayer Circle members, for joining this circle of compassion and shining the Light of Truth for all to see, so that one day soon, all beings will live in peace together.

May compassion and love reign over all the earth for all beings everywhere. 
Thank you all for your devotion to truth, love, liberation and peace for all beings.
With Love, peace, and gratitude from Judy Carman, and greetings from Will, Madeleine, Tara and the Circle of Compassion team

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