Dreaming not enough

The lead editorial on Jan. 18 encourages us to follow the lead of Martin Luther King and dream harder to improve social justice in our society. That’s well and good, in moderation. It worked for Dr. King in his day.

By in today’s world, the dreaming mindset frankly won’t move the needle of justice. What’s called for is the courage of our convictions that justice will prevail in the long haul and the energy to make it happen. Shouting and waving placards at protests call attention to the issue but seem to only provoke more violence.

Readers may recall that Dr. King advocated non-violent resistance and he worked hard to promote justice peacefully. He didn’t always succeed in achieving peace but he surely gave it his all.

The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes, that the righteous often get what the wicked deserve and the wicked often get what the righteous deserve. That writer is referring to what happens in the short term. So take heart. These injustices cannot stand in the long term.

Have courage and work for justice, as many are doing.

Dan Brown

Des Plaines