Regular readers (if they have memories better than mine) might recall that the weekend we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has a special resonance in my author-life. It was on that weekend eleven years ago that a conversation with a friend helped spark the core idea that became my first published novel, An Alien’s Guide to World Domination. That core idea is something like: when we have the opportunity to help, we must.

Remembering the work of Dr. King today, I came across one statement of his which feels significant in our current story:

“That is the meaning of love. In the final analysis, love is not this sentimental something that we talk about. It’s not merely an emotional something. Love is creative, understanding goodwill for all men. It is the refusal to defeat any individual. When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love, but you seek to defeat the system.” 

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23924.Martin_Luther_King_Jr_?page=2

Today I renew my commitment to the work of love: to persist in dismantling evil and unjust systems, to persist in creating understanding and goodwill for all humans.