Two Men and Midnight

Years ago, while reading an obscure text on the Indian National Congress, I ran across a historic nugget that caught my eye…June 7, 1893 was the date when young Mohandas Gandhi was tossed off a train on his way to Cape Town. The reason it struck me was because I had just listened to a recording of Robert Kennedy’s Day of Affirmation speech, which had been recorded when he spoke at Cape Town University on June 6, 1966….and I became immediately fascinated by the surprising nexus between these two men, their paths, these dates and Cape Town.

I’ve spoken about it numerous times, and always longed to try to write down my thoughts on the intersection. Long story short, I just did.

Here is an excerpt and a link to it, from today’s Huffington Post.

“I often ponder this nexus. Two simple days, connected by lunar cycle, brave men and cruel circumstance… days that challenge us to realize that EVERYDAY presents us with the limitless potential to change the world.

Who could have imagined that from the dishonor of being heaved onto a backwater rail station, a small man would rise up a human rights giant? Who would have thought that another man, once feared in Washington for his ruthlessness, could evolve into a man whose eloquence and commitment to decency could time and again challenge fellow citizens to put aside hate and believe in peace.”

Thanks for reading.