The U.S Postal Service held a special dedication this week in celebration of the new Henry David Thoreau stamp. It marks the 200th birthday of the 19th century poet, philosopher, historian, abolitionist and naturalist.
Well timed.
Thoreau quotes continue to resound. They embed commencement speeches as well as civil disobedience exhortations.
A favorite of the former: “Be yourself–not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.”
As for the latter, what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gleaned speaks volumes. “The teachings of Thoreau came alive in our civil rights movement,” said King. “I became convinced that non cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”
The application is no less resonant right now.
“Is a democracy, such as we know it, the last improvement possible in government?” rhetorically questioned Thoreau. “Is it not possible to take a step further towards recognizing and organizing the rights of man?”
Have to wonder what his take on 2017 “American exceptionalism” would be.