Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and some of you are even off work! It’s a good time to reflect on where we have come from—which isn’t all that important in some ways—and where we are going both as individuals and as a nation—which IS very important. You may have read his 1963 letter. One sentence especially struck me, (I could have looked it up for rote exactness but I prefer to linger in the tones of his words): Let’s hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities. Let’s hope that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. I rarely comment on controversial points of view. However, as a brain-function specialist, what I have learned about the brain leads me to believe this: regardless of gender, preference, skin tones, and a host of other things that make each person unique and that has made this nation great, we are all—first and foremost—human. That is our commonality. I could not do what I do without you. I need you in my proverbial corner. And whenever and wherever possible, I want to be with you in your corner, too. That’s how “unity in diversity” happens . . .