Is it time to reshuffle the deck?

It seems natural that we all spend some time today reflecting on Martin Luther King, Jr. I have done just that.

I was 13 years old in 1955 when Rosa Parks decided to sit in the front of a bus In Montgomery, Alabama. I was likely riding a bus In Kansas City, Kansas sitting in the front while black people sat in the back. It seemed natural then to me and perhaps to them.

I don't recall ever wondering why that situation existed. I don't recall recognizing how important Rosa Parks seat selection was and how it would impact the next 60 years of America, but it did. 

When I read about historical events that occurred while I am alive, I wonder if I actually knew these events were occurring or if I simply observed them and went on about my daily life. I can't be sure because I frankly don't remember.

Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech in August 1963. I don't remember hearing that speech or knowing where I was in August 1963, but a few months later on November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was sitting on the floor of my fraternity house at the University of Kansas listening to the radio.

Martin Luther King gave his famous "mountaintop" speech in April of 1968. A few months later in June of 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. 

I don't know if these events are linked together or if they are simply coincidences, but it does make me think about them now and wonder what I thought then. I wish I could remember. 

It also makes me consider whether or not there are events happening now that I will look back on as historical events that I lived through or merely observed. Moreover, I simply did not appreciate how important they were or whether I should have acted on them in one way or the other. For example, I do know that when Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus, I did not offer my seat to black people who were sitting in the back of the bus. 

I just thought that was the way it was, which it was of course. 

Most of us accept our cards and do not ask the dealer for a better hand as Rosa Parks did. We are taught to trust the dealer and play the hand we are dealt. That is all changed. 

Today, the dealers are being challenged with every hand. I am not sure if a new deck or a better shuffle will make everyone happy. Probably not.