Alderperson Sheri Hartzheim's (District 13) Invocation At 01/18/2023 Common Council Meeting

Mayor Woodford: Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Hartzheim.

Alderperson Sheri Hartzheim (District 13): In 1957, Ebony Magazine invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to write a monthly column entitled "Advice for Living". Responding to readers’ questions about marital infidelity, sexuality, birth control, capital punishment, atomic weapons testing, and race relations, Dr. King's column reflected his moral and religious convictions and his thoughts on a wide range of issues. In the 19--in the November 1957 issue, one reader asked the particularly pointed question "is love really the solution to all problems?" The reader went so far as to make a jaded statement: "Perhaps love in the highest sense of the word is impractical in the world of today." Dr. King's response then is perhaps even more compelling than it was back in 1957. So I'll share it tonight for your invocation contemplation.

I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have the sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love. Moreover, love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites. Hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the fight fire with fire method is bitterness and chaos. The aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and the creation of the beloved community.