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| Joe Klamar, AFP / Getty Images |
I am saddened by Rodney Kings's death. The first thing I thought of is "only the good die young." This man had a tortured existence. He wasn't exactly angel. We all knew that.
But rather, an old sould that learned more than his share of life's lessons.
Rodney King's Sudden Death Ends Long Struggle With Demons
The beating he endured in 1991 left him with memory loss, aches and pains, and still he found strength to go on. He prayed for his accosters'. He had only forgiveness for the pain he suffered, and endured for his 47 short years' of life. I marveled at how spiritually evolved king was. I don't think I could have forgiven quite as easily.
Not for all the money in the world.
Rodney King did forgive. He spent the rest of his life trying to right the wrong's in society. He wasn't perfect, like all adolescents he had his share of trouble. What he did with the rest of his life is awe inspiring.
He was totally translucent, and willingly shared his sentiments. According to the Daily Beast, he was displeased with the progress with racism. He was encouraged that we were moving forward, but discouraged by the Trayvon Martin incident.
Still, he did not hold himself out as flawless:
“I tell people I am not perfect. and I haven't always made good decisions, and sometimes I make the same mistakes, again and again.How sad he had so many demons to conquer. Rodney King added something to my life. To hear him speak, was inspiring. It is hard to hear about the loss of a good guy. Because we only hear about the bad guys.
King struggled with drug addiction for most of his life. A troubled, yet gentle soul.
The world is going to miss Rodney King. We will miss how he handled life's problems with class and dignity. We will miss his voice to remind us we were wrong.
We have to take the reins and follow through were Rodney left off. We have to make sure that we don't resort to brutality to right societal wrongs.
I believe, this is what Rodney King was fighting to change.
A friend once told me " A heart recognizes a heart."
Tonight when before I lay my head on the pillow, I will say a little prayer for the 6'2" man, with the heart of a giant.
I have to respectfully disagree that he was a "good" man.
ReplyDeleteFrom MailOnline:
"In the two decades since the attack, he has been arrested 11 times for domestic violence, assault, drug use and DUI and fought a long battle with alcoholism.
He had spent a stint in rehab, worked as a record company executive and was on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab last year. He had latterly reinvented himself as a boxer.
‘For a long time, sure, I was letting the pressure of being Rodney King get to me. It ain't easy,’ he told the Los Angeles Times.
‘Even now, I walk into a place wondering what people are thinking. Do they know who I am? What do they think about what happened? Do they blame me for the all those people who died?’
King was arrested in 2005 for making threats to kill his daughter and his daughter's mother after the two women got into an argument with his then-girlfriend.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160957/Rodney-King-dead-Family-LA-riots-victim-suspect-foul-play.html#ixzz1yBbGetRI
Understood. As you know, so many tormented by addiction lose all sense of conscience and identity. I have witnessed the disintegration of so many plagued by alcoholism and drug addiction.
ReplyDeleteThe end result is sadness...for family, friends, society.