“When we rise in the morning… at the table we drink coffee which is provided to us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African; before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than half the world.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As we celebrate this great man today, almost 53 years after his death, his words remind us that we are living in a connected world, and with that comes shared responsibility. Responsibility for each other, ourselves and our planet. Think about your daily actions and what has shaped them. Where do you get your goods from? Who do you support with your purchases? How have they helped you? What would you do without them? Who are you beholden to?
Tea, like many other goods, is global. It is also universal. Tea travels the world and fills the cups of high ranking government officials and poor farmers alike. It is neither classist nor separatist. Drinking tea can become a ritual, a mediation, and a time to reflect. Let’s reflect on how far we have come, who has laid the path for us, and set intentions for how much further we must go. For after all, we are together in this world.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who preached love, togetherness and justice for all. Let’s not let his message fade. Rather, let the words of this late hero hold true and fast, and his voice resonate within all of us.
