A Day On, Not A Day Off

“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country” was the message of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961, less than three years before his assassination in November 1963.

And, although they are probably much more familiar with portions of his “I Have a Dream” speech, perhaps fewer Americans are familiar with these words that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke before he, too, was killed by gunfire in April 1968:

“Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve,” he said one time. “You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.

“You only need a heart full of grace,” the reverend said. “A soul generated by love.”

It would be many years — 1983, to be exact — before the third Monday of January was declared a national holiday in honor of the January 15 birthday of Dr. King. Later, in 1994, Congress upped the ante, officially making the day not so much a holiday but, instead, a national day of service — “a day on, not a day off” — and the only day so designated. A federal agency called the Corporation for National and Community Service is in charge of helping to unite nonprofit organizations and volunteers on this day in their service to neighbors in their country and their community.

How have some American citizens fulfilled that promise? By painting the walls of underfunded schools, installing insulation or smoke alarms in housing for the poor, distributing food to people who need it, teaching English to non-native speakers, helping young people learn job skills, and escorting seniors to medical appointments and on trips to go grocery shopping and playing chess with them, among many, many other things.

As connected as we are to the New York City economy and its three-day holiday weekends, many East End residents probably think less about Dr. King’s truly inspiring sermons and more about the effect of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the local economy. Truth be told, many of us forget that we can rise by lifting others. And, yes, it’s a bit late to plan a day of service after this year’s observances have come and gone.

Even so. There are plenty of opportunities to serve others in our own backyard, from volunteering for Meals on Wheels to becoming ESL tutors, to dedicating time to help the local food pantries, the Retreat or Habitat for Humanity. Listen: There is almost an entire year to plan for next year, or, even better, to get started right away.

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others,” the reverend said.

And: “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

Amen to that.