Strong Presence To Serve Humanity

“For all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.”(Nobel Prize Lecture, 2009)

Last week, my former neighbor and friend, Steve, lost his life to cancer at age 55. An F.B.I special agent for 26 years, I recall jogging with a man of an outwardly, unmacho exterior, impressive bilingual skills and an extraordinary memory for detail. His captivating stories of facing dangerous drug traffickers in the field every day convinced me then to improbably imagine my friendly neighbor as a modern day “Wyatt Earp.”

At the time we were condo residents in the same building, I too was facing my own insecurities as a workaholic and struggling inner city teacher in Miami. Facing the confusing challenge of teaching disadvantaged students in a high poverty and racially segregated area, then, these casual conversations…