The insight from the snip highlights the profound need for individuals to feel significant and valued in society. The loss of family and home contribute to a sense of 'nobuddiness', leading to people feeling like nobodies and striving desperately to matter. The importance of being welcomed and recognized as worthy by others is emphasized, pushing individuals to find ways to acknowledge the worth of others. By expressing care, reading poems, and engaging with people, individuals can foster a sense of importance and belonging in a world where many struggle with feelings of insignificance.
When poet, lawyer, and MacArthur Fellow Dwayne Betts was imprisoned for nine years at the age of 16 for carjacking, he only wept twice. One of those times was when he read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail." In this powerful conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts, Betts explains why he cried, what he learned from King, King's urgency in the face of injustice, and Betts's thoughts on writing the introduction to a new volume of King's letter.