Billy Strayhorn's Four Freedoms

On Monday, January 15, Americans have a national holiday to honor the birthday of the late civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. It seems like a good time to reflect on the credo by which Duke Ellington said his composing partner Billy Strayhorn lived his life:

"Freedom from hate, unconditionally; freedom from self-pity; freedom from the fear of doing something that would help someone else more than it does me; freedom from the kind of pride that makes me feel I am better than my brother."