A tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Believe

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

                          Martin Luther King, Jr.

         Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today, was arguably the most eloquent speaker of the modern era. His deep resonate voice and eyes that seemed always on the verge of tears, moved the hearts and minds of the entire world. He taught us so much in his sermons and addresses about the true meaning of non-violence; not only refraining from physical violence, but also violence of the spirit. “You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

He spoke about love to his enemies. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

He encouraged those who followed him to put the movement above their personal desire for revenge. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above he narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” 

He had advice for the nations of the world:

 “A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.”

And, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of spiritual uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

The message of peaceful protest against violent oppression initiated by Martin Luther King, Jr., is still reverberating today. He and Mohandas Gandhi taught us that the strength of one righteous man’s commitment to truth is an immovable force that can change the world.

These are words that our leaders today, and those who would like to lead us tomorrow, would do well to heed.

                 Shalom,       

                 Jane