A friend of mine sent the following quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. I thought I'd pass it along, as it seems even more relevant today.
This is also my attempt to counter whatever Dubya puts into public discourse today. I feel certain that he'll talk about King's leadership in ending racism (because we all know that's not a problem any more) and he'll talk about how King singlehandedly waged this epic battle without firing a gun.
I feel just as certain that Dubya will completely omit any reference to King's socialism and his belief that non-violence actually applied to international conflict as well. So, in my little way, I'm trying to balance the cosmos.
"After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time --the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression."
"..I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life which surrounds him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daylight of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction."
"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. I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, 10 December 1964
1 comment:
Thank you for the MLK quote. I recently re-read his Letter from Birmingham Jail and was stunned once again by his words and moral clarity.
Also enjoyed the story about Michael Stipe, whom I met once in the 1980's. A friend, Chuck Searcy, called me at the PR firm I then owned in Washington, D.C. and asked if I wanted to do a project for REM. "What is REM?" I asked.
I later told the young women who worked for me (I was in my 40s and, obviously, clueless) what I had said. They almost fainted, but we did the project. Michael and the other guys were delightful.
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