Magister ([info]discreet_chaos) wrote,
@ 2006-01-16 02:41:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend  Next Entry
Entry tags:civil rights, history, holiday, in memoriam, iraq, philosophy, war on terror

From History - Inspiration (MLK)
Last year, I posted links to some of his speeches to honor Dr Martin Luther King. Perhaps the greatest, "I Have A Dream" and one of the most prophetic, "I've Been to the Mountaintop" which was delivered the night before his assassination. Also, I included a link to a long one, fifty-five minutes on the Vietnam War ("Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence") and because if you were to play simple word substitution, parts would still be pertinent; I'm going to excerpt a few paragraphs in celebration of this great man.

Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.

÷÷÷

This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nation's self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls "enemy," for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.

÷÷÷

We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

÷÷÷

And if we will only make the right choice, we will be able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace. If we will make the right choice, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. If we will but make the right choice, we will be able to speed up the day, all over America and all over the world, when justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.



(1 comment) - (Post a new comment)


[info]thegodofwar
2006-01-18 06:01 am UTC (link)
It is interesting as well, to read the path it took for MLK to go down the "anti-Vietnam" route. While never a proponent of the war, he very much kept silent on it because of Kennedy's internationalism marketed with perceived progressive policies, though obviously that progressive nature really did not come out to a great degree, either because he did not have the time or because it was exaggerated. Either way, MLK's trip down that path became a political divider for him, and revealed a moral stand that eliminated a lot of leverage he once had within certain echelons of the democratic party.

(Reply to this)


(1 comment) - (Post a new comment)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…