Martin Luther King Jr., MLK, is far and away my greatest hero.
On his birthday I want to honor his memory and what he really stood for by letting his words reverberate in our souls.
He said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
The light he is talking about is in each one of us, it is our soul that has never been against anything but is for the good of not only all people but all animals and inhabitants of the Earth, he went on to say,
“Never, Never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
On the topic of love, reverence and compassion for others he said,
“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
MLK was a humanitarian who was willing to die for what he believed was the birthright of all human beings, to be loved and cared for and treated with integrity.
In the area of standing up for what is right not what is easy he said,
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
As a leader he knew that if there is injustice anywhere in a system or government, even if it does not directly affect you, you must stand up and challenge it, because those in power do not share it willingly unless forced, and those with power that oppress and repress will not stop there, you are next.
On religion and spirituality he said,
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is constant attitude.”
He knew that to say that you have no reverence or forgiveness in your heart for even one person, then you don’t really understand what people are made of and instead just judge their behavior.
And, like Christ, he committed to non-violence to defeat the largest army in the world.
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.”
In the area of his own inner battles he says,
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the dark of destructive selfishness.”
“I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
He was not a man without demons, his inner world might have even been more than most could stand. For him, his challenges became the slate that sharpened his sword of truth and allowed him to make the courageous choice to follow is highest truth and sacrifice himself for the highest good of all.
His highest value was a brotherhood of all human beings, he said
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
King was able to grow up in a time that abused and repressed were the law, not just prejudices dirty little secret, and where it triggered most to be bitter or beaten down and hateful, he never lost sight that at the soul level there is no difference in any human being, we are all God’s children and therefore deserve respect and love.
How one man can learn so much in one lifetime, and inspire so many to look deeper than is convenient into their soul to find what they are really for, and not just what they are against, is a miracle.
If there was ever a human being that deserves Sainthood, it would be Martin Luther King Jr.
His model for living and fearlessly sharing your truth is not easy, but we all know we have that deep within us.
For today, on MLK’s birthday, honor his memory with a moment of silence where you open your heart and mind to and create a world that is loving and compassionate where the powerful care for the meek, and the meek teach the powerful the value of love and reverence for life.