1968 was a terrible year – we lost both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. But we’ve kept on going. Here’s MLK’s “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech.
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Martin Luther King Day 2013
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I know it’s always difficult to see the heroes in real time, but there appears to be a significant vacuum at the moment. I hope a few emerge soon.
Have a great week everyone.
Simon,
There always appears to be a vacuum – that’s why we are all challenged to do our little bit.
Paul
Off that!!
Words of Wisdom as I wrote that……..
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death” — Nelson Mandela
If that isn’t someone telling me I am too pessimistic, I don’t know what is
Simon,
Who do you think that “someone” might be?
Paul
Ah, well, if I thought that God was talking to me at the moment I’d say God, but we appear to be in one of our silent periods at the moment.
This is one of the greatest speeches ever. I guess my dream is that we as a people can get back to really attempting to work things out for the greater good of all. The ugliness has got to stop.
To a certain point, I agree with Simon that there appears to be a significant vacuum when it comes to those individuals who may be considered leaders, specifically in the political arena. However, as I attempt to become more aware of what is all around and about, I see more and more people that are willing to go a little just a little more, to make that extra effort, to help someone or anybody. From watching them, I have come to realize that I too must try to do a little more, when and where I can. It’s the starfish scenario. Maybe, we can teach our so called leaders something.
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. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Have a great week, if anything pass on a smile
Tim, you are right that it is up to each of us to try to do a little more – even in discussions with others – to further the cause of a just society for all.
Tim, I think you are right. There is considerable growth in what I call ‘immediate leadership’ – people not waiting for our leaders, (who, let’s face it, are failing right left and centre – pardon the pun), but getting on with leading in small but very significant ways. The growth of small movements in Christian and shared spiritual living, such as oblate and third order style communities and gatherings, is phenomenal. Certainly social networking sites and blogs are adding to and supporting that growth.
Tim,
When I wrote my response to Simon’s first post, I hadn’t read your comment. As ever, you put it much more eloquently and elegantly than I can.
Paul
I found it so interesting in that powerful speech that Martin Luther King sensed that he may not be here for very long. He knew that what he was doing might cause his own death yet he knew he was called. When I think about him and other great leaders like Nelson Mandela, I marvel at how they answered God’s call to help their people and I wonder if there are people today who are being called by God to lead the people in different ways but who are just not able to hear God’s voice. I pray that God will be heard for the sake of the suffering.
It is also interesting that this is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for which the theme is from Micah 6:8 “…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Emma for president 2028!!!
Emma, I won’t be able to vote for you but I could work behind the scenes if I’m still around by then.
Lynda,
I read just today that, although he was shot when he was 39, he had the heart of a much older man The autopsy doctor thought it was stress that had damaged his heart. MLK probably lived with the threat of death for quite some time.
Paul
Amen.
I would like to take a moment to honor all the others less recognized than the great leaders: the protesters who lost their lives, students tortured and killed in the voter registration drives, Rosa Parks, the children who lost their lives in church bombings, the first to sit at lunch counters. Behind great heroes heralded in history march and fall an army of everyday unsung heroes who answer the call.
Emma,
And I say “Amen” to your sentiment. I will never forget the image of the lone Chinese man standing in front of a tank in Tianamen Square in 1989.
Paul
Not many are able to live out so authentically the ideal that we should not prefer a long life to a short one, as long as we do what God is calling us to in the length of time we have. Thank God for his witness and his too-short life.
Denise,
Yes. Without people like Dr. King, life would pretty bleak.
Paul