On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before is death, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his Beyond Vietnam speech to an audience at New York City's Riverside Church. In the speech, Dr. King stated:
“A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.
This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind. This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I’m not speaking of that force which is just emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door, which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Moslem-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the first epistle of Saint John: "Let us love one another, (Yes) for love is God. (Yes) And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love." "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us." Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day.
We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. As Arnold Toynbee says: "Love is the ultimate force that makes for the saving choice of life and good against the damning choice of death and evil. Therefore the first hope in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last word."
We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood—it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."
We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. 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.”
Astonishingly, this speech soured his relationship with many members of mainstream media. Life magazine called the speech "demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi,” and The Washington Post declared that Dr. King had "diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people." Curiously, if we replace Vietnam with Iraq, would the media do the same today?
A personal caveat: I have the utmost respect for the men and women that serve in The United States Armed Forces and honor them for our country’s freedom. I humbly commend the risking of lives during wartime; however, like Dr. King, I question the concept of war. The Beyond Vietnam speech reflects Dr. King's political advocacy in his later years. Conflict is inevitable, but war is not! Unbelievably, over forty years have passed and we are still struggling for fundamental changes in the political and economic life of our nation.
How apropos that the MLK Holiday harbingers our nation’s historic Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama! Change is realized, but compassion is required for change to endure. As I reflect on Dr. King’s statement, "True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar...it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring,” I pray for political restructuring when it comes to war.
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definitely words to live by :)
ReplyDeleteAs always, your words inspire and lift me. Thank you for sharing you lift!
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