For My Hero, Dr. King

Probably because the MLK Jr. holiday is right around the corner, he's been on my mind a lot lately. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been one of my lifelong heroes. And for all of my life I've never understood why anyone had a problem with a national holiday in his honor or why there wasn't a monument erected in his honor in Washington, D.C. Funny enough, I recognize that I'm a middle American born caucasian who by most standards has not been subject to racial prejudices of any magnitude. I have no particular cause to find this man to be of radical importance in making my life any easier. But what I've always loved and clung to, was the amount of courage that one human being can posess...

I believe that we all have a purpose. No matter how great or small, each contribution is of the utmost importance. We are all needed. I also believe that there have been a few, precious few people put on this Earth for a short while, who were so diligently and deliberately planned, prepared for and retrieved, that there can be NO doubt whatsoever that there is a living God who knows and commands all that resides on this planet. I believe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of them. For what other possible explanation can there be for the existence of a man who was as tenacious, as brave & as good as he?

"Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests and grassroots organizing, to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family."

We are all prejudice. We all pre judge, be it by appearance, color, gender, class, intelligence... We have all at one point or another made up our minds about someone based on nothing factual - but on what we saw or felt in their presence. And I think that's ok. If we recognize that judgement can be a good thing and can alert our senses to impending danger or risk, then we are lucky to posess such judgement. But when we allow ourselves to discriminate against and mistreat our brothers and sisters because of our prejudicial fears, we are in fact wrong. Dr. King rallied masses of people to protest the mistreatment of African Americans through non violent acts. When we are attacked and are faced with danger, our animalistic instinct is to relatiate in violence. If we are cornered or harmed, we lash out in defense of ourselves. And this man, this brilliant man knew that if things were ever going to change, that African Americans had to maintain a steadfast resolve against violence at all costs. To lead your fellow man into a war where your only weapon is the ground you stand upon, to supress all instinctual survivalistic urges, in order to command a change so great that the entire world responds, is beyond comprehension. Dr. King always knew the dangers he faced and yet he stood in the face of inequality and prejudice and stared it down. He drew legions of followers and led them to do the same. This man changed the perception of African Americans and started a revolution so grand, we have not yet bugun to see it's full impact. He was a revolutionary. He was change...

Dr. King continues to inspire me to this day. Any time I have ever been faced with difficult decisions, whenever I feel I might be judged or suffer consequences for doing what I know is right - I think of him. I remember this gentle, eloquent man who put his life risk every day for 13 years on behalf of his brothers and sisters around the world. His fight was not just for his people, but for all people. His fight was for you and for me. Because at one time or another we will all face a judgement, and he knew better than anyone that there would be a price to pay. He gave his life for his dream. And what a dream it was...

From the "I Hava a Dream" speach - 1963
"But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.