Guest guest Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 "In a real sense all life is inter-related. All persons are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality." --Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail Stewards and peace and human rights around the globe face the prospects of war and observe the celebration of "Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday this Monday. Rev. King went from being listed as "public enemy number one" in the 1960's-as an outspoken voice for human rights and against the war in South East Asia-- to becoming a national hero with a holiday dedicated to him in the 1980's. In Dec. of 1999, a jury in Memphis, Tennessee found local, state, and federal "government agencies" guilty of planning the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (How often have you heard this point reported by our media?) May his courage and devotion to human dignity and justice continue to inspire us all as we continue this important work. "Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear, only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it." -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. Our hope for creative living lies in our ability to reestablish the spiritual needs of our lives in personal character and social justice. Without this spiritual and moral reawakening we shall destroy ourselves in the misuse of our own instruments." --Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. AN EXCERPT FROM MARTIN LUTHER KING'S LAST SERMON At the Washington National Cathedral, March 28, 1968 "Anyone who feels, and there are still a lot of people who feel that way, that war can solve the social problems facing mankind is sleeping through a revolution. President Kennedy said on one occasion, "Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind." The world must hear this. I pray God that America will hear this before it is too late. ... It is no longer a choice, my friends, between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence, and the alternative to disarmament, the alternative to a greater suspension of nuclear tests, the alternative to strengthening the United Nations and thereby disarming the whole world may well be a civilization plunged into the abyss of annihilation. . . Like a monstrous octopus, poverty spreads its nagging, prehensile tentacles into hamlets and villages all over our world. They are ill-housed, they are ill-nourished, they are shabbily clad ... There is nothing new about poverty. What is new is that we now have the techniques and the resources to get rid of poverty. The real question is whether we have the will. . . Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet. . . we have not had the ethical commitment to make it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers. Or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality." MARTIN LUTHER KING ONLINE http://www.mlkonline.com In these times such as these, when we are told and in some cases warned by some leaders in power to not to publicly voice or raise concerns regarding circumstances at play in our world, it is more important than ever to know when to find the courage and caring we need to take a stand, let our voices be heard, and encourage others to do the same. "Faith is the opening of all sides and every level of ones life to the Divine in-flow." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Here's the audio and transcript. A fabulous thing to share given the holiday celebrating his vision and his work and the legacy we are all continuing in one way or another. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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