Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 90th Birthday

Nicolo Machiavelli in the Prince teaches that "A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savour of it." This quotation of Machiavelli is relevant to the greatness of the moral character of Dr. King.

The third Monday in January is dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to celebrate his legacy and all that he embodies. What Martin Luther King Jr taught then is more relevant today, as it was during his struggle to remind mankind of the debt it owes to humanity. Man is not only capable of generating creative ideas but also to generate or attract darkness into his soul. The words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were rich in moral character and matching with his actions as well as resonated well with a struggle between darkness and light. What he envisioned or feared not only cost him his life, but also those of others before and after him, yet it continues to cast a shadow over humanity. He cautioned humanity: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." In truth, the absence of light is darkness, but as of nature, it is only temporary. However, he was not referring to natural darkness, but to the darkness of the soul. Therefore, once the darkness has taken possession of a human soul, it will require a revolution to drive it away.

Recognizing the danger of hatred and resentment even as we struggle against darkness, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warns humanity, "Let us not quench our thirst for freedom, by drinking out of the cups of bitterness and hatred." Yet, there is a real challenge of initiating a revolution to drive out the darkness from human souls. Some of us had to resort to other means than those advocated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, not because he was wrong, but we were faced with the conditions that were incompatible with what Dr. King was advocating. In fact, we started from the same path until conditions of the situation demanded that we consider other alternatives. However, we all agreed with Dr. King refusal "to believe that the bank justice is bankrupt." Obviously, he left visible footprints in the sand of history that attracted many who believe in the philosophy of his teachings. A philosophy of faith and hope. As he said in the speech "I have a dream", "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope." To inspire future generations to pursue their full measure of happiness.

Today, Mr. King's words and actions are in stark contradiction with what his country preaches and how it acts. The drafters of the Declaration of Independence felt then that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." However, this appeared to have only applied to a certain part of the male population who owned property and paid taxes. These were some of the contradictions Dr. King pointed out while embracing the goodness of the creed. However, women, slaves, native Americans and the rest of the non-European world were not considered to be part of this creed. Thus, their freedom and the path to the pursuit of happiness were not considered as a matter of interest. Jefferson's ideas may have been influenced by Governor John Winthrop's sermon when the Arbella ship sailed into the colony of Massachusetts Bay with waves of immigrants from England in 1630. Governor Winthrop had considered the newly discovered territory as a city on a hill which had to be guided by Puritan philosophy. He encouraged other pilgrimages: "For we must consider that we shall be like a city on a hill, the eyes of all peoples are upon us." Puritans, however, were intolerant of other religious views, including Quaker, Anglican, and Baptist theologies, yet they considered themselves a city on a hill. Such has been a fundamental contradiction since the early days. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of this promissory note, recognized the inalienable rights of all the men, yet, he had slaves and a slave mistress, Sally Hemings, with whom he had about five or six children, born after the death of his wife, Martha Jefferson. Still, Sally's journey to the pursuit of happiness was limited to bringing pleasure to Thomas Jefferson. Despite the fact that Jefferson was a strong supporter of equality, Sally was more of a Jefferson property than a partner. In fact, she was a half-sister-in-law because Sally's father, is the same John Wayles, the father of Martha Jefferson Wayles the wife of Thomas Jefferson. These were the contradictions Dr. King fought diligently to correct while mindful that this was a gigantic task. Nevertheless, he was guided by the following concept: "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." Equally, he believed that "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

When Barack Obama was elected as President of the United States, some interpreted his election as a fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream that his "four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Others perceived it differently that their country was no longer great and began to falsely debate about Obama’s place of birth. This is a fundamental contradiction to the values they claim to believe in. Obama was fully aware of the challenge he was to face as President and pointed out in his first inaugural speech that" what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage." Yes, Obama and many others are the embodiment of Dr. King’s dream of faith and hope. The fundamental contradictions persist and have been illustrated even more lately. Nathan Phillips, a member of the Omaha tribe and marine veteran, demonstrated this in his prayer song "Look at us, God, look what's happening here, America is torn apart by racism, hatred, bigotry ." He was confronted at the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial by a group of young people wearing Make America Great Again hats. It may be their own version of a city on a hill based on the Puritan concept.

Thus, we see the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr today as a beacon of faith and hope to illuminate the darkness of hypocrisy woven into the promissory note of the Declaration of Independence. Last year, Berenice King, Dr. King's daughter, tweeted, "Today, we commemorate my father's 89th birthday. Beyond sharing #MLK quotes, I pray that our global community, from educators to politicians to artists to law enforcement, will truly hear his voice, follow his teachings and demonstrate his love for humanity." We do hear his voice and strive each and every day to keep his dream alive. As Machiavelli says, "a wise man must always follow the path beaten by great men and imitate those who have been supreme." King was a great force in a revolution to drive the darkness out of the souls of many people in his country and beyond. As we honour his courage and determination, we hope to continue unleashing the revolution, that will one day succeed in driving away darkness from the human souls and replacing it with the blazing light of hope.