The Most Durable Power

In 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr. concluded a sermon thusly:

I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.

I still believe that love is the most durable power in the world. Over the centuries men have sought to discover the highest good. This has been the chief quest of ethical philosophy. This has been one of the big questions of Greek philosophy. The Epicureans and the Stoics sought to answer it; Plato and Aristotle sought to answer it. What is the summum bonum of life? I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love. This principle stands at the center of the cosmos. As John says, “God is love.” He who loves is a participant in the being of God. He who hates does not know God."

May we take his words to heart, whether we ascribe to Christianity as King or not.

May we elevate today those who speak from love, not hate.

May we condemn those who seek only to achieve pleasure and avoid pain.

And may we seek to place in public service those who believe that love is the most durable power in the world.

Read King's words in their entirety at this link.