a special king......
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... the chain reaction of evil. Hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
posted by Ellen at 4:30 PM
15 Comments:
Hi Ellen......I read somewhere today in my travels that the opposite of love isn't hate. The opposite of love is apathy. Hate lives all on its own as it continues to destroy our planet. We need to pay heed to the words of Martin Luther King and put them into action.
Inspirational. MLK is one of my favorite... writers! Did you think I was gonna say - Americans? Civil Rights Leaders? Reverends? Visionaries?
Yes, he is all of those too, but I admire his writing more than most any other writer. I posted what is probably my favorite sentence ever written on my other blog, Been Some Places, Seen Some Things. It was written from the Birmingham Jail by none other than Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mike
Ellen - Maybe one day we'll see our world live in peace. Won't that be something eh?
Peace & Hugs,
- Neo
This is one of my favorite holidays because people are quite and peaceful and reflective as they think about how we can move forward to some day all of us being judged by our character and not by our color. :)
Ellen;
"Hate" can be a vicious cycle! It takes a stronger person to stop it though.
Good post.
Love Karl
awareness~
I agree. We've somehow gotten off the track he started to lead us down... not racially, so much as universally towards our fellow man. How do we explain this to our children?
************
mike~
He was a great wordsmith for sure, and an interesting user of metaphors. Despite the shortcomings in his personal life, I found him to be inspirational... much like Ghandi's aim for peace.
I went over to your site and was pleased to read something I did not run across in my research. I agree with you, Dr. Kings words are powerful enough to feel his intonations even if I'm just reading what he wrote.
************
neo~
I would like to think it would happen in my lifetime... but find it isn't likely to happen. One can hope though, can't they?
************
skye~
Good point... but I didn't see it much here in Atlanta as I thought I would. They have his papers on display at the History Center now, and plan to move them over to the King Center at the end of the month or so.
What made me furious was that his children auctioned off those papers at Sotheby's in New York, and Atlanta came in at the highest bid of $32 million... bringing the papers back home where they belong. As far as I'm concerned, they belonged in the King Center all along... and it goes to show you that his kids are the greedy SOB's we know them to be here in Atlanta. They have squandered away everything about the Center, and put a lot of it's revenue in their own pockets while crying to the city to take over the upkeep of the Center itself. Oh, I could go on and on about that situation.
************
karl~
Very true.... and very redeeming if we try, eh?
MLK and bobby kennedy 2 true visionaries love your quote ellen. The dream must still live on especially that the color of our skin will make no matter as to how anyone is viewed.
Are we there yet?
Wow! Quick, someone translate that tidbit of gold to Pharsie n fax it all over the middle-East!
Prez-US should read it again, too! (en Englais)
I've always believed that speech! A keeper- Very relevant so many years later!
Thanks for the tribute!
I'm reading kinda late- I had to work that holiday/night n all week until now.
truly a prophet of our time....watched his 'I have a dream' speech yesterday and i wept for reasons i cannot put into words
I wrote on MLK here and got some very good responses. Happy (late) MLK Day!
The MLK stuff in Austin was canceled because of the bad weather, I am bummed I really wanted to participate in the March and Rally this year.
i wonder how mlk will feel about today's hip hop culture ? his reactions to the rampant drug use esp. in the black community ?
it's so much easier to fight for civil rights !
Great quote, I've read a few lately - seems I am doing more reading than writing, but thats good for now...
Just stopped in to say hello!
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
~xo
robert~
I agree. The content of one's character is the most important atttribute one can possess... not the color of their skin.
Thanks for stopping by, and I apologize for not stopping over... I'm busy trying to play catch up again.
************
snaggle~
No apologies necessary... look how long it's taken me to respond.
I wonder if the powers that be (here on earth) wouldn't learn a good lesson from these words. Seems like we have gotten so far away from the center of the "right thing to do", haven't we?
Hope you are feeling better!!!
************
harbor of ourselves~
I understand. I do the same whenever I hear Bobby's words as well.
************
saur~
I read your post and have to congratulate you on it being so well put. I've always known that Dr. King was no saint, but his words still move me all the same. I'm afraid the last saints this world has seen was Pope John Paul, and Mother Teresa.
************
myutopia~
I didn't know that they had a rally/ march in Austin. I don't remember that they did anything special here in Atlanta... but the History Center was open for the first viewing of his papers. I had to drive past it on one of my deliveries, and there seemed to be a lot of people going in, but most offices were still open on Monday. I think only Federal buildings were closed.
************
john~
LOL! How true. I know that Mrs. King carried on in her husbands footsteps till her sickness made her stop... and I can only imagine what her thoughts were over the difference in culture and times back in the 60's from today.
************
rainbow dreams~
The quote embodies everything I feel for all people.... and the hope that someone is listening.
And reading is a good thing... we learn so much that way, don't we?
************
lee ann~
Thanks, sweetie. I've been here, but have been entertaining some guests from New Hampshire.... hence, my absence.
Post a Comment
<< Home