“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
2017 was a tumultuous year marked by a number of terrible events, some caused by nature, others manmade. It has been a contentious time with themes of discontent and hatred. I personally have seen these timeless words spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. cited by my friends on their Facebook posts a number of times over the past year in response to various events.
Yesterday, the nation paused to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This American Baptist minister and activist was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. He’s recognized with a Federal holiday held on the third Monday of every January. The date was selected to be in proximity to his birthdate, January 15th, 1929. I think it’s fitting that the holiday also occurs during a time when many of us are selecting our “word” for the year, and/or our resolutions for 2018.
As noted by The King Center (http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king):
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, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience 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. He is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor, and is the only non-president memorialized on the Great Mall in the nation’s capitol. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s less than thirteen years of nonviolent leadership ended abruptly and tragically on April 4th, 1968, when he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
May we all pledge to learn more about the life and message of Dr. King; to live a life of peace and acceptance, and to take the time to love and serve others.