Monday, January 16, 2006

The Oughtness

I've been asked by others, and struggled with the question myself, why I continue to do and say what I do, in the face of what appears to be unstoppable environmental destruction. How do I enjoy happiness and peace when I am constantly reminded of my impact and the impact of those around me?

The other night I caught a PBS documentary on Martin Luther King, Jr., and was incredibly moved by some of his words from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on Dec. 10, 1964.

Here's what moved me so:

"I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. ...

I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day ... nonviolent redemptive good will be proclaimed the rule of the land."

1 Comments:

At 10:04 AM, Blogger T-Bone_Jones said...

Nice.

 

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