10 Things You Can Learn From Martin Luther King Jr

8/9/2019 10 Things You Can Learn From Martin Luther King Jr

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10 Things You Can Learn FromMartin Luther King, Jr.

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On the nationally observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,take a second to learn a little bit about the man and hismission, and the bits of wisdom you can take from aquick look at an amazing life.10. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned

Malcolm X was not thrilled about the 1963 March onWashington for Jobs and Freedom. He actually called itthe “Farce on Washington”. Organizers wound upagreeing with a presidential request and the tone of theevent was less forceful than organizers originallyintended. Critics needed not worry, as the event was thebiggest protest to come to Washington to date, andprotesters were front and center for King’s “I Have aDream” speech. Delivered right on the steps of the

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Lincoln Memorial and burned into the world’s memoryever since.

9. Passion is paramount

“I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” MartinLuther King, Jr.King believed in justice, equality, philanthropy, nonviolent protest. He was a preacher, a scholar, and arevolutionary. He was a husband, a father, a friend, and a

leader. He was a brilliant orator, a Nobel Peace Prizewinner, and his life was cruelly snuffed out way before histime. It was his passion that set him apart, and hispassion that continues to do so.8. We’re all in this together (eg “It’s not all about

you”)



“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I cannever be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

7. Again, it’s not all about you

“An individual has not started living until he can riseabove the narrow confines of his individualistic concernsto the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Martin LutherKing, Jr.



The idea that a person would consider their actions inrelation to how those actions impact the world? That’s aphilosophy that we could all stand to learn a little from.“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in

the same boat now.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.6. You have to be ready to stand by your ideals

Rosa Parks

When young Claudette Colvin defied Jim Crow laws andkept her seat on the bus, Martin Luther King, Jr. was partof the investigation. When Rosa Parks was arrested foralso refusing to move, King led The Montgomery BusBoycott, which lasted for over a year. Over the durationof the campaign not only was King’s house bombed, hewas also arrested. But because of that campaign theUnited States District Court ruled to end racial

segregation on Montgomery, AL buses. A small step, or amilestone in the Civil Rights Movement?5. Violence Isn’t The Answer



“We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not thecreators of tension. We merely bring to the surface thehidden tension that is already alive.” – Martin Luther King,

Jr.King was a student of Howard Thurman, who helpedfound the first racially and culturally integrated church inthe US. Thurman headed up Christian missions all overthe world and had the chance to meet Mahatma Ghandi,

who commented that American Black men might havethe chance to make nonviolence a more common practicein the world. Because of his readings of Thurman’s work,King was keen to meet Ghandi, and traveled to India in1959. He became absolutely convinced that justice andracial equality would be achieved through the use of nonviolent resistance.

4. Love, in fact, IS the answer



“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can dothat. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” –

Martin Luther King, Jr.3. Pay attention. Stand up and do something!

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability,but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A mancan’t ride you unless your back is bent.” – Martin LutherKing, Jr.Not only was King dedicated to racial equality, he wasalso heavily invested in fighting poverty, both on



American soil and abroad. He founded the “Poor People’sCampaign” in 1968 and charged the Americangovernment with the task of not only rebuilding cities, butchanging the whole system of economics to repair the

flaws of the system that perpetuate poverty.2. Be yourself.

“Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that each of us is special.Each of us is here for a purpose and that the mainpurpose for all of us is to make the world a better place.No matter what color you are, what religion you are, whatyou look like, what you sound like, and no matter whereyou’re from. You belong here.

1. Believe



Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of faith. He respectedmen and women of faith that were of faiths different thanhis. The main point is that he believed. Not only did hebelieve, but he fought to the very death for what hebelieved in.“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t seethe whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

10 Things You Can Learn From Martin Luther King Jr

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