“…We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice…
…But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr ‘I have a Dream’ speech 28th August 1963.
Sometimes in our pursuit of freedom and justice (whatever form that is, be it racial/social/religious) we often feel blinded by our bitterness of injustice led to commit acts of violence or perpetuate violent voices that promote these feelings; and by so doing, we negate out message and undermine the cause that is meant to unite rather than divide. I know I have done this myself and I acknowledge my flaw within that. However, in the same breath, I have often sought to share both sides of the coin with the view of waking people up from ignorance rather than just promote attack. However, this perspective hasn’t always come across in the things I post.
This morning, I woke up with the song freedom on my heart and somehow these words from MLK came to mind and I realised it served as a great reminder for my people and my enemies and friends that in our pursuit of justice, and freedom, to also pursue Peace and pursue LOVE. 1 Cor 14:1 exhorts us to “Pursue LOVE“. I wonder, in all of our pursuits that if we had this cause as our foundation, whether it would change the format in which we pursue justice and freedom and dance upon injustice? I don’t know, but I’d sure like to find out…
The maker of a sentence launches out into the infinite and builds a road into Chaos and old Night, and is followed by those who hear him with something of wild, creative delight. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love this quote! Ralph describes the creation of words in a metaphorical way that I wouldn’t have cared to imagine. Today, this quote has impacted me profoundly. I say that it has impacted because he’s inspired and exhorted me to look at words and sentences a little more differently. So my challenge to you for the week is this: Take time to consider the sentences you make. Consider what road you are paving. Are they arm stones and rocky, or are they smooth and Roman? Consider the way you make for the way you lead is pioneering to life…
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
~Nelson Mandela
Of the people I want to see before I “Kick-the-bucket”, Nelson Mandela is the one man I want to see. Full of wisdom and inspirational quotes, and a man well acquainted with grief and sorrows, it is a miracle that he remains alive to tell the tale of how he prevailed against a struggle that took decades to overcome. And yet he Overcame.
Nelson Mandela is an overcomer, and he’s an example of what a hero is! #reallylovethisquote
Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog. Tim is an author of 5 #1 NYT/WSJ bestsellers, investor (FB, Uber, Twitter, 50+ more), and host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast (400M+ downloads)