It banes in comparrison why some of the African-American youth fail to realize the sacrifice that Martin Luther King gave to set free a people whom were subjected to the highest order of hate and discrimination. At the present time, the African-American youth of America are living without fathers and men who embrace education as a tool for success. Although I am a by-product of this, in my youth I did have un-dying love from the women who raised me to be the man I am today. Our present society has put a strain on family relations as a whole; the new society of today leaves little time for the young men and women to find a role-model that they admire and respect. Unfortunately, if there is no guidance and love in the household, it is a daunting task for young African men and women to find their purpose in life. There is only one resolve and advice that I have found to be a benefit to the vagabond youth of America. A former English teacher of mine acquainted me with one of the most precious gifts that changed my life in a most positive way. My former English teacher advised me to apply for a library card, without a doubt it transformed my world into a place where anything was possible to achieve. Many of our youth listen to rap-music, this may be the rave of today, but Dr. King words bring reverence to a uninteresting life to one that has meaning and purpose. These next passages are dedicated to those who seek knowledge over poverty, those who embrace peace over the division of indecisiveness.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
“Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.
“Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?
“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
“Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
This last prolific quote may be a tribute to those youth that feel life is nothing more than a hard place to lay their aggression upon. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the world something to remember, a most important instruction where anyone can overcome the most awful of circumstances. According to Dr. King’s standard of living, we should live our life as if tomorrow where our last breath we embrace before death.
Resources: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html
