There are many reasons we should honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy. Not only was he a transformational spokesperson for nonviolent activism during the Civil Rights Movement, he was an inspirational leader whose legacy continues to help pave the way to inclusion which we hold near and dear to us here at Beatitudes Campus. He was a visionary who was persistent, who knew when to push forward and when to pull back, and was someone who knew how to show compassion to those very people who were fighting against him. Below are a few excerpts from Jeff Goins' blog entitled 5 Lessons from MLK on living, Leading, & Communicating at http://goinswriter.com. Jeff blogs what many of us think and feel:
“Martin Luther King, Jr. left us a legacy, teaching us as much through what he did as what he said. Maybe more. One of the many lessons Dr. King exemplified was the effectiveness of a life lived out loud, one in which a person's words and dreams are backed by considerable action. He showed us our lives must be lived intentionally and without regret, that words mean something and we must speak up in the face of injustice. He taught us that it is one thing to say you have an idea and quite another to act on it. And the man's courage still inspires millions of people today.
I'm glad Dr. King spoke up and then acted. The world is a better place because of it.
Telling the truth is dangerous
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
There is nothing safe about being honest, nothing comfortable about doing the right thing. If anything, when you are committed to saying what needs to be said, it will likely get you into trouble. But the fruit is worth the pain. You're the one who has to decide this, though. Choose wisely before opening your mouth, and be aware of the consequences. Because as with MLK, this may cost you your life. But of course, if you don't speak, it could cost you something far greater.
The first person you need to convince is yourself
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”
MLK often spoke about the importance of believing in yourself before trying to convince others to do so. He knew that if we doubt ourselves, so will others. He also knew human beings cannot act according to their identity until they believe it about themselves. In the field of creative disciplines, we see this to be especially true. “A writer is a writer when he says he is,” says Steven Pressfield. There's something about the power of declaration via our voices that forces our hands to act. This may be the most important lesson Dr. King taught us: we are what we are when we decide to be it.
May we honor MLK's memory by boldly being and believing who we are, then acting on it.”
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