In the writings and
speeches of the eloquent and courageous Martin Luther King Jr., one can find a good number of ideas of a
theosophical nature (for a general introduction to the theosophical and eastern
aspects of King’s thought, see:
https://medium.com/@cwnaughton33/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-in-consciousness-b83958b88dff
), not the least being the concept of universal brotherhood, a notion that he eloquently
developed throughout his all too brief career (for a good
introduction to King’s concept of Universal Brotherhood, see http://libertymagazine.org/article/human-dignity
). Moreover, he was evidently inspired by his connections with Masonry:
''By 1900, Prince Hall masonry had become a forum for politicised African-Americans, with Booker T Washington (1856-1915) and W.E.B. Du Bois
(1868-1963) serving as active members. Throughout the 20th century,
many key figures in the civil rights movement were attracted to
freemasonry. The father of Martin Luther King Jr – Martin Luther King Sr
(1900-84) – was a member of the 23rd lodge in Atlanta, Georgia.'' ( https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/02/secret-jazz-freemason-history-duke-ellington-sun-ra )
Below are a few brief selections,
which also discuss the related notions of altruism, equality, and the inter-connectedness of
humanity.
I want to be the white
man’s brother, not his brother-in-law. (New
York Journal-American, 10 September 1962)
The hope of a secure and
livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to
justice, peace and brotherhood. (Transformed Nonconformist, Strength to Love, 1963)
Every man must decide
whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of
destructive selfishness. (Tree Dimensions of a Complete Life, Strength to Love, 1963)
This is our hope. This is
the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be
able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we
will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful
symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to
pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for
freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Now is the time to lift our
nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of
brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's
children.
I have a dream
that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created
equal."
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
down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream
that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of
injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an
oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream
that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not
be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
“I Have a Dream,” (Address
Delivered at the March on Washington
for Jobs and Freedom. 1963)
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. (Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1964)
The plant of freedom has
grown only a bud and not yet a flower. And there is no area of our country that
can boast of clean hands in the area of brotherhood.
Oh my friends, it’s good
for us to fight for integrated lunch counters, and for integrated schools. And
I’m going to continue to do that. But wouldn’t it be absurd to be talking about
integrated schools without being concerned about the survival of a world in
which to be integrated …( America’s Chief Moral Dilemma, 1967)
This call for a worldwide
fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and
nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all
men. . . . This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait
eagerly for our response.
As if the weight of such a
commitment to the life and health of America were not enough, another burden of
responsibility was placed upon me in 1964.* And I cannot forget that the
Nobel Peace Prize was also a commission, a commission to work harder than I had
ever worked before for the brotherhood of man. This is a calling that takes me
beyond national allegiances.
Finally, as I
try to explain for you and for myself the road that leads from Montgomery to this place, I would have
offered all that was most valid if I simply said that I must be true to my
conviction that I share with all men the calling to be a son of the living God.
Beyond the calling of race or nation or
creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood. Because I believe that
the Father is deeply concerned, especially for His suffering and helpless and
outcast children, I come tonight to speak for them. This I believe to be the
privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances
and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond
our nation’s self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the
weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls
“enemy,” for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our
brothers.
America, the richest
and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution
of values. There is nothing except a tragic death wish to prevent us from
reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence
over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a
recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a
brotherhood.
And if we will only make the right choice, we will be
able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace. If
we will make the right choice, we will be able to transform the jangling
discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. If we will but
make the right choice, we will be able to speed up the day, all over America and all
over the world, when justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like
a mighty stream. (“Beyond Vietnam,” 4 April 1967, NNRC)
It really boils down to this: all life
is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied
into a single garment of destiny… Whatever affects one directly, affects all
indirectly… This is the way our universe is structured. We aren’t going to have
peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact of the interrelated structure
of all reality. (“A Christmas Sermon for Peace”, 1967)
With
this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of
hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our
nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
Thank
God for John, who centuries ago out on a lonely, obscure island called Patmos
caught vision of a new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, who heard a
voice saying, "Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed
away."
God
grant that we will be participants in this newness and this magnificent development.
If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood
and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of
God will shout for joy. God bless you. (Delivered
at the National Cathedral, Washington,
D.C., on 31 March 1968. Congressional
Record, 9 April 1968)
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