Time to revisit, Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coretta Scott King writes in the forward:
‘If there is one book Martin Luther King, Jr. has written that people consistently tell me has changed their lives, it is Strength to Love. I believe it is because this book best explains the central element of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence: his belief in a divine, loving presence that binds all life.’
She also confirms, ‘If Martin Luther King, Jr. was an apostle of love, he was no less an apostle of action. The fierce urgency of now stood as his cardinal impetus for social change.’
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss his commitment to the truth, his leadership, his convictions, his principles and his faith. There are few men today, and certainly none in power, who come near close to his remarkable courage, his wisdom and his spirit.
Even in 1963, King could say with confidence: ‘A nation or a civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.’
‘Do not conform...to the drumbeat of the status quo.’
‘Success, recognition, and conformity are the bywords of the modern world where everyone seems to crave the anesthetizing security of being identified with the majority.’
The beauty of this book is in its ease of reading. Each chapter, a meditation, a homily, a discourse and way of being in the world. His life was cut short in a world full of barbarism and greed.
He was as much of a philosopher as he was a preacher. He brought texture and character to the table.
What do we bring? We must each ask ourselves this question, for those of us who are not afraid to put our hearts to the test.
Strength to Love
by Martin Luther King, Jr.