Checkmite
Skepticifimisticalationist
As most everyone knows, January 19th is Martin Luther King Day. Martin Luther King was a very great man, and in fact is one of my philisophical role models.
First, the necessaries. Dr. King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta. His father was a minister, of course, and he grew up helping his father in their church. King Jr. never graduated high school...because his college entry exam scores were so high that he was allowed to attend college immediately following 11th grade. Since he had also skipped 9th grade, King Jr. enrolled in Morehouse College at the age of 15, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation from Morehouse, he attended a seminary where he eventually obtained a PhD. in Systematic Theology. During his lifetime, he received 20 honorary PhDs in several subjects, ranging from Law to Letters, from several different universities.
Dr. King was ordained and remained a pastor at his father's church until his death. Most of King's accomplishments, of course, come from his contributions to the civil rights movement, which earned him several awards including an election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His speeches are wonderfully composed, and a few of them are considered to be amongst the greatest orations in human history.
Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence is what intrigues me the most. See, he didn't just want "equal rights" for blacks. King wanted whites to actually consider african-americans as true equals - follow humans worthy of dignity and respect. King obviously had figured out that if african-americans forced their way into equality, they would endure the resentment of the white majority, creating an even more hostile atmosphere. Rather than making it happen, he wanted equality to happen by itself, when those opposed to it finally saw for themselves the error of their ways - because he realized that unless this occured, there never could be true equality...just begrudging acceptance. Unfortunately, other civil rights leaders, including some today, do not understand or share his realization, and what we have, in too many places, is the "begrudging acceptance" King sought so hard to avoid.
Does this mean King failed? I don't think so. The civil rights movement is a work in progress, and the final word has not come in.
Some people simply do not like King. They can't see his philosophy, or his goal...they associate him with "black rights" and so find him despicable. Many have tried to sully his reputation; the best they've been able to come up with is that King occasionally liked to throw a kick-ass party. But by outlining his flaws, these people have simply given a sprinkle of humanity to King...which is necessary. Those who don't see him as a god-like perfect idol will be able to better relate to him.
Cool guy, he was. Even if he was Baptist.
First, the necessaries. Dr. King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta. His father was a minister, of course, and he grew up helping his father in their church. King Jr. never graduated high school...because his college entry exam scores were so high that he was allowed to attend college immediately following 11th grade. Since he had also skipped 9th grade, King Jr. enrolled in Morehouse College at the age of 15, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation from Morehouse, he attended a seminary where he eventually obtained a PhD. in Systematic Theology. During his lifetime, he received 20 honorary PhDs in several subjects, ranging from Law to Letters, from several different universities.
Dr. King was ordained and remained a pastor at his father's church until his death. Most of King's accomplishments, of course, come from his contributions to the civil rights movement, which earned him several awards including an election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His speeches are wonderfully composed, and a few of them are considered to be amongst the greatest orations in human history.
Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence is what intrigues me the most. See, he didn't just want "equal rights" for blacks. King wanted whites to actually consider african-americans as true equals - follow humans worthy of dignity and respect. King obviously had figured out that if african-americans forced their way into equality, they would endure the resentment of the white majority, creating an even more hostile atmosphere. Rather than making it happen, he wanted equality to happen by itself, when those opposed to it finally saw for themselves the error of their ways - because he realized that unless this occured, there never could be true equality...just begrudging acceptance. Unfortunately, other civil rights leaders, including some today, do not understand or share his realization, and what we have, in too many places, is the "begrudging acceptance" King sought so hard to avoid.
Does this mean King failed? I don't think so. The civil rights movement is a work in progress, and the final word has not come in.
Some people simply do not like King. They can't see his philosophy, or his goal...they associate him with "black rights" and so find him despicable. Many have tried to sully his reputation; the best they've been able to come up with is that King occasionally liked to throw a kick-ass party. But by outlining his flaws, these people have simply given a sprinkle of humanity to King...which is necessary. Those who don't see him as a god-like perfect idol will be able to better relate to him.
Cool guy, he was. Even if he was Baptist.
