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Martin Luther King Jr.: The Mind of a Martyr

By Kenyatta Sadiki

            By the time we are able to read, or maybe even before, here in the U.S, we will have heard or been briefly educated about the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968). Every year during Jan. and Feb., his name will be revered and heard along with the likes of even today’s  most celebrated heroes. Who else to align the success of President Barack Obama with but the man who turned hope into one of the most massive movements in history; The man who broke down centuries of racial barriers and captured the hearts of people from every ethnic background in America, then the world?!

            That said,  who is the man behind the name? What did he embodie  that made him such a durable force? A Soul like King’s is erected from certain conditions which make his presence necessary. The creator makes no mistakes in birthing his children right under the roof of satan’s domain. I often tell brothers that The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was not produced by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seal alone, but was actually started by the Oakland Police Department. The O.P.D. made the B.P.P.S.D. necessary and were ultimately responsible for their(B.P.P.S.D.) presence. So, when dealing with Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference, we are dealing with the forces of good, produced by the forces of evil. Through the death threats, extreme violence and constant opposition, Dr. King knew what he was up against, and yet, chose to go into battle against the power structure.

            We must not allow his legacy to be reduced to claps and parades. His wisdom is far too great to be tucked neatly and conveniently into the rhetoric box of non-violence or used to argue against the more militant actions and philosophies of Newton and Malik El Hajj El shabazz. How dare we buy into the propaganda that Dr. King was the “Good” leader for us and place him high above our other heroes because “they” said he is more acceptable and “they” approved of him because he believed in passive resistance. We must embrace all of King and qualify him with our own criterion.

            Here, I would like to examine some of the knowledge and philosophies of Dr. King; To go beyond the contemporary views we have of him; and, to analyze his thoughts from a slightly different perspective. Below are select quotes from Dr. King at various stages in his life and commentary strictly from my own thoughts:

  Quote #1:

            “If physical death is the price that someone must pay to free their children from a permanent life of psychological death, then nothing could be more honorable. Once more, it might well turn out that the blood of the martyr will be the seed of the tabernacle of freedom.”

            Dr. King recognizes that it is honorable to die for a righteous cause, in this case ,our children. It has been repeated over and over again by our scholars and other learned men and women that psychological death is worse than physical death as is psychological slavery. The mentally dead are very dangerous, not only to themselves, but to those whom they share the same space with while those who benefit from their ignorance are left to live in peace. Dr. King suggests that we must be willing to pay a price in blood which will remind the next generation to continue fighting for true freedom-mental physical and spiritual.

Quote #2:

            “If man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michael Angelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well’.”

            This is a statement about dignity and integrity. Dr. King is saying, “Quit half stepping”. He is qualified to say this because he set the bar with his own efforts. It is a question of, “what do we want to be remembered for”? We must first recognize our own calling and/or purpose, then commit 100% to fulfilling that purpose.

Quote #3

            “Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men, but ignores the economic and social conditions that cripple the soul, then it is a spiritually morbid religion  waiting to be buried.”

            Dr. King was adamant about addressing the middle class & exurb so called “religious folk” who couldn’t seem to take their religion beyond the bible and the church. These same preachers and religious men would question and ridicule King’s political activities as if he were wrong to challenge white supremacy. What they were worried about was losing their “good standing” with their white neighbors. King recognized their hypocrisy in worshiping God, praying and asking for help, but when it came to putting in political, economical and social work, many proved to be pulpit pimps, and media jockeys while others were simply too religiously  drunk, therefore their religious practices were dead and void. Along with this commentary, I will include a corresponding quote from Dr. King: “How can we continue preaching about the spoils of heaven, when we are still living an earthly hell?’’

Quote #4

“Hell is reserved for those who maintain neutrality in a time of moral crisis”

            Again, Dr. King is mainly speaking to his middle class peers who “didn’t want any trouble”, and tried to play the middle to be safe- selling their souls for a miserable price. Here, King implies that we must choose a side as a moral obligation. Either you are for right, or youare for wrong, and if you are on the side of right and justice, then stop pussy footing around and tap dancing and let it be known verbally and physical. Hell is mentioned because it is said to be the dwelling place for those who don’t choose the right way.

Quote #5

“Change doesn’t just come rolling in on the wheels of inevitability, but is a constant process.”

            This, like so many of King’s thoughts, is timeless wisdom. He knew that his work would take time to manifest; that his words and actions would be slowly accepted; and, just as the first quote says, he knew that his life had to be sacrificed so that others could live. You know a man is truly great when he knows that he may not even live long enough to see the fruit or results of his labor, or when he knows he could be murdered any day for what he stands for, but still chooses to put the lives of others before his own life. Even with a wonderful wife and beautiful kids, he did not stop to say, “I think I should stop angering these people before they kill me and I can’t be with my family anymore.” This is why King’s name can be mentioned even among the prophets of God. From Otis Redding to Barack Obama, we have been singing about change. In our personal lives, we must ask ourselves if we really want change and are we willing to sacrifice and do what it takes for change?

Quote #6

“Whenever you set out to build a temple, you must face the fact that there is a tension at the heart of the universe between good and evil.”

            This temple King is talking about should be viewed as a hidden temple—the temple of the mind and spirit. As we attempt to build our  temples, there is a constant battle of tug-o-war between right and wrong-good and evil, for our souls which is a universal tension. No one is exempt from the universal energy pull and we must be mentally and spiritually fortified with righteousness to resist the negative forces which can destroy a weak temple.

Quote #7

“Sometimes conscience pictates that we take a position that is neither safe , nor political, nor popular, but you must take it because it is right. This is where I find myself today—I have come to the conclusion that the ultimate measure of man is not where he finds himself in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he finds himself in moment of challenge and controversy.”

            I purposely saved this one for last, for it is among the most repeated and revered quotes from King. Again, men like Dr. King can make these sort of powerful statements because his life bore witness to its authenticity. He knew his message would arouse hatred toward him (not safe). He knew his anti-systematic remarks and constant indictments against the government and the status quo would cause a political uproar (not political).He also knew his middle class peers were content with going along with the flow and mostly stay in their place, but he chose to go against the grain (not popular). Dr. King showed us that in moments of challenge, and controversy, the real men stand up from among the people who are being wronged and experiencing tumultuous conditions. The creator will raise up leaders armed with truth to challenge and expose the wicked. Kings valor definitely set a standard for the ultimate measure of man!

            So, this MLK Day and every day afterwards, let his knowledge and his life be a guidepost to give us directions and purpose in our own lives. Kings legacy can only live through us. Talking about him on MLK Day-cool, visiting the memorial erected in his honor-good, acting on the messages and instructions he selflessly gave-Great! So in remembering our hero, let us not forget to take care of our responsibilities as well.

Peace!

*** I dedicate this to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his beloved wife Corretta Scott King and the rest of the King family. I hope I did at least some just  to Dr. King’s unparalleled legacy!