King's Inspiring Imperfection
The life of Martin Luther King, Jr., shows that one does not have to be perfect to maintain a positive and powerful presence in our world.
Detroit, MI (PRWEB) January 15, 2005 -- People tend to celebrate or castigate
Martin Luther King, Jr., with moderation conspicuous only by its absence. Most
devotees speak of him as though he was perfect, and many detractors speak
against him as though he was pathetic.
When they dare speak to each
other, they often "dualogue" and demean one another rather than engage in
meaningful and mutually edificial dialogue about the extraordinary contributions
this ever-so-hu-man of faith made to the Black struggle for freedom, power,
prosperity, and peace.
That is unfortunate because, as is usually the
case with famous people, carefully integrating hagiographic and much less
honorific images of King can actually help one form a realistic and even
refreshing idea of what he was like and all about. As a Christian, in fact, his
life is reminiscent of certain heroes of the faith whose collective claim to
fame was that God performed mighty works in and through them despite
themselves.
Like ancient Israel's King David, for example, who gained the
reputation as a man after God's own heart, Martin Luther King was also subject
and susceptible to the same passions, perplexities, personal problems, and
poignant contradictions as the rest of fallen humanity.
Yet, like the
prophet Elias, when King prayed and protested against the tsunamic flood of
injustice unleashed by racist attitudes and actions, it was as though he
summoned all of heavenkind as well as humankind in an effort to stymie the
deluge of racial discrimination that was destroying the lives of people of
African descent.
He was not a saint or just a sinner, but a real hu-man
who dealt with deeply personal issues in addition to grave social issues. He was
a Black activist who had to cope with his own shortcomings even while working
indefatigably to stem the calamitous tide of systemic racism in this country.
Thus, he is a Black American hero not because he had a halo, but because
he was strong and sagacious enough to look and lift himself beyond his own
faults and respond, as we now know only he could, to our nation's dire need for
revolutionary love, respect, equal opportunity, and perennial application of the
philosophy of non-violence.
The distinguished journalist Marshall Frady
noted that King exhibited "that mystic capability of leaders of genius, at
certain critical moments, to suddenly transmute into someone, something,
awesomely larger than their ordinary selves." He never would have done so if,
like far too many potentially great people, he had been incapacitated by his
imperfection rather than driven by his dream. Thankfully, he gave the best of
himself regardless of what he or anyone else thought of the rest of
him.
It is disingenuous to dismiss him as a charlatan and an insult to
his noble ideals to condone his indiscretions. However, it is wise to learn from
him to stay humble and keep growing regardless of our
accomplishments.
His life also shows that we do not have to be perfect to
maintain a positive and powerful presence in our world. Rather than hoard our
gifts until we fancy ourselves to have it all together, we can grow even as we
go forth doing great things with our lives. Besides, greater maturity and
strength of character are good things that come not to those who just wait, but
to those who make such progress a courageous, lifetime pursuit.
richard
jones (www.iamr.com)
is a writer living in Detroit, Michigan.
Copyright (c) 2005 richard
jones. All rights reserved. For the author’s reprint policy, please email
him.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb197724.htm