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The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
"Strength to Love" (1963)

Every year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I try to make it more than just another day off, and I encourage anyone else with the opportunity to do the same. Volunteer in the community. Help someone out who needs it. At the very least, take some time to reflect on King's message, and what can be accomplished through non-violence. Thank you.

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Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

The man will always hold a very, very dear place in my heart, and his message will always ring true to me. There is no difference in humanity no matter where it comes from. We're all the same species, regardless of what tone our skin takes depending on the environment of our ancestry. One culture is as spectacular and flawed as any other. The world will not be a better place when everyone is the same. People's way of life does not do you or your way of life any harm. Humans have free will and can decide their own path, even if your children choose not to follow yours.

Unfortunately now the Earth feels like a prison with a really screwed up 'jail society', and it's going to be a long time before we realise that as long as we're stuck on this spinning ball of hatred, our horrible horrible enemies that want to destroy our 'freedom/religion/nation [insert cause of war here] blah blah blah' will never go away, no matter how many people are killed.

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The first duty in life is to assume a pose,
and the second duty is...well, no one's found out yet.

I watched Munich last night. Does that count? Good timing to boot. Movie's pretty much all about what's in that quote.

Still, I don't think I can fully accept it. Violence can be very effective at achieving goals without continuing retribution. A couple of nuklear pops stopped a war cold.

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Arts

Farts

Twarts

I admire MLK... Ghandi... all those who speak out for peace.


Still, though... and I'm honestly not trying to be cute or anything... violence is the ultimate authority.


This..... is a stirring speech.

This post has been edited by Hamedo on 16th January 2006 20:26

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Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them.

~Pacifist Badge, 1978

Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man that I never really understood a lot about aside from what they teach you in school. And when you're young, you're innocent so you think, "At least I got a day off school."

But when you're older, your thinking gets more complex. I don't look at him so much as being the man who, through his death, won certain rights for a certain group of people. In fact, I look at him as a man who told the truth no matter how many people disagreed with him. He was able to open people's eyes through his speaking and instill peace in a man's (or woman's) heart.

When you grow up, you throw away the notion that he fought solely for the black man. In reality, he fought for everyone who could not fight for themselves no matter their race. He fought so everyone could have the same chances to succeed, live and be happy. It's a shame that it took his death for real changes to be made.

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"Knowledge is power.
Power corrupts.
Study hard; be evil."

We disscused his life at church and I learned some interesting things. I always thought at a basic sense it was cool that he helped stop oppresion when I was younger. When I got to about 12, I respected him more when I realized that he was nonviolent, but it wasn't until about three years ago that I realized just how big of a deal it was with nonviolence. When you think of all the oppression that people went through, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to stay nonviolent.

That was also about the time that I discovered that I learned that he worked for all people, proven because of him being against the Vietnam War.

I had learned interesting stories from some of the older members of my church (which is prodominetly African-American) about their towns reaction to when he died. Riots were one thing most places had in common

Edit

And I also saw Return of the King, an episode if Boondocks where Huey imagines that MLK was in a coma when shot, and came back about five years ago. He had trouble shareing his beliefs, especsially after being declared un-American after 9/11. But in the end, he made people angry, making them protest against the goverments and entertainments coruptness, ending with him dying on 2020 at 91 years, and Oprah Winfrey being president.

This post has been edited by Barrylocke on 18th January 2006 14:04

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Dead Winter. A nice comic.

Every year our school offers community volunteer projects that me and my friend would always sign up for. This year we were two of the only 10 people to volunteer through the school. I just wish more people would stop thinking of this as just a day off, even if it has lost impact over the years.

This post has been edited by FallingHeart on 18th January 2006 19:28

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"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting... fighting was the only thing I was ever good at, but at least I always fought for what I believed in." - Frank Yeager (a.k.a. Grey Fox)

Just switch the 06 to 08 in your mind.

I found a great article on ESPN I wanted to pass along today. Before the Blazers-Hawks game, the Blazers visited some important places in King's life, and J.A. Adande wrote a nice piece on it. Good read for any basketball fan.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...=Blazers-080121

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Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

please dont be offended but dont you think MLK would be completely disgusted today if he saw the way things turned out? there is not equality but fear of being called a racist, too many times people play the 'race card' if you want racism to end and equality to begin, dont you have to stop using the race card altogether?

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"Change the world? no one can do that, Im not that naive!"

Quote (Narratorway @ 16th January 2006 19:19)

Violence can be very effective at achieving goals without continuing retribution.

It's sad but true. The women's suffrage movement here in Britain wouldn't have caught up with the rest of the world if it wasn't for militancy. It's the same with pre-Soviet Russia. Nothing would have changed without violence, the protesters would just continue to be shot. South Africa is probably the most obvious. The National Party's economic problem aside, Mandela and the ANC achieved more in the few years of general militant strikes - in prison - than in the entire peaceful campaign. Wasn't the racial equality campaign in America similar to this? As far as I know, MLK was the voice of equality and respect, and it was the Black Panthers, the SNCC and the Nation of Islam who made the real changes in people's lives.

That aside, he is a great hero. I couldn't imagine standing up against the level abuse he received. A peaceful march through a poor working-class white neighbourhood in Philadelphia, after death threats, or certainly threats of violence, deserves a lot of respect.

Quote (Lune knight @ 21st January 2008 23:17)

if you want racism to end and equality to begin, dont you have to stop using the race card altogether?

I don't think it's as simple as that. Remember there are decades of inequality to rectify. I've met many South Africans who have to travel here because there is literally nothing available for unskilled white workers. Not one of them complained though.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Quote (Lune knight @ 21st January 2008 17:17)

please dont be offended but dont you think MLK would be completely disgusted today if he saw the way things turned out

Have you ever seen the MLK episode of The Boondocks? It's titled, "The Return of the King."

It is a what-if scenario of what it would be like if MLK had been in a coma, rather than dead from the attack on his life, and woke up to see the society of today.

As an episode of what I usually see as a comical series, they did a good job of keeping with their style, and with pointing out some truths. The big speech MLK gives at the finale falls into that poignant and humorous category.

I believe that episode was also nominated for some kind of award. (an emmy or something)

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

Play me on Rock Band 2, GH-WT, or any other Xbox GH!
Xbox Gamertag-MeanJerry