Today, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and an exemplar of moral engagement. He demonstrates all the criteria for moral engagement:
- He provided moral justifications for peace, fairness, and justice.
- He used accurate descriptive language when referring to the evils of racism and war.
- He compared segregation, injustice, and war to better alternatives.
- He demonstrated personal agency, accepting the responsibility to help make America a more just land.
- He was aware of the negative consequences of governmental aggression and indifference to the social problems created by unjust policies.
- He humanized and exonerated the victims of oppression and preached forgiveness for the oppressors.
His moral engagement is reflected again and again in his words. Today we present just a few examples of the lasting messages he gave us all:
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
What have you or your friends or family done to speak out against war and injustice? Send us your stories.
Finally, to listen to examples of MLK’s stirring speeches, check out these videos:
Martin Luther King – His immortal Vietnam speech
Martin Luther King preaches against war
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology