Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Legacy of Love

Today is a day that has been set aside to celebrate the life of one of my heroes and biggest inspirations, Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the reasons I have such an immense love and respect for Martin Luther King, Jr. is because of his moral philosophy; his ideas of how humans should act and how to live a good life. I see him as a philosopher as much as he was a social activist. His moral philosophy was to live according to love, and to always help others. I would like to share a quote of his which reflects this philosophy, he stated: “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" The King advocated for his philosophy both through his words as well as his actions. His message was to always help others, to treat one another with love and compassion, and to stand up for social justice. The King stated these words: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter”.  

                                        

We live in a time when people are standing up for social justice, and are raising the issues and bringing to light the oppressive systems and the oppression of our society. It is remarkable. And while there is controversy around being “too politically correct,” we must remember the very reason why this movement is happening: to stand up for one another. While there is controversy around the #BlackLivesMatter movement, we cannot let ourselves get caught up in things such as the name of the movement.  We are in this movement, together, to stand up for those who have been made voiceless by the systems of oppression in our society. At the core of the movement is love—it is to listen, understand, and stand up and act when the freedom, the liberty, and the voices of human beings are threatened. That is standing up for social justice; that is love. When we let ourselves get caught up in the controversy, we stray away from love. While it is important to listen to all voices, the point of the movement is not to give a voice, but to provide the opportunity for the oppressed voices to be heard. It is to give the floor to those who have been made voiceless, and to listen to their experiences, and to support them. We must remember the words and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., to look at one another with love, and to stand up for social justice.