LESSONS FROM 'THE DREAM' OF
MARTIN LUTHER
KING Jr.
-
Dr.N.RADHAKRISHNAN
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of
Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons
of former slaves owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood….
I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today (Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963).
This speech of Martin Luther King Jr
electrified
virtually not
only those who listened and applauded him but those who read this later and
even those who heard about it. It had such passion and power that humanity
had seldom seen such an out-pouring of emotion. This historic speech and the
marching song, 'We shall overcome, We shall overcome, some day' continue
to inspire freedom fighters and human rights activists all over the world.
Martin Luther King Jr inspires as one of the immortal leaders of humanity and
has emerged as a living presence in the daily lives of both those who are able
and unable to have a 'Dream'.
This speech which has become one of the
inspiring
speeches ever
delivered could be described by no stretch of imagination as sketching of a
Utopian picture. He stressed that "the word nonviolence' is no longer an
option for intellectual analysis; it is an imperative of action".
Parallels in
Gandhi and King
What
King said about Gandhi offers very valuable insights in to his understanding of
Gandhi. He wrote,
Gandhi was probably the first person in
history to lift
the love ethic
of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective
social force on a large scale, Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social
and collective transformation. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and
nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking
for so many months.
The intellectual and moral satisfaction
that I failed to
gain from the
utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill, the revolutionary methods of Marx and
Lenin, the social contract theory of Hobbes, the 'back to nature' optimism of Rousseau,
and the superman philosophy of Nietzsche, I found in the nonviolent resistance
philosophy of Gandhi. I came to feel that this was the only morally and
practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for
freedom.
Homer A. Jack pointed out
certain obvious parallels
in the lives of
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. during the birth
centenary of Gandhi in 1969. Jack is a famous American Quaker and peace
activist. He argues that both Gandhi and King were well educated. Both married
and had four children (all sons for Gandhi, two for King). Both led large
political movements, using the method of Satyagraha. Both held no public
office, yet both exerted more power and gained more adulation than most elected
statesmen of their time. Both were charismatic. Votaries of nonviolence, both
ironically, died by the bullet. Both were acknowledged in death, and even in
life, as the greatest humanitarians of their time. The world truly grieved at
the passing of both. Both died in the very midst of their work for harmony and
amity, both feeling a sense of disappointment and not of victory.
There are more
resonances in the lives of Gandhi and
King. Gandhi was
an Asian, although he spent two decades in Africa. He never visited America.
King was born in 20 century. They never met and they never corresponded. They
had mutual friends, including Stuart Nelson and Amiya Chakravarty, although
Gandhi never knew about the existence of King. , who was 20 when Gandhi died.
Gandhi was a Hindu and King was a Christian. Gandhi was a lawyer and King was a
clergyman. Gandhi lived to 78 years; King died 39. Gandhi was the leader of the
majority of his nation; King was the leader of a minority. Gandhi was revered
the world over, yet only King received the Nobel Prize. While neither man had a
successor, Gandhi had groomed none. A decade later, Vinoba Bhave emerged as a kind
of spiritual successor to Gandhi. King had provided for succession in the
office of president of the Southern Christian Leadership conference, and Dr.
Ralph David Abernathy immediately assumed the presidency on King's
death.
It may also be remembered how Gandhi
learned
deeply from life
around him. He learned from books and from the teachings of others. He learned
chiefly from his parents and thinkers and writers such as Ruskin, Thoreau and
Tolstoy. He was modest enough to admit that he had nothing new to teach; truth
and nonviolence are as old as the hills, he said. The difference was the manner
in which he interpreted his own life which, he realized, was inescapably linked
to the countless lives of men and women not only around him but elsewhere also.
Among the
several attributes Gandhi acquired from
his various
encounters with reality were his unflinching adherence to truth, his unshakable
faith in God and his opposition to social or political structures which
militate against basic human rights. In a sense, from the moment he resolved to
travel across the seas in defiance of the excommunication threat by his own
community to the last days of his life when he opposed the physical frisking of
those attending
his prayer functions. Gandhi's epic life was one of a rebel who was prepared to
suffer for others.
Let it also be remembered that until
recently, there
was a law in the
statute books of 19 states in the United States which said that black could not
marry white folks. King rebelled against this and other forms of segregation
and injustice, just as Gandhi taught Indians in South Africa how to fight,
politely and in a civilized way, restrictions like Indians and dogs are not
allowed in restaurants and parks in South Africa. Gandhi and King are in good
company in this respect also.
If Gandhi demonstrated the infinite
frontiers of
"freedom
from fear" and stressed the importance of religion in everyday life, King
amplified the power of human will to rise in revolt against unjust man-made
barriers which denied fellow human beings their inalienable right to live in
peace, with dignity and honour.
A deeper study
of King would offer anyone further
valuable
insights and encourage him to look at King as one of the foremost champions of
human rights. Gandhi and King are complementary in several respects; both have
influenced a large number of eminent men and women in different parts of the
world. President Ikeda says about Gandhi and King:
"Armed only with an unyielding
faith in the power of
dialogue, Gandhi
and King awakened people to the sublime dignity of their own lives, as well as
the lives of others. In this way they worked to construct a spreading
solidarity of peace and non-violence, one person at a time. The struggle waged
by these two prophets of peace clearly demonstrates the path forward as we seek
to create a world free from war and violence in the 21st century."
Very few
analysts of Gandhi and King have viewed
the epic lives
and gigantic achievements of these two prophets of peace and change from this
extremely humanistic angle, as Ikeda has done. The achievements of both Gandhi
and King are all-encompassing, and to take them further in an idiom and
language that suits the temper of the people and the emerging political,
cultural, economic and social situation requires the extraordinary power of a
visionary. His roots must be fixed in tradition, but his understanding of the
validity of tradition will have to be equal to his understanding of present-day
life that is regulated by science and technology. While Gandhi was not against
science and technology perse, he was suspicious of the way science and
technology was used by vested interests to exploit human labor and perpetrate
their domination over the underprivileged.
The remarkable
line of communication that Gandhi
and King
established with the masses seems to have inspired Ikeda too in the formulation
of strategies for his numerous kosen-rufu campaigns and activities for world peace
and awareness creation. Ikeda, like Gandhi and King, is a master in
establishing instant communication with the masses. Ikeda's strategies are not
copied from any textbook. Communication is a great art. Effortless communication
with the masses is a gift. Ikeda revealed exceptional qualities as a
communicator. In an age of cell phones, e-mail, internet and fax, when
impersonal and mechanical devices dominate and control the entire gamut of the
communication process, the social reformer, moral activist, religious and
political activist find ways to create bonds with people and establish credible
lines of communication of his message reach their hearts.
Nonviolence
acquires new contours
King's
passionate intensity and total involvement in
the cause he had
identified, electrifying a generation of freedom-loving but justice-denied
citizens who rallied behind him enthusiastically, opened the vast potential of social
and political initiatives. With Gandhi and King, nonviolence particularly has
come to be recognized as a significant and dependable way for groups,
communities and whole societies to effectively tackle conflicts. Gandhi and
King's various initiatives led the public to realize there are many new
dimensions to resolving conflicts nonviolently. With Gandhi and King,
nonviolence acquired new contours; it became a positive, creative, potent and
effective instrument of individual empowerment and societal transformation.
Great men radiate greatness just as iridium
emits
light. Their
creative minds absorb hidden or latent aspects of society and adapt them for
the welfare of all people. This has been happening all the time. While Gandhi
successfully grafted traditional wisdom to create new non-violent techniques,
King adapted the Gandhian techniques of social and political mobilization in a
new idiom and phrase to suit the temperament and aspirations of Black
Americans. Gandhi provided the frame and King expanded it. King's philosophy
and methods were so effective that he convinced both the white and the black
population that violence was not a valid means of solving social problems. In this process, he
emerged as the fountain-head of resolute determination as revealed in the
marching song, 'we shall overcome... ' The translation of the song into most of
the world's languages and the adoption of King's methods for conflict
resolution are proof of the growing influences of King on humanity.
King also concentrated his efforts on
educating the
African
Americans to shed their fear and share his "Dream." Both Gandhi and
King adopted methods and strategies that not only attracted the attention and
acceptance of a large section of people who were perceived to be in the
"other group" but also involved "others" who were not
originally part of the campaigns. Actually, their movements had no adversaries.
or "enemies."
Theirs were
essentially movements of self-discovery
and empowerment,
leading to liberation and, thus, both Gandhi and King were essentially
liberators. Gandhian initiatives attracted world-wide attention as various movements
for freedom and human rights spread after World War II. King acknowledged his
indebtedness to Gandhi, as Johan Galtung pointed out:
"There are
many Gandhians, not only those who can be found in the historical Gandhi, by
interpreting him in different directions, There are also local Gandhians on all
continents, in all countries. Some of them have a name; most of them are unknown.
There are traditions on which to be built."
The conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize on
King
signified both
recognition of his electrifying leadership qualities and an admission by the
international community of the injustice done to a large segment of African
Americans and other groups. In a sense, though King's initiatives were local,
the impact was global.
In sharp contrast to both Gandhi and King,
Ikeda
gradually
expanded his activities and campaigns from Japan. The launch of world-wide kosen-rufu
witnessed a new style and a new leadership. What Ikeda said about Gandhi and
King truly applies to his own self:
"They (Gandhi and King) believed ceaselessly in
the
capacities for good that reside in the human spirit.
They uncovered and discovered the capacity for good in all people, equally and
without exception. Committed first
and foremost to the inner transformation of the individual, they worked with
vibrant energy to inspire people to bring forth their very highest, their most
noble potential."
Conscience of his generation
Calling Martin
Luther King Jr. "the conscience of
his
generation" US President Carter said, He made
our nation stronger because he made it better.
Honored by kings, he continued to his last days to
strive for a world where the poorest and humblest among us could enjoy the
fulfillment of the promises of our founding fathers.
His life informed us; his dreams sustain us yet.
Martin
Luther King Jr. was a leader who led from the front and he taught many lessons
not only those who followed him but also to those who opposed him. Vincent Harding's
assessment of King's contribution sums up the extra ordinary leadership
qualities of the slain leader,
"King lives ... we saw him facing the tanks in Tiananmen
Square, dancing on the crumbling wall of Berlin, singing in Prague, alive in
the glistening eyes of Nelson Mandela... he lives within us, right here,
wherever his message is expanded and carried out in our daily lives, wherever
his unfinished battles are taken up by our hands." (Vincent Harding, Martin Luther King, The Inconvenient Hero (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books,
1996) p. 136)
True Leadership
King's life, though it was short,
illustrated
eloquently what
is true leadership. He learned rapidly and turned out to be not only a great
leader, but a true leader- one whom most people followed easily, willingly and passionately
as Donald T. Phillips described.
While describing
what exactly is true leadership and
how does it
differ from management or dictatorship Phillips quotes James MacGregor Bums,
the author of the landmark book, Leadership:
Leadership is leaders acting - as well as
caring, inspiring
and persuading others to act-for certain shared goals
that represent the values-the wants and needs, the aspirations and
expectations--of themselves and the people they represent. And the genius of
leadership lies in the manner in which leaders care about, visualize, and act on
their own and their followers' values and motivations. (P23)
King himself
said the following on leadership
The road map for
your movement may change, but your final destination should remain the same.
Your
organization will prosper or die as a result of your ability to create, embody,
and communicate a vision.
An effective vision
may provide an effective mechanism that can truly overcome the natural human
tendency to resist change.
Leadership is
more inspiration than administration.
People derive
inspiration from their involvement.
You can't get
people to resend to anything if they aren't stimulated.
Tie your vision
to the human desire for a better tomorrow.
Call your vision
"a dream". It
will
be more meaningful, more simplistic, and more symbolic.
Make sure your
dream taps into the emotions of the people.
Your role, in
part, is to guide and give direction and philosophical under building to your
movement.
If you can't
stop for an average person in your organization, then you don't need to pursue
your lofty goals.
Tell the people
that you either go up together, or you go down together.
The question is
not "What will happen to you?" The question is "What will happen
to them?" (Donald T. Phillips, Page No: 330)
Beloved Community
Creation of the beloved community was
the core of
the Dream of
King. Bernard LaFyette Jr, a colleague of King and David C. Jehnsen 'a Kingian
trainer' have summed up the salient features of the Beloved Community dream
of King as follows:
1. The goal is
not to humiliate the opponent but to win the opponent over to a new view and
new pattern of behavior. Every human being can contribute to change.
2. The concept
of the Beloved Community appeals to the common denominator of justice, that
which everyone can agree is right or wrong in a particular situation.
3. In nonviolent
campaigns, Dr.King identified two dimensions: first, the educational and
developmental period; and second, the political and more visible direct action
phase. However, now we understand that these phases were aspects of a large
context that also had two phases; the first dealt with correcting injustice and
the
second with
producing as positive force in society to prevent the problem from ever
re-occurring.
4. Through
history, the Beloved Community was always the over-arching goal. For example,
Tolstoy wrote that the Kingdom of God is within you. Other faiths and traditions
have described a state in
which
the hearts and souls of those who seek change and use nonviolence to achieve
change.
5. The Beloved
Community concept means that we must begin living now as we think society ought
to live in the future.
6. Dr. King used
the scriptural phrase "the word became flesh and dwells among men" to
describe the concept. The living word governs our relationship[s, including
those with our opponents.
7. The
"ends and means" issue is dealt with by this principle. You cannot
achieve just ends by unjust means, nor can you use just means for achieving
unjust ends.
8. We cannot
write off persons as scapegoats for whatever reasons; they might have something
significant to contribute. They did not create the problem. The opponent is
also a victim of the conditions.
9. The values of
the Beloved Community are the values of our history and tradition. Dr. King was
effective because he believed in the democratic Judeo-Christian values of our
nation and in the universal values of a free and just social order.
10. The Beloved
Community, a framework for developing framework for developing the future, is a
context in which one can deal effectively with unjust conditions.
(The above assessment is excerpted from the 2nd chapter
of Ikeda Study Series-3 ‘Leadership Lessons From Gandhi, King Jr & Ikeda’
by Dr.N.Radhakrishnan).
