Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Jan. 16

In honor of Martin Luther King Day Jan. 16, IPN would like to pass on some wisdom from King’s writings.  First, are six statements about nonviolence.  Second is a poem about values.

Adapted from Stride Towards Freedom by MLK; adapted from Perennial Library, Harper & Row, pp. 83-88

1.       Nonviolence is resistance to evil and oppression.  It is a human way to fight.

2.      It does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his/her friendship & understanding.

3.      The nonviolent method is an attack on the forces of evil rather than against the persons doing evil and injustice.

4.      It is the willingness to accept suffering without retaliation.

5.      A nonviolent resister avoids both external physical and internal spiritual violence- not only refuses to shoot, but also to hate, an opponent.  The ethic of real love is at the center of nonviolence.

6.      The believer in nonviolence has a deep faith in the future and the forces in the universe are seen to be on the side of the oppressed.

Values to Live By in these Times

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 darkness of annihilation.

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reprinted from Fellowship of Reconciliation