This year marks the 50th anniversary of the heinous assassination of Martin Luther King jr.
Whenever I read or listen to his last public speech he gave the night before, I feel shivers running down my spine.
It sounds very much like a prescient farewell speech full of confidence (“ But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land”) mixed with sadness (“I may not get there with you”), as if he knew that his killer was already preparing his crime and his time on earth was running out.
He sounds like a modern-day Moses when he says that God has allowed him to go up to the mountain from where he could see the promised land, just as Moses did from Mount Nebo so many centuries ago. Of course, Moses did not live to see Israel enter the promised land after their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness. He died, and his task was completed. It was then up to someone else - in this case Joshua - to enter the promised land and build a future there.
The parallels to Moses are striking and have enshrined his legacy as an icon of the Civil Rights movement. What caught my attention, though, is another statement that carries a message for all of us who may not feel to own skills similar to the abilities that Dr. King did. Just before he talks about the promised land, he mentions longevity (“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place”).
Isn’t this what we strive for? Healthy, long lives, happiness way past the day we retire from work? We cannot stay beautiful and young forever, but don’t we want to enjoy life to the fullest? Isn’t this what the pursuit of happiness implies, what the commercials promise when they advertise the purchase of their desirable products? Can there even be something better, more attractive, possibly even more important than that?
For Dr. King, the answer is yes. He goes on stating he is not concerned about a long life at this moment, rather “I just want to do God’s will”. Does wanting to do God’s will top living a long life?
I cannot help but think of my father, who was born a year before Dr. King and who is still alive today. As if he had been given an offer by God, Dr. King chose doing God’s will over having a long life on earth.
How does one do God’s will?
[The quotes are taken from A Testament of Hope, ed. by James M.Washington, Harper Collins New York 1986, p. 286]
Whenever I read or listen to his last public speech he gave the night before, I feel shivers running down my spine.
It sounds very much like a prescient farewell speech full of confidence (“ But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land”) mixed with sadness (“I may not get there with you”), as if he knew that his killer was already preparing his crime and his time on earth was running out.
He sounds like a modern-day Moses when he says that God has allowed him to go up to the mountain from where he could see the promised land, just as Moses did from Mount Nebo so many centuries ago. Of course, Moses did not live to see Israel enter the promised land after their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness. He died, and his task was completed. It was then up to someone else - in this case Joshua - to enter the promised land and build a future there.
The parallels to Moses are striking and have enshrined his legacy as an icon of the Civil Rights movement. What caught my attention, though, is another statement that carries a message for all of us who may not feel to own skills similar to the abilities that Dr. King did. Just before he talks about the promised land, he mentions longevity (“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place”).
Isn’t this what we strive for? Healthy, long lives, happiness way past the day we retire from work? We cannot stay beautiful and young forever, but don’t we want to enjoy life to the fullest? Isn’t this what the pursuit of happiness implies, what the commercials promise when they advertise the purchase of their desirable products? Can there even be something better, more attractive, possibly even more important than that?
For Dr. King, the answer is yes. He goes on stating he is not concerned about a long life at this moment, rather “I just want to do God’s will”. Does wanting to do God’s will top living a long life?
I cannot help but think of my father, who was born a year before Dr. King and who is still alive today. As if he had been given an offer by God, Dr. King chose doing God’s will over having a long life on earth.
How does one do God’s will?
[The quotes are taken from A Testament of Hope, ed. by James M.Washington, Harper Collins New York 1986, p. 286]
RSS Feed