Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was silenced by forces that were threatened by the ideals for which he lived and fought vigilantly. As he stood on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, preparing for a march supporting a garbage-worker strike, King was assassinated. He was only 39 years of age, but his life was a testament of the values for which his life was taken. His death demonstrated that it was possible to die for an idea that will endure for generations. Indeed, since his death, his ideals have continued to inspire many others to pursue nonviolent approaches to resolving conflicts.
King, who was born on January 15, 1929, evolved an ever unfolding praxis which demonstrated that a struggle for justice can be waged without violence. King believed that the “unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Among the many awards which Dr. King received was the Nobel Peace prize in 1964 which was awarded to him for leading nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the U.S. When Dr. King received it, he was described as the “first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races." In 1965, King was awarded the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Committee for his "exceptional advancement of the principles of human liberty."In his acceptance remarks, King said, "Freedom is one thing. You have it all or you are not free." The historical and political context of his time makes King’s courage and commitment for nonviolence even more exemplary.
The son of a pastor, King’s faith-based beliefs was a driving force throughout his life. After graduating from a segregated high school at the age of fifteen, he studied sociology at Morehouse College, where he found additional inspiration. It was as a college student that King had his first encounter with theories of nonviolent resistance when he read Henry David Thoreau’s Essay on Civil Disobedience. “Fascinated by the idea of refusing to cooperate with an evil system, I was so deeply moved that I reread the work several times,” wrote King in “My Pilgrimage to Nonviolence.”
Jesse Jackson has described King as a unique dreamer who planted a universal vision in all of our minds; an orator who turned words and sounds into works of art and liberation anthems. King dreamed, but more critically he marched; he organized; he acted. King’s actions stemmed from a deep conviction that only nonviolence could transform the systems that perpetuated evil by institutionalizing violence and marginalizing people. He was persuaded against all odds that nonviolence was the only response which could triumph against violence. In Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance philosophy, King said he found “the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”
King, who was criticized for breaking the law in the course of his struggle for equality, made a distinction between just and unjust laws. He defined the latter as laws that a majority imposes on a minority, but not on itself. “In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law,” King wrote from jail. “That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” Indeed, King has become a beacon of light across the world, a symbol that represents the struggle for justice with nonviolence.
Given the context of the current Naga reality, what does Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. message tell the Naga people? Is he not challenging the Nagas to ask: Is it right to remain silent while all that is around us is constantly destroyed? Is it moral to accept conditions that deny us the right to live with dignity? Is he not encouraging and persuading the Nagas to dream the dream that he dreamt? Can Nagas be courageous and bold enough to think critically, embrace inclusive values and, more importantly to act upon our dreams not based on fear, but out of hope?
I have a dream that one day…….
