Martin Luther King, nonviolence activist

Educated, elegant, he danced excellently and easily got along with people. Martin Luther King in his youth looked more like a typical intellectual elite than a third-generation Baptist preacher. He grew up in downtown Atlanta, a highly segregated city. But his childhood and youth in the patriarchal family of black southerners were happy and prosperous. So he could well close his eyes to manifestations of social injustice and just wait until the wheel of history turns by itself. He could, like many others, declare a bloody war on inequality. But he had the courage to fight and was smart enough to do it peacefully.

From childhood he was prepared for the pastorate. But he was looking for his way. I wanted to become a doctor to save people’s lives. Then a lawyer to defend them. Disillusioned with the judicial system, he realized that preaching is his only weapon in the fight against injustice, which must be waged here and now in order to bring a happy future closer. He professed the principle of non-resistance to evil by violence, proclaimed by Gandhi, but rethought it according to Christian dogmas. Thanks to King, non-violence has become a psychological norm and an effective means of changing people’s minds. And his dream that “someday in the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and former slave owners will be able to sit together at a brotherly table” has come true, and America is grateful to him: by decision of Congress, the United States annually celebrates a national holiday – Martin Luther King Day .

Read more:

• Martin Luther King on conscience

Keys to Understanding

Personality grows in struggle

God is “a creative personal force that governs the universe, constituting the basis and essence of any reality … History is ultimately subject to spirit, not matter.” Every person is a son of God, not a means to an end. It is “in itself both a means and an end.” Personality is not a given value or an unchanging entity, on the contrary, it finds itself and reveals itself only in the process of struggle and personal growth.

Fight ideas, not people

Unfair, aggressive, cruel people are only victims of their own cruelty. They are not free, they are slaves of their society, their past and their prejudices. But this does not mean that we have to put up with violence and injustice. Not! They must be fought. But at the same time, one must learn to forgive people who commit acts of violence or call for them. Fighting them peacefully is the only way to fundamentally change social foundations and personal consciousness.

Dream as a guide to action

In the famous speech “I dream that one day …” King formulated his great dream (of freedom, equality and brotherhood for black and white citizens of the United States). He eventually managed to realize it, following Christian principles: “Our method requires persuading people, not coercing them. We want people to listen to their conscience. In our actions we must follow the highest principles of our Christian faith. We must be guided by love for our neighbor.”

Pacifism is for the brave

“True pacifism is not non-resistance to evil, it is a struggle against evil in peaceful ways. Such a struggle does not imply humility and submission, and it cannot be taken as a temporary measure. Fighting within the confines of pacifism is a way of life to which people come for the simple reason that only it meets moral principles. Even in moments of doubt about the correctness of your path, when your own life is in danger, you need to renounce violence: “If you suddenly find out one day that I am dead, I want you not to commit any acts of violence in response. I implore you to continue protesting with the dignity and discipline you have already shown.”