Dear Editor:
In 1967, a book entitled
”
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
”
by Dr. Martin Luther King was published.
Dear Editor:
In 1967, a book entitled “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” by Dr. Martin Luther King was published. The last chapter of the book, “The World House,” may be the best summations of Dr. King’s teaching and much of its content was included in his acceptance speech when he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet this work of Dr. King’s is not very well known.
The essay begins by suggesting that we have inherited a “world house” in which we must somehow live together in peace – a family widely separated by ideas, cultures, and interest. Dr. King wrote that “if we do not learn to live together as brothers and sisters, then we will perish as fools.”
He stated that “we suffer from a poverty of the spirit that stands in sharp contrast to our scientific and technological advances. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become both morally and spiritually.”
The message of Dr. King calls us to: 1) “transcend tribe, race, class, nation, and religion to embrace the vision of a World House; 2) eradicate at home and globally the Triple Evils of racism, poverty, and militarism; 3) curb excessive materialism and shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘people-oriented’ society; and 4) resist social injustice and resolve conflicts in the spirit of love embodied in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence, especially supporting the United Nations to use the tool of nonviolent direct action.”
Written nearly 40 years ago, Dr. King prophetic challenge and vision for our future is more relevant than ever. As we remember his life and message, may the hopes and fears of Dr. King give us pause for introspection and may his cause for human compassion resonate in all our hearts.
Mike Monroe, Gilroy
Submitted Wednesday, Jan. 14 to ed****@****ic.com
