Martin Luthor King was killed on April 4, 1968. Now 49 years later I think of him and how he changed and how he didn't change things.
Martin decided to be the change that he wanted to see in the world, like Ghandi. He believed that hatred does not defeat hatred, that violence does not bring peace. Along the way he met the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, just two times, but between them they shared a sense of each other's holiness and a shared vision. The year after Martin received the Nobel Peace prize, he nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the prize. In Vietnam, Martin is considered a bodhisattva, a Buddhist term for someone who has woken up, who has achieved enlightenment, and chooses to devote their life to helping all other beings awaken.
Martin Luther King and Thich Nhat Hanh |
Martin worked to end
The work isn't done. There is still hatred and division and judgment, but there are also people inspired by MLK to continue to work for peace.
The bonds of racism
The scourge of hatred
And bring
Us closer
To a world
Where all men
Could be free.
The work isn't done. There is still hatred and division and judgment, but there are also people inspired by MLK to continue to work for peace.