Martin Luther King's Dream - Essay Example

Martin Luther King's Dream Although all of the information that was engaged during the course of this semester was of course important, it is the belief of this individual student that perhaps the most important content is with relation to the Civil Rights movement and the manner through which African Americans were able to achieve some degree of parity with whites in society. The rational for this being an issue of such great importance is contingent upon the fact that democracy itself has little if any meaning unless it is applicable to the least and the greatest individuals within society. As such, the Civil Rights movement, and specifically the work of Dr. Martin Luther King are elements that cannot be understated. Whereas a litany of different figures could have been chosen to have provided definitive changes to the world as we know it, whereas philosophers and writers have been able to impact upon the way in which individuals view certain issues, whereas songwriters and popular culture icons have been able to integrate with the emotions and affections of entire generations, it is the belief of this author that the change which was evoked by Martin Luther King is of much greater importance and long-lasting impact than many other leaders, philosophers, or pop-culture icons could have been able to offer. As a function of attempting to prove this point to the reader, the following analysis will be concentric upon providing many of the accomplishments that Martin Luther King realized during his life and draw a clear level of comparison with respect to the fact that these accomplishments, taken as a whole, stood apart from the rest of the individuals during his time, and indeed sense, and represented individual whose strength and perseverance are not only admirable but something which should be desired within the current time. Firstly, it should be stated that few if any individuals in the modern world are able to attain a level of education or expertise at such a young age as did Martin Luther King Junior. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 18. Whereas it is true that certain individuals within the modern world are able to accrue a great deal of education and expertise at a relatively young age, Martin Luther King was not only able to become an ordained clergyman within his community, he was also the youngest person ever to receive and Nobel Peace Prize for his work in seeking to end racial segregation (Hinds 469). As can readily be noted, the ability to dedicate himself to his studies and to the cause in question allowed for Martin Luther King to be an admirable character that this student understands as penultimate to the American democratic experience. Yet, one of the largest reasons for why Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical figure that stands apart is due to the fact that he struggled tirelessly and fearlessly for the rights of his fellow man; the very epitome of democracy. Whereas many individuals during the time period were caught up in returning hatred for hatred, Martin Luther King Jr. was focused upon using nonviolent methods and leading a peaceful civil rights that would channel the same approach that Thoreau and Gandhi had used to such great effect (King 33). Whereas it might have been easy to fall victim to the desire for seeking revenge and demanding a level of immediate and violent revolution on the part of the disenfranchised population of the United States, King was able to resist this temptation and take the higher path; aspects of character and virtue that are extraordinarily rare and extremely appealing to this individual author. Such as yet, King’s most notable achievement is not with regards to the fact that he was merely a participant in the nonviolent civil rights movement of the mid-20th century; rather, his most notable achievement is with respect to the fact that he led this civil rights movement and carefully and painstakingly sought the ways in which it could be promoted so that it could affect the greatest benefit towards the exhibition of civil rights within the United States. Naturally, King was fully aware of the fact that civil rights it was most severely inhibited within the southern states. Rather than seeking to engage the entire nation and a focus the discussion of civil rights, King instead realized that the most effective approach would be to focus upon the areas in the nation that exhibited the most repressive civil rights laws and had the greatest number of violations. However, this was most certainly not be easy way out. Rather, this was an inherently dangerous business that ultimately cost King his life. It should be noted that in seeking to define and promote an understanding of civil rights throughout the United States, and indeed the world for that matter, King was intimately aware of the inherent threat to his life that existed. However, rather than letting this deter him, King oftentimes groups workers denoting the fact that this threat to his life should not serve as a means of redirecting the energies that the civil rights movement must necessarily exert within the given time period. Accordingly, King continually represented a level of clear thinking, perseverance, heroism, and bravery that a few individuals throughout the world have ever been able to exhibit. As a direct result of this, leaders of important movements since Martin Luther King Jr. assassination have integrated with his understanding and means of approach; realizing that selflessness determination and dedication to one’s goal can oftentimes create a synergy through which the movement can experience a greater degree of growth that it would have ever experienced had the individual approach the issue through any other mechanism. Although it is impossible to state that any one specific historical figure is “more important” than another, due to the fact that such a statement would most obviously be subjective, it is possible to to realize that the goals of democratic theory and understanding were the very same goals of equality and parity that Dr. Martin Luther King so tirelessly fought for. Such a selfless attitude and desire to benefit the lives of others, regardless of the personal cost that it may engender, is something that is sorely lacking in the current world. As more and more individuals throughout the community are focused solely upon accruing wealth and deriving a level of personal benefit, the actions and desires of individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr. have largely gone extinct. Whereas it is true that the Civil Rights movement is still ongoing, many of the individuals now associated with it are merely engaging with it as a means of self promotion or the accrual of personal wealth. This of course only further illustrates the lasting impact that a leader such as Dr. King is able to have upon the world. Work Cited Hinds, Jay-Paul. "The Prophet's Wish: A Freudian Interpretation Of Martin Luther King's Dream." Pastoral Psychology 61.4 (2012): 467-484. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Read More