Elements that Compose a Justified Life - Essay Example

Aside from the material things that people aim for in life, there are more important qualities necessary to live life to the fullest. We can find these elements in the lives of the secular saints. Simone Weil, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa have common qualities that make them exemplary. The elements of self-denial, service, and spiritual enlightenment can be seen in the lives of these persons. Their reputations are founded on these qualities that enabled them to be considered as living saints.

Although Weil, King, and Mother Teresa came from respectable and affluent families, they denied themselves reaching out to others. Simone Weil exercised “detachment from material things” (“Simone Weil”, Wikipedia). In the latter part of her life, she was still actively involved in her social projects despite her physical suffering. Martin Luther King also sacrificed time and his safety just to help fellow black Americans gain their rights as citizens of the United States of America (Carson, “Biography of Martin Luther King Jr).

Mother Teresa left home and school in exchange for the slums of India (“Mother Teresa – Biography”, Nobelprize.org). This ability to deny self for the benefit of others is rare among people. But during those times when underprivileged people were neglected, these three persons were willing to sacrifice. Because of their self-denial, they served people with all heart, mind, and soul. This kind of service arose from their inner desire to help alleviate the sufferings of their fellowmen. Weil aided the working class in the demand for their social rights, even joining a local factory just to experience the lives of these people (“Simone Weil”, Wikipedia).

King, despite the “increasing resistance he encountered from political leaders” – which could be the reason for his death - continued his objectives for the benefit of black Americans (Carson, “Biography of Martin Luther King Jr). Teresa devoted her resources to India’s “poorest of the poor” (“Mother Teresa – Biography”, Nobelprize.org). Their labor of love resulted in fruits that other people cannot harvest by simply doing mediocre service. Their exceptional services were possible because of one important element deemed very necessary among saints – spiritual enlightenment.

Weil experienced being touched by the Divine when she first prayed in the spring of 1937 at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (“Simone Weil”, Wikipedia). After this event, she grew more determined to finish what she started despite the physical limitations brought by her disease. King prayed earnestly during his participation in the bus boycotts (Carson, “Biography of Martin Luther King Jr). Although he had a good foundation, this occasion gave him the spiritual spark that allowed him to face the risks of being an advocate.

Mother Teresa was only twelve years old when she felt the call of God (“Mother Teresa – Biography”, Nobelprize.org). From her calling to her death, she depended on Divine Providence for her sustenance. These persons were willing to deny themselves and serve others because they considered more importantly the higher vocation given to them by the Divine. These three special elements present in the lives of Weil, King, and Teresa are unique. The blending of these elements compounded to a life that aspires, not for material possessions, but for love, justice, and equity.

This hope for justice fueled them to reach further than where the average human goes. The ancient Greeks had a justice philosophy whereon Weil based her ideology. The philosophers from ancient Greeks suggested that “only the wisest man and women should rule the people” (Elsai, “Greek Philosophy”). This was evident in Weil’s life when she mentioned that “Plato is the most representative of this tradition” (Bergery, “Simone Weil”). We can also find similar beliefs in King and Teresa’s life. They used their intelligence to move people. They used their wisdom to facilitate justice for people.