I realize that I am a day late on this post, but a man such as Martin Luther King, Jr. warrants accolade and recognition on any given day. He was an architect of freedom and equality in America at a time when she was behind the veil of discrimination and prejudice. He fought the good fight, even unto death, and unveiled truth to this nation as a result. It is clear that all of us still have a long way to go to arrive at Dr. King’s ideal society,”the beloved community,” in which love and trust triumph over fear and hatred, but he was the catalyst that tore down barriers and replaced them with shared space.
Dr. King taught on agape love a number of times and it is this specific kind of love that he practiced and that we must continue in to further precipitate change. As King explained in his speech, “The Power of Non-violence,” addressed to the University of California at Berkeley on June 4, 1957, agape is one of the types of love used in the Greek language. Unlike eros (romantic love) and philia (reciprocal brotherly love), agape is a sacrificial love: “The love of God working in the minds of men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return.”
Agape is the shining beacon of the most noble, and most rare, love. It melts even the hardest of hearts and stops men in their tracks when it is acted upon. Oftentimes it shines forth in dire circumstances when a pervasive darkness creates stark contrast to any true light that emits from within. Think 9/11– courageous men and women put themselves in harm’s way to save others; sometimes complete strangers. Agape love is heroic!
However, it is often the ordinary times when the stress of life rests on our shoulders that we default to a more suspicious, self-seeking existence. We are quick to polarize and demonize people who are different than us. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with discord, we allow it to fester into hate. Dr. King made a great argument to combat this slippery slope mentality at an address to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on April 19, 1961:
“I think that this is what Jesus meant when he said, ‘Love your enemies,’ and I’m so happy that he didn’t say, ‘Like your enemies,’ because it is difficult to like some people… Like is sentimental and affectionate , but love is understanding,creative, redemptive good will for all men.”
So, though there are many divisive issues in this day and age, let’s continue Dr. King’s legacy of loving each other in spite of our differences. Let’s focus on positive and transformative change and not stoop to the position of attacking the character of our opponents. With God’s grace, I, like Martin Luther King, Jr., believe that this isn’t the stuff of an unattainable utopia, but is possible and a goal that we should all attain to.
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