During the Martin Luther King remembrance last year, Byron Katie wrote this. It touched me deeply and it’s worth reading again.

"One of the many things that I love and appreciate about Dr. King was his unshakable clarity of purpose. Once we have seen such inner guidance and purpose for ourselves, fear becomes secondary, and as a result one’s own body ceases to get in the way of doing and saying what’s right and true.

When he said, “I have been to the mountain top,” “my eyes have seen….” — this kind of power that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is pointing to, the kind that he continued to speak out of, became so visible to so many of us that we too felt compelled to follow him. Did we follow him, or were we following that indisputable clarity and visible strength that so many of us witnessed through him?

He didn’t fight, hate, disgrace, or do harm. He simply followed what he believed to be right and just, and invited us to join him in that. And what his eyes had seen, what he had realized, took away enough fear that his wisdom touched our core and created a movement so powerful that we still celebrate his life, courage, and conviction of equal rights, today." — Katie

As I reread Katie’s insights, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for Martin Luther King and others like him who made a difference by rising beyond what the rest of us see as impossible. Katie describes his vision of a new future as “an unshakable clarity of purpose” — an inner conviction that “we shall overcome” when the situation is untenable.

Martin Luther King’s birthday is a reminder that in both global and personal issues, we can embrace a fear-free vision of the future that includes peaceful resolution. Here's what he believed:

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Instead of warlike guns, bombs, and vehicles of destruction, the peaceful model relies on public marches, picketing, sit-ins, rallies, petitions, teach-ins, voter registration, and effective communication. 

Because passion for change can overpower reason, even our words must be nonviolent — moving and inspiring — rather than crushing and devastating.  

Thank you Dr. King for being an inspiring example of fearless clarity.

Sources: https://peacealliance.org/tools-education/peace, globalcitizen.org, thework.com,