Martin Luther King )r. Special Edition_____
V.
A CATALYST FOR PROFOUND CHANGE
(The ^ortkxnb Gfrbserüer
B y W ynne B oylan :
What essence stirred beneath
the surface of a man like Dr.
M artin Luther King, Jr. that
changed the perceptions of many
and raised the consciousness of
a nation? Who was this man who
captivated thousands and brought
humanity together at a time of
such turmoil and separation?
When we reflect upon the char­
acter of a spiritual leader like
Martin Luther Kings, we see the
qualities of an individual whose
vision transcended humanity’s
dualistic nature. When he spoke,
he captured the beauty of the
soul and provided us with a
glimpse into humanity’s higher
nature.
By operating from the heart,
through love, compassion and
empathy, the mind is restored to
clarity and our life’s purpose
begins to unfold. How are we to
arrive at this point in our devel­
opment? What is it that sepa­
rates a leader from a spiritual
leader? A leader, through pres­
ence o f pow er, can stir the
people to action and bring about
change in many ways but with­
out the balance of spirit, the
heart may be closed and one’s
actions may not be based on what
is for the good of humanity as a
whole. Instead, sacrificing the
good ot a tew tor tne suttering
of many.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a
spiritual leader because he car­
ried in his heart a vision o f peace
for the whole of humanity; all
men, women and children, all races
supporting each other through
love and mutual respect. By cul­
tivating the qualities of “human
being” he was able to achieve a
dynamic presence. Of the many
qualities that define a spiritual
leader, we can perceive seven
core qualities that are intercon­
nected and provide a foundation
for spiritual development. These
qualities are as follows:
1) Stability 2) Creativity 3)
Will 4) Love 5) Truth 6) Vision
7) Spirit.
A leader who has Stability is
one whose feet are planted
firmly on the ground. Like a
tree with roots buried deep
within the earth, they remain
stable (rooted) in spite of any
chaos and disorder that may sur­
round them. Creativity forms
the spark or flame that moves
one to action and provides an
outlet forcreative focus. The will
is the seat of internal power that
allows one to have strength of
character and place principles
before self-gratification.
Love (Higher Love) is that
which transcends physical love.
It moves us into compassion and
allows us to feel love for all of
humanity, all of creation. It is
what the Greeks identified as
A gape, love at the highest
source. This Love is the neces­
sary ingredient to bring all the
other qualities together.
Truth is a knowing and a speak­
ing o f what you believe as truth
even though it may go against
mainstream thought. It takes
courage to speak one’s truth re­
garding injustice and inhumane
acts. Vision is required if one is
to see beyond where humanity
is in order to see what humanity
has the capacity, through com­
passion and empathy, to become.
Spirit provides the inner voice,
the inspiring force that guides
and directs our actions in accor­
dance with humankind’s divine
plan. Spirit inspires us and pro­
vides us with a roadmap direct­
ing us to higher pathways of con­
sciousness. Without that inner
voice that lights the path, we
become lost, wandering in the
darkness.
Through cultivating these
seven q u alities, we becom e
more balanced within. We have
the creative spark to propel us
"A
C A LI
TO
A C T IO N
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January 19, 2000
King addresses demonstrators at Brown's Chapel on March 9 ,1 9 6 5 after their return from the bridge at Selma, Alabama., at Kings right is
Andrew Young
forward, the will to keep our ego
in check and work for
humankind’s greater good, the
heart to love with compassion
and empathy, the voice to speak
our truths, the clarity of vision to
look beyond our current state and
see what possibilities lie before
us and the spirit to guide us as we
pursue our dreams. Martin Luther
King Jr. understood the impor­
tance of operating from the heart
while maintaining a rational intel­
lect. The balance of heart and
mind brings logic and understand­
ing to each situation. He ex­
pressed this eloquently when he
wrote “One day we will learn that
the heart can never be totally
right if the head is totally wrong."
Only through the bringing to­
gether of head and heart/ intelli­
gence and goodness/ shall man
rise to a fulfillment of his true
nature.
He understood the need for
love and a compassionate nature
to temper the will and draw the
human
being
from
ego
centerdness to a state o f
in terco n n ected n ess as e v i­
denced w ith his statem en t,
“Tough mindedness without ten­
der heartedness is cold and de­
tached, leaving one’s life in a
perpetual winter devoid of the
warmth of spring and the gentle
heat of summer.” And we see
King’s commitment to a higher ex­
pression of humanity through his
communication with Spirit and his
connection with God in his words
“love is understanding, redemp­
tive goodwill for all men, so that
you love everybody, because
God loves them. You refuse to do
anything that will defeat an indi­
vidual, because you have agape
in your soul.”
Martin Luther King Jr.was a
remarkable human being. He
could see, with an inner vision,
the transcendence of our species
as he spoke regarding hate,
“When you start hating any­
body, it destroys the very center
of your creative response to life
and the universe; so love every­
body. Hate at any point is a can­
cer that gnaws away at the very
vital center of your life and your
existence. It is like eroding acid
that eats away the best and the
objective center of your life.”
“We must discover the power
of love, the redemptive power
of love. And when we discover
that, we will be able to make this
world a new world.”
These words are a call to ac­
tion. We cannot read these
words without knowing in our
hearts that each us must make
the necessary changes within
ourselves in order to be a light
unto others.
Pepsi is proud to be a part o f the
Commemoration, o f the Blue-Print Created
by Martin Luther King, Jr., fo r Social
Justice fo r all Americans. •
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