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    Where Do We Go From Here?

    By Martin Luther King Jr.

    January 18, 2021
    9 Comments
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    • ian

      By far my favorite speech of his. When I first heard it, I was driving somewhere. I pulled off into a parking lot to listen.

    • jacqueline Meyers

      A Saint, a Prophet....his words are timeless and speak to all generations.

    • Liz Rhodes

      Wise......timeless...we have so much work to do.

    • Itala

      How good and sad it is to read MLK words! bless him and bless the good tnat his words have made, even those who lived during his life and death and did not always realize the power of his words and life. I read some evil, misguided distortion of his life that affected my full appreciation of this glorious man.

    • Carol Parrat

      2018, and racism is making an ugly comeback. How very tragic and lamentable that we, as humans, either cannot or will not move on past the color of skin. The insecurities that America's one-sided capitalism has created for decades gives rise to ignorant ideas being fueled for personal gain of those in power...individuals be damned. It breaks my heart to read the beautiful sentiments stated by Mr. King so many years ago and to see that America has digressed greatly. America must change from within or the future appears bleak to say the least.

    • John Evans

      Working towards the goal for a "A Divine satisfaction" as MLK has stated, within us, will be my primary purpose, embracing all humanity as my brothers and sisters. Why put useless effort towards "about 1% of that is fresh water[...] and that ocean water requires considerable expense and energy use?" Just imagine, 2/3 of the planet is water, and the renewable sources within the earth has magnanimous potential for energy, and creating more economic wealth and jobs. King has spoken for God...listen. I like to think King speaks for a lot of people globally. And, as within this article, "Let us be dissatisfied, and men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth". Imagine the potential if we all liked each other. But, because of one sour grape, the whole bunch goes bad. Let us just try to like each other for the redemption of the only planet we have.

    • MICHAEL NACRELLI

      The planet might be 2/3 water, but only about 1% of that is fresh water. Ocean water requires considerable expense and energy use to treat to drinking water standards. Even fresh water sources require treatment and distribution systems that cost money to construct, operate, and maintain. That's why we have water bills. If drinking water were delivered free of charge, people would waste even more of it than they do now, which is hardly sound public policy. The real social justice question is why so many people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. In most cases, the problem lies with corrupt leaders that seek to enrich themselves instead of providing essential services to their citizens.

    • John M. Carpenter

      I just wish conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, X and Y would just listen to MLK, Jr and ultimately to Christ Jesus who lived, died, and was raised for all!

    • metin erdem

      Where do we go from here? Or where we must go?. We all need to establish the Kingdom of Brotherhood. We understand today once more how much we need those great people again. Martin Luther King and Mother Terasa. I have nothing to add to the speech of the Martin Luther King. But I can only repeat and follow what he said. Today we can understand him much better. We need to respect and love each other and establish the Kingdom of Brotherhood. Yes , Love is the only answer to mankind 's problems. Before love we must learn to respect each other.Yes through violance we may murder a hater but we can not murder hate through violance. We should decide to love than hate. The love is stronger than hate. We still can not answer the question 'Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two thirds water? And we all agree on that; Lets be disatisfied until that day when nobody will shout ''White power'' when nobody will shout black power but everybody will talk about God's power and human power. Martin Luther King , great person ; he believed in God and his brotherhood on earth. He prefered the Love than the hate. Today we understand once again that how much we needed the love and brotherhood. We could not understand Martin Luther King and his thoughts. We could not learn to respect and love each other. And today people are suffering. People are fighting and killing each other. This is not the world how the God wants. But we all humanity will lose until we learn to respect and love each other on this world. We should decide to love one another too as dear Martin Luther King did.

    Excerpts from King’s speech “Where Do We Go From Here?” delivered at the 11th Annual SCLC Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, August 16, 1967.

    I’m concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice; I’m concerned about brotherhood; I’m concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.

    And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn’t popular to talk about it in some circles today. And I’m not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I’m talking about a strong, demanding love. For I have seen too much hate. I’ve seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I’ve seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we aren’t moving wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality….

    Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.

    I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about “Where do we go from here?” that we must honestly face the fact that the movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. There are forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask the question, “Why are there forty million poor people in America?” And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I’m simply saying that more and more, we’ve got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life’s marketplace. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. And you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the question, “Who owns the oil?” You begin to ask the question, “Who owns the iron ore?” You begin to ask the question, “Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that’s two-thirds water?” These are words that must be said.

    Now, don’t think you have me in a bind today. I’m not talking about communism. What I’m talking about is far beyond communism. …Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social. And the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both. Now, when I say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.

    And if you will let me be a preacher just a little bit. One day, one night, a juror came to Jesus and he wanted to know what he could do to be saved. Jesus didn’t get bogged down on the kind of isolated approach of what you shouldn’t do. Jesus didn’t say, “Now Nicodemus, you must stop lying.” He didn’t say, “Nicodemus, now you must not commit adultery.” He didn’t say, “Now Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if you are doing that.” He didn’t say, “Nicodemus, you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing that excessively.” He said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic: that if a man will lie, he will steal. And if a man will steal, he will kill. So instead of just getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at him and said, “Nicodemus, you must be born again.”

    What I’m saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, “America, you must be born again!”

    In other words, “Your whole structure must be changed.” A nation that will keep people in slavery for 244 years will “thingify” them and make them things. And therefore, they will exploit them and poor people generally economically. And a nation that will exploit economically will have to have foreign investments and everything else, and it will have to use its military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together.

    What I’m saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, “America, you must be born again!”

    And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction.

    Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.

    Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice.

    Let us be dissatisfied until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.

    Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family will live in a decent, sanitary home.

    Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.

    Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.

    Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not on the basis of the color of their skin. Let us be dissatisfied.

    Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, “White Power!” when nobody will shout, “Black Power!” but everybody will talk about God’s power and human power.

    Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with his God.

    Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

    Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.

    Let us be dissatisfied, and men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth.

    Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, “White Power!” when nobody will shout, “Black Power!” but everybody will talk about God’s power and human power.

    And I must confess, my friends, that the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will still be rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. And there will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted. We may again, with tear-drenched eyes, have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. But difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future….

    When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

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    Contributed By MartinLutherKingJr Martin Luther King Jr.

    Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and activist.

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