In order to stop racism you must first star at the home. Bigotry and racism are the types of beliefs that are brought up through families. If a child is raised in a racist home than that child is likely to carry those beliefs with him or her and eventually on to their children. In order to stop this cycle you must start with the children. It is easier to implement your ideals on a child than to change the opinions of an adult. Then you must give it time. It is only over time that any results will take place.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a pacifist that would not stand for physical confrontation. Instead he repelled bigotry with “soul force.” This meant that he would use his spirit to overcome anyone that stood in his way towards equality. It was through his belief in God and his self-determination that allowed Dr. King to carry on with the movement. Dr. King felt that a violent retaliation would only harm the civil rights movement. To give in to the hatred would mean you are sinking to the same level of the people who are repressing you.
Through Dr. King’s language from the bible he is able to reach a common ground that many people can identify with. This is especially evident in the 1960’s because there was a deep-rooted sense of religion. Also, with this approach Dr. King adds a wholesome appeal to his speech. By using religion he isn’t ranting, but rather preaching. His words and his passion seem as though God guides them. The religious factor also appears to add importance to his speech.
Both of these men base their religious backgrounds for each of their social beliefs and the paths they have chosen in life. They portray these aspirations through the quotes they use. Mr. Feuerstein say’s, “ In a situation where there is no righteous person, try to be a righteous person.” He means when there is a situation like his where hope seems lost you should never lose faith. That you should be the person to step forward and take responsibility. Dr. King states, “ With his faith we will be able to hew out of the Mountain of despair a stone of hope.” This reiterates the point being made by Mr. Feuerstein. Both of these men inspire hope for a better life and use scripture and their faith in order to prove this.
Dr. King’s vision is of a day where a person isn’t judged based on the color of their skin or on their religious beliefs, but on who they are inside. We, as a society, have come a long way since Dr. King’s day. Today black and white people attend the same schools, black people are able to obtain the same jobs as white people, and some hold positions in the United States Government. On the other hand some privately owned golf courses are still white only, many black people are at a disadvantage in the work place, and black people are greatly outnumbered in our government. As you can see great progress has been made, but the fight towards equality is not over.
I can not cite a specific example of an issue I would demonstrate in a public way. I can say that I would stand for anything that that I truly believed in. I would also partially base my decision on whether or not this issue affected me personally. This may seem a little pretentious, but let me explain. Elephants are being hunted everyday for their ivory tusks. There is no question that this is wrong. There is also no chance of me going out and joining the fight against these hunters. It is not based on the fact of whether or not it is right or wrong. It is based on the fact that I don’t care enough to stop it.
I have interests in both history and morality. History allows us to reflect on the past to learn for the future. Morality is something I personally hold close. I have always been the type of person that does what is morally correct. I rarely lie, I don’t steal, I don’t cheat, I never go behind the back of a friend, and I have always been faithful to every girl I have ever been with. I don’t think of any of these as ever being difficult choices. I believe the type of person you are morally is a direct reflection of your upbringing.
The views of the American Dream shared by both of these men are not quite the same. Dr. King’s dream is to one-day not see any racial boundaries set upon any man or woman. To see a time when black people and white people are not seen as black people and white people, but only as people. Mr. Feuerstein’s believes the American Dream is not to trade profit for his workers. He understands that downsizing and decreasing his wages is not the way to conduct business. These ideals may appear different, but the both contain the same vision of people being treated fairly.
The person I admire the most in my life would be, without question, my mother. She is the kindest and sweetest soul I have ever met. They say a mother would go to the ends of the world for her children. If this statement is true then my mother would go twice. She spent most of her life being a full time mom raising eight children and then she would work the graveyard shift at work. She wouldn’t complain and she wouldn’t break. She kept on doing what needed to be done. My mother is the emotional backbone in my family. If anyone ever has a problem in the family she is the first person to talk to. I owe my life to her. Everything I am today is because of what she has instilled in me. She is my inspiration and my role model.
