Martin Luther King Jr.- the man, the dreamer

"I don't know what will happen now, we've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountain top..." 

-(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

For those of you who are unaware or simply don't give a damn, today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On April 4th, 1968 the world lost one of it's foremost non-violent freedom fighters and revolutionaries.

By now, its almost impossible not to have heard MLK's famous "I have a dream" speech, either in reference or in its entirety. But while that particular speech may serve as a testimony to the kind of man King was and what kind of vision he had for the future of Americans and anyone who struggles worldwide, it is by no means his only engaging presentation.

Thus, I will share another excerpt from a speech that King delivered in 1968, his last public speech before his own untimely assassination. In this clip King speaks about America's involvement in foreign wars, the complete dismissal of human rights, and then comments on the increasing aggression against his non-violent civil rights movement.

What is especially touching are the moments in which he almost seems to prophesize his own death:

"... I just want to do God's will. And he has allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I have looked over and I've seen the promised land.

I may not get there with you, but... we as a people WILL get to the promised land. 

... I'm not fearing any man, my eyes have seen the glory..."

(MLK)

In true MLK style, he ends the speech with a Bible quote in regards to the Vietnam War that the US was involved in at the time:
"For I was hungry and you fed me not..." (Matthew 25:35)

After watching this speech in it's entirety I'm left with some lingering thoughts:
How can a man that preached about love, equality and basic rights be seen as such a threat to the Hoover regime? And better yet, how is this same scenario being spawned out in the 21st century?

I'm especially troubled by how relevant MLK's speech is in this day and age, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
How long will we allow MLK's legacy (and by this I speak of the man behind the legend) to be tarnished by our unwillingness to improve these situations globally?

With that in mind, have a thoughtful Martin Luther King Jr. day, and please allow yourself even a few moments to reflect on his contributions, his selfless courage, and the plight that one mortal man took upon himself (because he was after all a person like you and I, and not a saint like they would have us believe) to improve the situation for himself and others...