“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
I’m sure I’ve told you before that Martin Luther King, Jr is one of my all-time heroes. He was, without doubt, one of the most powerful human forces our world has ever seen. Yet, at the same time, there was a gentleness about him that suggested he would be one of the rare people who’d allow a fly to live rather than swat it.
His desire was a simple enough desire. He wanted everyone to get along and live together peacefully. He wanted people to be judged on their character, not their race. He didn’t want to beat anyone down, shame anyone or punish them. He devoted his life to raising people up, honoring them and rewarding them with lives infinitely more fulfilling.
The fact that he witnessed the vilest of hate yet didn’t allow it to rub off on his own hands tells us a great deal about the nature of this man.
Hatred destroys and disfigures. It becomes so completely powerful that it consumes its owner. If you’ve ever seen unreasonable hatred in action before, you know just how ugly it is.
It’s like a plaid jacket from the 70s - It doesn’t look good on anyone.
