"But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid."
Martin Luther King Jr. is trying to push our understanding of a concept. Any time you stretch people's perceptions you have to start at the beginning. You cannot just open an argument without setting forth the context and the specific point you wish to prove. King was asked a very simple question, albeit implicitly, by the clergymen of Birmingham Who are you and why are you here? King started with the simple answer: I was asked (but that's not his real answer). This paragraph makes clear that King would be here even if he was not asked. "I am in Birmingham because injustice is here." Once again, this is a point that's hard to argue against. Birmingham, Alabama was the most segregated town in America in 1963. Birmingham has a sheriff who refused to leave office after losing an election. It had a governor that declared "segregation today, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever". A man who would stand in front of the University doors to deny access to African American students. King is creating building blocks to get us somewhere. So.... A. I was asked to be here. (I never actually confirmed this but we'll go with check) B. Injustice is here. (Check) C. I feel COMPELLED to fight this injustice. To justify this compulsion, King goes to his wheelhouse--The Bible. First and foremost, King is a preacher, a man of God. If he is going to use historical precedence what better place to start....especially when you are responding to clergymen! Using the apostles spreading the good word of Jesus has evolved into what King calls "the gospel of freedom". The Bible is clear, being a good Christian means spreading the good word, performing the actions of Christ in the community, not just hiding it to yourself. King is framing his "untimely and unwisely actions" as an extension of Christian purpose, not more sinister reasons like notoriety or hubris. Indeed, using a word like "compel" makes it clear that King sees no choice in the matter. In a perfect world he may not choose to do this, but he has committed himself to fight against injustice and thus his battle will never end. Today's incarnation is Birmingham. In a sense of the "gospel of freedom" is being enslaved towards a journey to free all. This sense of a never-ending battle is confirmed in the next paragraph: "Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds." Now King is making a bold leap A. I am here because I was invited, (Check) B. There is injustice here. (Check) C. I feel compelled to fight injustice. (Good on ya, mate) D. We are all compelled to fight injustice because I am affected by things that do not directly impact me. (HOLD UP...I have to do stuff?) Notice that if King has started at D, many people would have dismissed his response to the clergymen. Who cares if there are people dying and starving across the world? What can I do? Yeah there are homeless people in my community but they had their opportunity and wasted it. Wouldn't it be wiser to deal with YOUR problems in YOUR community first? King breaks down these barriers and identities by creating an amazing image: a single garment of destiny. These words are beautiful but are they accurate? Is injustice anywhere really a threat to justice in general? Will Syria's instability ever really threaten an affluent American suburb? Am I really in a network of mutuality that I cannot escape? I thought we were spreading freedom, not commitment. Once again, the positive, loving preacher is not exactly using the most positive words to describe his position. We are COMPELLED to help, we cannot ESCAPE this network. I mean it does sound scary, my justice may depend on people I do not know in a place I have never visited doing things I may not know about??? That sounds more like a horror film than the soaring rhetoric I hear from Dr. King in "I Have a Dream" (spoiler alert: just four months after this letter). Shouldn't he be saying that our common brotherhood is a good thing? Where is the rosy, sunshiny King I learned about in grammar school? Could it be that fighting for rights is more than sunshine and rainbows? I mean the idea of a struggle for rights makes sense because history has taught us this but why does it make sense? If it's such a good thing for all people to have rights won't nature support our single garment of destiny? Won't we WANT to maintain it, look after it and therefore there would be no problems or stress involved since it is in everyone's best interest to look after and care for one another? King would probably go to the Christian reason of sin for why this is not the case. Humans are constantly battling the demons of selfishness, avarice and gluttony. So they are inclined to be apathetic towards the struggles of others. Thomas Hobbes would certainly agree with this position of human moral degradation as well. Yet this seems incomplete for me. I do not think it is natural to live life so myopically. What makes King different from everyone else? Why would others not take on the mantle of fighting against injustice? Don't get me wrong, many do! They ignore their selfishness and sacrifice for others. Humans sacrifice for one another EVERY DAY and yet we turn a blind eye to injustice in other places across the world. Is it because we feel helpless? Are we scared of the personal toll fighting ALL these battles would take? Do we feel a great commitment to certain groups than others? A single garment of destiny is really another way of saying a team. Some teams thrive. People know their roles and work together to reach a common purpose. Some teams do not survive, especially when facing adversity. Egos can get in the way, others can show anger at others not doing "their part". The bickering withers away the bonds of the team and it ends up imploding. How can we ensure that humanity follows option 1 and not option 2? Do you really agree that we are ALL tied in this network of mutuality? How can I really know this when the garment goes beyond what I can see and know? What is my commitment/responsibility to the garment? Am I supposed to fight in EVERY battle in EVERY place? Am I supposed to sacrifice all my time and effort to go around and crusade like Dr. King? What is the danger of isolation? Am I living in delusion? Is that so bad? Please comment because I am asking too many questions and I need input.
2 Comments
Sara K
6/18/2017 07:14:19 am
You've covered one of my favorite quotes of all time: "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." I interpret it as a way of pushing individuals outside of their natural default setting, which consists of a self centering attitude that's apathetic towards the everyday struggles of those around them. I see it as an emphasis on the value of awareness. (David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" speech addresses this concept really well). Being able to recognize and fight against injustice when it's outside your field of vision is crucial to maintaining a good and civil society. Because it means that people are looking past themselves and are AWARE of the obstacles facing others. It forces us to be consistent with our outrage. And how could injustice flourish in such an environment? Where everyone is willing to fight against injustice that doesn't affect them? Now, I agree this is a daunting and exhausting task, but I think you're already doing more than what's expected just by being aware.
Reply
Mr Gibson
6/22/2017 12:28:55 pm
Always appreciate the comment! I also appreciate the "This is Water" reference that you students taught me about (via an assist from Mr. Giesy). As an educator I am in the awareness business, that's a big chunk of my job. It just doesn't always feel like enough since outrage and awareness only go so far. That's one of the tough things I think, you lead students to the awareness and then they must ultimately decide what to do with this info. Still, knowing that at least one person reads these things helps so thanks!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMrG_Unit Archives
June 2017
Categories |