Having started our unit on justice, I thought that these were appropriate. Feel free to comment.
"In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law ... That would lead to anarchy. An individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."
"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."
"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."
Martin Luther King Jr.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
"In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law ... That would lead to anarchy. An individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."
Let me start by applauding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's revolutionary achievements and ideals. He did more for this country's unrepresented citizens than many top leaders do in a lifetime. Yet I have a problem with this quote. The first issue I have is that King insists he does not "advocate evading or defying the law" because it would lead to anarchy. Yet the whole idea of civil disobedience--peaceful or not, is breaking the law (hence the title "disobedience"). I personally do not believe that it is always alright to break certain laws for the simple reason of that law conflicting with personal beliefs. Now, granted, something needed to be done about the unfair conditions for African Americans during that time period. And I understand and respect the fact that civil disobedience during this time probably did more than passive talking or lobbying. What I'm really saying, though, is that I do not believe this quote is universal. I do not believe that at any point, a person can just up and break a law because it does not coincide with their personal conscience. I think that civil disobedience is sometimes necessary when the conditions are drastic--only when they are drastic. If everybody stopped obeying certain laws because they claimed they conflicted with their personal beliefs, then this country really would be thrown into anarchy. In summary, I find it contradictory when King said that he does not advocate defying the law yet at the same time promotes civil disobedience (even though I believe it was right in that particular case). Furthermore, I don't believe this quote is universal or should be held as universal for the aforementioned reasons.
Post a Comment