“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When will we ever learn that this is the only lesson that matters and that everything else in this world will fall into place once we finally get this lesson into our heads.
Violence and hate are not only the wrong answers they are not answers at all. They are reactions and instincts from our distant past and primitive brains. To declare ourselves to be truly enlightened, emotionally evolved and intelligent people we must learn to answer all questions with love and light, compassion and kindness. That is why we bring children into this world: To live and learn and do better than we did…and that is what we must teach them first and foremost and above all other things.
“Think you can. Work hard. Get smart. Be kind. And have fun!” – Sandy Hook Elementary school motto
Isn’t that what we all want?
Violence and hate will never secure that for us or our children or our families or our communities or our countries or our cultures or our religions, not in any place, nor at any date nor in any time.
Teach it now. Teach it everywhere. Teach it always.
This is a beautiful, inspiring post. God bless.
LOVE this!
Beautifully written, thanks for sharing!
Quite scholarly, I must say. Very few could have put this together better. Anyone who reads this is better for it.
Thank you and thanks for visiting my blog.
Outstanding motto for all ages.
Nice post. I hope we eventually learn, but wow, it takes a lot of optimism to think that we might.
Violence is a perpetuating solution, only for the solution of no change. Great post.
I like that fact that we are children. I just reread your about. Are you a teacher, parent? Just wondering as I hung up my chalk just over a year ago. Thanks for dropping by and liking my blog.
Thanks for reading. Yes, I am a parent of 3 great children and a recently retired teacher after 33 years in the classroom.
Thanks for this post. I wish this sentiment were more apparent in the discussion around gun control. As an ex-Brit Canadian living in California, I am dismayed by much of what I read by gun advocates. Even this most recent massacre does not seem to change their tune.
I just read this blog out loud to my husband and we both agreed this is the most powerful thing we have read related to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary – my voice broke as I read the motto of the school. Thank you for this post – the quotes and the message.