On October 26, 1967, six months before his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. visited Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address a group of students. What follows is an excerpt from that historic speech:
“I want to suggest some of the things that should be in your life’s blueprint. Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth, and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”
“Secondly, in your life’s blueprint, you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. As the days and years unfold, you will decide what you will do in life—what your life’s work will be.”
“And finally, in your life’s blueprint must be a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love, and justice. Don’t allow anybody to pull you so low as to make you hate them.”
To be born as a human being on this planet is a profound privilege. We are creations of a cosmic superconsciousness, which many call God by different names. It is a gift to breathe freely in this world. Every one of us has the full right to live a life of dignity and freedom—without infringing upon others and while respecting their lives. No one is inherently “His Highness” or “Her Highness” above us. The sacred bond is between us and our Creator, to whom we owe a debt.
The Prophet’s Teachings on Human Equality
In his Farewell Sermon on Mount Arafat in 632 CE, Prophet Muhammad proclaimed a message that dismantled all notions of racial and tribal superiority. He declared:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; likewise, a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white—except by piety and good action.”
This was not just revolutionary for 7th-century Arabia—it remains even revolutionary today.
The Guiding Principles of Life
This message should be guiding principle in everyone’s life. We should never let anyone simply walk all over us. Be humble toward the kind and a fighter against the aggressor. We should never allow anyone to disrespect us and simply move on. If someone does, we should not let them go without shaking their delusion. People say we need to earn respect—that is the ideal of the weak. We cannot earn respect from an aggressor; we must command it through truth and justice.
Dignity on the World Stage
A leader of a nation is no different in this regard. In many ways, a national leader represents the collective consciousness of the majority of that country. When a leader from another country attempts to bully us, we should not be intimidated. Rather, it is the leader’s duty to safeguard their own dignity and that of their people.
As the great poet and scholar Rumi said:
“Do not sell your soul in exchange for anything; this is the only thing you have brought into this world, and the only thing you can take back.”
What is the point of living a longer life by selling our soul, if it is merely a routine of eating, drinking, mating, sleeping, and repeating—all while living as a slave without inherent dignity?
faznotes.com 
Leave a comment