NotebookTo dare to live with great passion, with all the risks it demands: Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.
I have several blog posts in the queue for today, but I'm writing this one fresh, off the top of my head, with minimal revising, because some people you simply have to take a moment to remember, even if every other blogger in the universe is doing the same thing.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those people.
I won't say much, because much is already being said about him. But I learned something new about him this morning that I never thought of, or at least, never thought deeply about.
Upon his autopsy, the 39-year-old man was shown to have a 60-year-old heart, so intense was the stress he endured. Even had he not been assassinated, it's likely his heart would have given out within the next five to ten years, anyway.
He lived himself to an early grave.
When we remember people like Mr. King, and think back on him, we do so with admiration and honor. When we think of the great leaders and the great achievers from history whom we so love to quote, we don't remember things like 60-year-old hearts in 39-year-old men. But rarely can one come without the other.
I think we all have the desire to live with such passion. I don't think we all want to change the world or become a leader like Mr. King. Such a life is a hard one. But I think we all want to live well. For ourselves, of course. But also for those closest to us in our hearts and our lives. For our families, our parents, our brothers and sisters. For our boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives. For our friends. We want to make them proud, and we want to be proud of them.
But to live with such dedication to whatever it is we find to do—to do what we do with all our mind and soul an strength—that is no small miracle. Life is hard. And today, more than ever, it's full of distractions. Of easy access to escape. And so, so often, we take that escape with barely a thought.
So from the annals of history and from the memory of a great man I draw this simple reminder: hold nothing back. If you find something to do, do it. If you have a vision, a dream, go after it. The risk is a shorter life, for the pursuit of great dreams does have that effect. But if your life is shorter for that, then it will be immensely more full.
Final thought: Mr. King didn't do what he did to become legendary. He did what he did because he believed in something, and would not, could not, rest until he did all he could to live by that belief.
His belief was simple, a belief by which we would all do well to live:
"That one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
Reader Comments (14)
Amazing piece.
Thanks, bro.
Brandon,
Thanks for the candid and honest nature of this piece. It's potent and written wonderfully. As a writer I really appreciate how you disclosed that this was written off the top of your head and with little revision -- it set a tone of real honesty from the start that I retained while reading the whole piece.
This line resonated with me: "When we think of the great leaders and the great achievers from history whom we so love to quote, we don't remember things like 60-year-old hearts in 39-year-old men. But rarely can one come without the other."
Best,
Dave
Seems like you should write "fresh, off the top of your head, with minimal revising" more often, because this is a great post.
Thanks for encouraging/challenging my thoughts today.
"hold nothing back. If you find something to do, do it. If you have a vision, a dream, go after it. The risk is a shorter life, for the pursuit of great dreams does have that effect. But if your life is shorter for that, then it will be immensely more full. "
quite a good quote, Bran! Thanks for the food for thought :) Love you!
Thanks Dave, Kate, Heids. :) Thanks for reading!
Very Honest and Open Post. I have been compiling different blogs about MLK for my class to disect tomorrow. I'm going to add your to the list. "39-year-old man was shown to have a 60-year-old heart" rings true and I have never really looked at it that way. I do wonder how much longer after 39 would he have lived, I think King new that he would not see a full life. Great Post!!!
Awesome, thanks Brandon. Let me know what they have to say. :)
Great post. I would like to think that if I'm doing what God called me to do, achieving the goals should be relatively easy and success guaranteed. After all, I am obeying God's direction. But it doesn't seem to work that way, as you discuss in your post. Doing God's will can be difficult and demanding. It does take a toil. But the rewards are worth it--if not in this life than certainly in eternity. Martin Luther King dedicated himself to the work God called him to do and I'm certain he was rewarded to hear God say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" upon his arrival in Heaven.
Thanks for the comment, Susan.
To take it a step deeper: I don't even think it's about the reward. If we're chasing rewards, we're not going to make it. But if we're doing something that something inside of us simply has to do, then we'll create something that will last.
I think it was Leonardo da Vinci who once said something along the lines of: "Everyone who has created something great has had in themselves a divine selfishness." You don't have to be an artist to create. Where da Vinci created masterpiece sculptures and paintings, Martin Luther King created a movement that literally altered the course of history in America. And he didn't just do it for the people, or for God. He did it because something inside of him would not let him rest unless he did something.
That's what inspires me. And that's what I'm trying to pursue.
"Mr. King didn't do what he did to become legendary. He did what he did because he believed in something, and would not, could not, rest until he did all he could to live by that belief."
Great thought. Great way to live.
Excellent post.
Thank there, Dub-street.
Excellent post. MLK was an inspiration and you captured that really well.
Thanks Dustin. I really appreciate that.