Unarmed Truth And Unconditional Love
In the audio clip below, James Corbett introduces an excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, in which King declares that “right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant“.
Although not included in the audio clip itself, I found the following excerpt from his speech to be equally compelling:
“Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize. After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time–the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts.”
“Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech – Dec. 10, 1964)
Show: The Corbett Report
Full Podcast: Episode #108 – Peace Prizes for Warmongers
Date: 11/15/09
Host: James Corbett
Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Speech: Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
Date: December 10, 1964
Location: Oslo, Norway
Excerpt: “I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of nuclear annihilation. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
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