Martin Luther King Jr. was a bringer of salvation to the black community, a humble man with selfless ambitions. Mr. King had so many great words that he shared openly with all who would listen, yet so many people in today’s generation can barely grasp the full scope of his words and his sacrifices.

Why did Mr. King sacrifice so much when he did not have to? That is a question that may be answered through a look at his lifestyle and philosophy. King had everything an African-American man in the 60’s could dream of: a house, well-paying job, beautiful wife and loving children. The reason he gave up everything is because his culture, his people, his brothers and sisters needed someone’s love and leadership. This was a burden that only Mr. King could carry; he became the Atlas of his people.

The iconic ‘I have a Dream‘ speech echoes through the fabric of history and stands as the highlight of the American Civil Rights movement, but many things had to happen before this speech was delivered. If we, as a society, truly observed King we would realize that his dream was dreamt in despair and in sadness as he watched the cruelty his people had to endure. King displayed that not all dreams are created in comfort and kind environments, sometimes they are born out of desperation.

Mr. King had a light that shown through the darkest of tunnels, that persevered through the coldest of nights, that endured not because he wanted to, but because it had to. He stood when no one else would, he marched even if no one would. The greatness of this man is immeasurable; it is a shame that this generation neglects the morals of that he stood for.

Perhaps the reason why his purpose and sacrifice and other great works are seemingly ignored is because our society no longer values what Mr. King valued. Mr. King stood for something, but now in todays society standing for anything, or making definitive statements; is frowned upon. Some of us even believe that moral absolutes are an artifact of an inferior time and no longer serve a purpose. That the only absolute we need to care about is our own “happiness”.

If we continue down this path; where pleasure is all that matters; then we will see a truly dark world. Learn from the example Mr. King gave to us, stand for something. Stand for your moral absolutes, do not fall prey to the apathy and selfishness that has swept through our nation like a plague. Stand as Mr. King stood, then maybe, just maybe we could come to understand the gravity of all of his words.

For information on MLK, make sure to read the CNN article “The greatest MLK speeches you never heard“.

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For more opinions, read the Jan. 21 article, COLUMN: Pushing through.