Power in Writing

To me life has always been a matter of constant questioning through the never-ending process of thinking. Because I am not alone in this process, I have always thought it wise to take in from others’ thoughts and writings. Words that have had profound meaning to me are words I am currently memorizing in a speech I am soon to perform. They come from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and speak to me not only because they are concerning a minority but also because they speak of injustice, which concerns minorities and majorities alike.

I was practicing my recital of the famous words of the Doctor who helped heal America of segregation and inequity. The problem with memorizing speeches, or in this case, a letter written on the margins of newspapers from Birmingham City Jail, is that sometimes the words become just that: words. Exactly this happened in my case, and I was focusing more on remembering the next line than on the sheer power of words that came from the middle of struggle and pain and suffering that were not learned but actually felt—and lived.

What saved me from the unbearable crime of memorizing such powerful words without taking in the deeper meaning was the way in which they were written. They were written with such eloquence and craft that it was impossible to ignore the emotion that the author felt upon writing them. It was inevitable that I too should feel the impatience of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and as I finished reciting “there comes a time when men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice, where they experience the darkness of corroding despair” from memory, I not only spoke them, but felt them. I felt that despair and that complete helplessness in which any way you turn there is darkness. And I’ll admit that it wasn’t a very pleasant feeling, but it was a true, authentic feeling. It was reality, and it was exposed.

This instills in me a great amount of both hope and responsibility. Hope because while there are still many dark abysses that we have yet to fill radiant light, I now know that it is a definite possibility. And responsibility because knowing the extent of the change Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., brought with his words, I can’t help but pursue my own quest for change. As long as I have a sound mind and a pen with which to write, I am compelled to continue this process of thinking and questioning, and settling for nothing short of unbounded revolution through writing with words of expressive passion.