"...in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers."
I recently read this Nobel Peace Prize lecture given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. being recommended by a website that I frequent. I believe he was a divinely inspired man, able to understand life and the world around him a little better than most.
"Every man lives in two realms, the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live. Our problem today is that we have allowed the internal to become lost in the external. We have allowed the means by which we live to outdistance the ends for which we live. So much of modern life can be summarized in that arresting dictum of the poet Thoreau: "Improved means to an unimproved end". This is the serious predicament, the deep and haunting problem confronting modern man. If we are to survive today, our moral and spiritual "lag" must be eliminated. Enlarged material powers spell enlarged peril if there is not proportionate growth of the soul. When the "without" of man's nature subjugates the "within", dark storm clouds begin to form in the world."
These are just a few snippets of that speech. The full thing can be found by clicking here.
2 comments:
I think that as America we have led the way technologically and now we are very willing to help other nations reach their potential in that regard. But we are also leading the way down a dark immoral path, and without correction we will lead the world into the same problems we confront.
Amen! It's great to have you in class too.
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