MLK was a positive force

(The following piece by Pamela Renee Goodwine was first published in Reality World Magazine in 1981. Goodwine is presently circuit court judge in Lexington, Ky. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn.)

There, there he lay--- dead, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As he lay there in a pool of blood, no one notice the woman lying there beside him, dead. Her name was segregation and this was her death.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man full of ambition, pride and dedication.  A man who must have said, "We Can", "We are Capable", "We Believe", and "We Will".   Powerful statements, evocative words. Words that mush have also been I the minds of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Sojourner Truth.  Each one very different from the other, but very much alike because each was a positive thinker.

George Washington believed a war could be won against terrible odds, and it was won.  Abraham Lincoln believed the Union could be save, and it was. Sojourner Truth saw a day when women would have equal right as men, and that day has come.  Martin Luther King, Jr. believed blacks and whites could board buses in Selma, Alabama and sit where they so desired, and he lived to see it happen.  These are results of a positive thinker.

How does one become a positive thinker?  First, realize no problems are unsolvable, there is just a lack of ideas.  Second, analyze the situation and present ideas.  Third, act upon your ideas. This act will bring about results.  Having faith in God, faith in one's nation, and faith in one's self is the key to positive results.  Mary McCleod Bethune stated in her last will and testament, "Faith is a factor in life devoted to service.  Without faith, nothing is possible, but with faith nothing is impossible."

In this world of destruction, deceit, inflation, and violence there is still hope. Hope that lies in the minds of men.  If we are to conquer the prevalent forces of this world, we must think positively.  Behind every success is endeavor; behind endeavor--ability; behind ability--knowledge; and behind knowledge--a seeker. 

Seekers with minds to dream and think can destroy the negative attitudes possessed by people of this world.  We must continue the dreams of those who died for what they believed in.  We can solve the unsolvable problems that confront us today if we just maintain a positive attitude.  We can we must, and we will if we just ask God to, "Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Photo of MLK by Dick DeMarsico, World Telegram staff photographer - public domain, Library of Congress