In order to stop racism you must first star at the home. Bigotry and racism are
the types of beliefs that are brought up through families. If a child is raised
in a racist home than that child is likely to carry those beliefs with him or
her and eventually on to their children. In order to stop this cycle you must
start with the children. It is easier to implement your ideals on a child than
to change the opinions of an adult. Then you must give it time. It is only over
time that any results will take place. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pacifist
that would not stand for physical confrontation. Instead he repelled bigotry
with “soul force.” This meant that he would use his spirit to overcome
anyone that stood in his way towards equality. It was through his belief in God
and his self-determination that allowed Dr. King to carry on with the movement.
Dr. King felt that a violent retaliation would only harm the civil rights
movement. To give in to the hatred would mean you are sinking to the same level
of the people who are repressing you. Through Dr. King’s language from the
bible he is able to reach a common ground that many people can identify with.
This is especially evident in the 1960’s because there was a deep-rooted sense
of religion. Also, with this approach Dr. King adds a wholesome appeal to his
speech. By using religion he isn’t ranting, but rather preaching. His words
and his passion seem as though God guides them. The religious factor also
appears to add importance to his speech. Both of these men base their religious
backgrounds for each of their social beliefs and the paths they have chosen in
life. They portray these aspirations through the quotes they use. Mr. Feuerstein
say’s, “ In a situation where there is no righteous person, try to be a
righteous person.” He means when there is a situation like his where hope
seems lost you should never lose faith. That you should be the person to step
forward and take responsibility. Dr. King states, “ With his faith we will be
able to hew out of the Mountain of despair a stone of hope.” This reiterates
the point being made by Mr. Feuerstein. Both of these men inspire hope for a
better life and use scripture and their faith in order to prove this. Dr.
King’s vision is of a day where a person isn’t judged based on the color of
their skin or on their religious beliefs, but on who they are inside. We, as a
society, have come a long way since Dr. King’s day. Today black and white
people attend the same schools, black people are able to obtain the same jobs as
white people, and some hold positions in the United States Government. On the
other hand some privately owned golf courses are still white only, many black
people are at a disadvantage in the work place, and black people are greatly
outnumbered in our government. As you can see great progress has been made, but
the fight towards equality is not over. I can not cite a specific example of an
issue I would demonstrate in a public way. I can say that I would stand for
anything that that I truly believed in. I would also partially base my decision
on whether or not this issue affected me personally. This may seem a little
pretentious, but let me explain. Elephants are being hunted everyday for their
ivory tusks. There is no question that this is wrong. There is also no chance of
me going out and joining the fight against these hunters. It is not based on the
fact of whether or not it is right or wrong. It is based on the fact that I
don’t care enough to stop it. I have interests in both history and morality.
History allows us to reflect on the past to learn for the future. Morality is
something I personally hold close. I have always been the type of person that
does what is morally correct. I rarely lie, I don’t steal, I don’t cheat, I
never go behind the back of a friend, and I have always been faithful to every
girl I have ever been with. I don’t think of any of these as ever being
difficult choices. I believe the type of person you are morally is a direct
reflection of your upbringing. The views of the American Dream shared by both of
these men are not quite the same. Dr. King’s dream is to one-day not see any
racial boundaries set upon any man or woman. To see a time when black people and
white people are not seen as black people and white people, but only as people.
Mr. Feuerstein’s believes the American Dream is not to trade profit for his
workers. He understands that downsizing and decreasing his wages is not the way
to conduct business. These ideals may appear different, but the both contain the
same vision of people being treated fairly. The person I admire the most in my
life would be, without question, my mother. She is the kindest and sweetest soul
I have ever met. They say a mother would go to the ends of the world for her
children. If this statement is true then my mother would go twice. She spent
most of her life being a full time mom raising eight children and then she would
work the graveyard shift at work. She wouldn’t complain and she wouldn’t
break. She kept on doing what needed to be done. My mother is the emotional
backbone in my family. If anyone ever has a problem in the family she is the
first person to talk to. I owe my life to her. Everything I am today is because
of what she has instilled in me. She is my inspiration and my role model.