The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul. We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. The privileged have a responsibility to do what they know is right. Those who do nothing while witnessing injustice and wrong-doing do worse than those who commit acts of injustice. One pattern that I have found is his clarity in speaking out on complacency and inaction. On this anniversary of the March On Washington for civil rights, I have been looking for some choice quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.
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