MLK Jr.: A great man in his words

Editor’s note: A version of this editorial has appeared previously in The Daily News.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was a figure who fought for freedom for all Americans. His message, in his own words, is as timely today as it was when he died in 1968.

King’s message was this:

• In an age of violence, we need peace.

“I’ve seen too much hatred to want to hate. ... We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the capacity to forgive is devoid of the power of love ... Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

• In an age of discrimination, we need the peaceful — but insistent — pursuit of justice.

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.”

• In an age of indifference and greed, we need to care for our fellow man.

“We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity. ... As long as there is poverty in the world, I can never be rich — even if I have a billion dollars.”

• In an age of increasing pessimism about the state of racial relations, we need hope.

“Our cultural patterns are an amalgam of black and white. Our destinies are tied together. ... Somewhere along the way the two must join together. Black and white together, we shall overcome, and I still believe it.”