May 22, 2010

Those Who Mold

What has been put asunder shall again be whole
At every waking moment an act which defies man's great status is committed.
These acts occur at every level of reality from the low de!ths of one's soul where evil
inclinations arise to the high altitudes where the "develo!ed world's# $om$s descend onto
innocent civilians in Afghanistan and other war%torn !arts of the Third World. &f one leaves
their cy$er%life on 'ace$ook and walks outside with o!en eyes, o!ens a $ook, or reads a
news!a!er this will all $e utterly a!!arent.
(n the other hand there are those who mold)the thinkers and activists who feel
em!athy, mercy for those who suffer or e*!erience suffering directly. 'ew and far in
$etween, they struggle and challenge the status +uo. They seek to "reveal and e*!ose the
underlying causes of the wreckage !iling# at mankind's feet)wreckage created $y all of us
as a human community.
And then there are the so called and self !roclaimed "moderates#. Those who say
they are in solidarity with "the cause# $ut then denounce the vanguards of activism when
they !ush the $oundaries. They +uickly !olari,e the world into moderates and e*tremists.
They often flinch when any little $it of hardshi! ni!s at their toes. This e*!oses their li!%
service to !rinci!les. Martin -uther .ing /r. wrote a$out these individuals that e*isted
during the 0ivil 1ights Movement in his famous letter from a 2ail cell in 3irmingham
& have almost reached the regretta$le conclusion that the 4egro's great stum$ling $lock in his
stride toward freedom is not the White 0iti,en's 0ounciler or the .u .lu* .lanner, $ut the white
moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice5 who prefers a negative peace
which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice5 who
constantly says 6& agree with you in the goal you seek, $ut & cannot agree with your methods of
May 22, 2010
direct action65 who !aternalistically $elieves he can set the timeta$le for another man's freedom5
who lives $y a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the 4egro to wait for a
6more convenient season.6
1

The moderate is harder to distinguish from the forces that clearly create in2ustice
$ut often 7s8he holds $ack change with no motive other than selfishness. These moderates
are not the individuals who slow down or sto! to think and analy,e a movement or an issue
and who want to theori,e a new foundation and solution for change5 they are !eo!le who
!ay li!%service while simultaneously !lacing a yoke on active movement.
M-. further ela$orates on the mythology of the moderate
& had also ho!ed that the white moderate would re2ect the myth concerning time in relation
to the struggle for freedom. & have 2ust received a letter from a white $rother in Te*as. 9e writes
6All 0hristians know that the colored !eo!le will receive e+ual rights eventually, $ut it is !ossi$le
that you are in too great a religious hurry. &t has taken 0hristianity almost two thousand years to
accom!lish what it has. The teachings of 0hrist take time to come to earth.6 :uch an attitude stems
from a tragic misconce!tion of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is
something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is
neutral5 it can $e used either destructively or constructively.
2
.ing here retorts that some !eo!le $elieve time will cure everything $ut time does
not cure illness, medication does5 time does not esta$lish 2ustice, struggle and effort do.
Are we movers and shakers or are we $eing shaken $y dominant !owers and
ideologies; Are we active or !assive; Worse, are we those moderates who live out our
!recious lives in +uarter million dollar mansions and !retend that that is !etty cash; Are we
those moderates who as!ire to $uy a new 3MW or a -e*us :<= for our s!ouses so that we
can caddy our children to !rivate schools in style; Are we those moderates who s!end
thousands of dollars and years of our lives studying sciences and humanities without ever
thinking a$out who we are, why we study and what the !oint of it all is;
1
htt!>>www.africa.u!enn.edu>Articles?@en>-etter?3irmingham.html
2
Ibid
May 22, 2010
Who gave us these values; &s that really what we are here for; &s that all;
A teenage Aalestinian said
"& am a !erson who refuses to live with indignity or to see his $rother $eing killed, and 2ust
to stand aloof...& refuse also the demolition of !eo!le's homes. & refuse to stand aloof. We have
$oth integrity and courage. These are ordinary +ualities in an ordinary !erson. & do not consider it
e*ce!tional to have these +ualities. Bveryone should have these ordinary +ualities.#
Muslim scholars and mystics have taught us that to see one's life fulfilled in !hysical
!leasures is to live the life of cattle and $easts. Aerha!s our values are askew. -et us $e at the
forefront of redefining man as a holistic creature that uses intellect and effort to deconstruct
infected values and construct a new, 2ust !aradigm for life. -et us also $e those who recogni,e
when we are o!!ressed and when we o!!ress ourselves. -et us $e those who mold.
&f we do not recogni,e when man has shattered himself and others5 if we do not struggle
to !ut the !ieces together and esta$lish 2ustice then we have failed.
Cur'an D1EF O you who have faith! Be maintainers of justice and witnesses for the sake of
llah! even if it should be against yourselves or "your# parents and near relatives! and whether it
be "someone# rich or poor! for llah has a greater right over them$ %o do not follow "your#
desires! lest you should be unfair! and if you distort "the testimony# or disregard "it#! llah is
indeed well aware of what you do$