Blogging My Mistake
Blinq: A lot of us on Twitter and Facebook yesterday saw a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that fit the current situation perfectly -- too perfectly, as Annette John-Hall learned.
One of the useful things about writing a blog is that you can use it however you see fit: as a journal, a forum -- or as a confessional.
As I was writing my column on the death of Osama bin Laden Monday, I came across a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that fit perfectly.
Too perfectly, I soon learned.
I like to think that I'm a responsible journalist. I picked up the quote because I could have sworn I read it before. I also sit in church every Sunday and hear lots of ministers preach. And I would have bet my quickly dwindling pension that I've heard the quote used in the pulpit by said preachers.
Turns out I've heard only part of it used.
Here's the accurate quote, preached by Dr. King in his "Love Your Enemies" sermon from his 1963 book, Strength to Love:
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."
To read more of Dr. King's sermons, speeches and papers, click here. To read how the confusion happened, click here.