Where do we see true courage: among the fabled warriors of ancient Sparta, or in Martin Luther King?
Ancient Spartans were brought up to make
their “superiors” proud, even if that meant their being expected to pledge themselves to a violent culture - seen, domestically, in their systematic persecution of an entire people, the Helots.
For Martin Luther King, however, compliance with rules, cultures and “superiors” does not equate with courage.
Not willing to see "going with the herd" as the limit of his ambition, Martin Luther King reached for what unites all of us. Typical of the universal nature of his advice is this; “Courage faces fear and thereby masters it.”
For Martin Luther King, we won't get anywhere if we don't take responsibility and ownership of ourselves, so that we reclaim the human space from the likes of fear - and cowardice.
In other words, we cannot afford to be blindly passive, but must stand up for who we really are - as loving, creative human beings responsible for building our own, personal standards and sense of justice.
That way, unlike the army recruits of ancient Sparta, we will refuse to stand up to brutes like excessive pride, coldness of heart, and being cruel. And, like Martin Luther King, we will pledge to courage true.