60 years later, India’s spiritual influence on MLK is still ignored in America
Blacks integrating into sports wasn’t quite the dream MLK had envisioned; in fact, it’s shallow regarding spiritual standards. Yet the NBA will still virtue signal to MLK for high viewership. This is why I’m still offended by MLK day as a “black man”. Let me be very clear, this issue is bigger than race as crime and respect for others are simultaneously reaching record highs and lows, respectively. It’s time people dive deep into what inspired MLK to be courageously non-violent and what Christians and other religious followers should learn. 60 years later, India’s spiritual influence on MLK is still ignored in America.
On a trip to the Land of Gandhi, MLK felt that America Should invest in a spiritual brotherhood in India. Investing without national selfishness is unheard of in America. Because America is or was a Christian nation, it is easy to associate King with the religion and the vision of how the country should be. However, before America, India was the world leader in religious freedom. Vedanta, a sect of Hinduism accepts all religions as one. Surely this is what inspired MLK on his trip.
India’s spiritual influence on MLK is not only seen through his stubborn stance on nonviolence but the true love and acceptance of even his enemy. While Christians believe that Jesus taught his followers to “turn the other cheek”, racism didn’t turn the other cheek on people of color. MLK didn’t have much spiritual depth of evidence of Christians turning the other cheek to violent racism. However, in India;
We were looked upon as brothers with the color of our skins as something of an asset. But the strongest bond of fraternity was the common cause of minority and colonial peoples in America, Africa and Asia struggling to throw off racialism and imperialism
We got a good press throughout our stay. Thanks to the Indian papers, the Montgomery bus boycott was already well known in that country. Indian publications perhaps gave a better continuity of our 381-day bus strike than did most of our papers in the United States
I left India more convinced than ever before that non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.10Â It was a marvelous thing to see the amazing results of a non-violent campaign. The aftermath of hatred and bitterness that usually follows a violent campaign was found nowhere in India.
MLK while vising India
In conclusion, when King went to India, he didn’t see a shithole of a country with a different faith or people. He saw a spiritual brotherhood of people that accepted him with open arms more than his homeland. Racial tolerance should teach religious tolerance and vice versa. When we look at the current division of faiths, gender, and ideology today, is this what MLK envisioned while he was in India? Or was MLK thinking about professional sports players Integrating minority players?