Fear begets mistrust. Mistrust begets divisiveness. Divisiveness begets tribalism. Tribalism begets hatred. Hatred begets violence. Violence begets more violence until we are completely destroyed. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, spoke frequently about the cycles of violence, but the quote that most resonated with me today in the wake of Wednesday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk was this:
Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” – MLK, Jr.
Wednesday’s horrific event is not the first act of political violence this year; it is a continuation of the ongoing “descending spiral” of violent self-destruction that can be traced back centuries. South Carolina Senator David Ramsay was killed by an assassin on May 6, 1815. Every decade since, Presidents, members of congress, governors, state legislators, judges, and political leaders have been killed. The years leading up to and the decade after the Civil War were particularly violent. The 1960s were also extremely violent including the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King. The past 15 years, we have seen a similar uptick in violence. Over the years, victims of violence have been Republicans AND Democrats and the perpetrators of violence have also represented the full spectrum of political parties and ideologies. Analysis of the data suggests that political polarization increases political violence. We are living in polarizing and dangerous times. And political violence will plunge us into what Martin Luther King called “the dark abyss of annihilation” unless…
- . …unless, we move the needle the opposite direction through honest self-reflection, deep contrition and real repentance.
- …unless we set our feet on the path of mutual confession and mutual healing.
- …unless we shift toward humility and away from arrogant certainty, finger-pointing, and speculation that leads to escalation.
- …unless we recognize our shared humanity and choose mercy and love over pursuit of power.
- …unless we who claim to “love God” and “love our neighbor” (including our perceived and real ‘enemies’) actually model it through acts of justice, solidarity, compassion and service.
The climb up from the descending spiral begins today with unified outrage that a 31-year-old husband and father was killed while exercising his right to free speech. This should be a time for all of us to grieve with those who grieve–especially with his widow and children–and express our rejection of violent acts and vitriolic speech and our commitment to civil discourse and common decency.
We stand at a precipice. We must turn away from violence or we will destroy one another. Choose love today.
Tongue on Fire 