"This is the message of the great Buddhist leaders of Vietnam. Recently one of them wrote these words, and I quote, 'Each day the war goes on, the hatred increases in the heart of the Vietnamese and in the hearts of those humanitarian instinct. The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism...'
"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time...
"We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: 'Too late.' There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Kayam is right: 'The moving finger writes, and having written moves on.' "We still have a choice today: non-violent coexistence or violent co-annihilation... [Said another way: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." --Ed.]
"We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight."
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam,"
Riverside Church, New York, April 4, 1967
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