From the steps of the Lincoln memorial Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I have a Dream Speech”.
I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
Martin Luther King Jr.
Two years later on March 25th 1965 in Montgomery Alabama Martin Luther King Jr. looked out at the crowd from the steps of the capital building and gave his “Our God is Marching on speech”.
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above his own.
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. lived in violent times and died violently. If Martin Luther King Jr. were not assassinated and he were still alive today he would be 93 years old, however chances are high that he would not be alive today. The Life expectancy for African American males in the United States is 68 years old (white males in the United States have a life expectancy of 77 years). It seems that violence is still with us and it can feel like it will be with us always but, I can imagine and hope for a time when violence is not a dominant human trait. Why can I do this? I can do this because of data and science.
We are living in one of the most peaceful times in the history of the earth. Recorded human history of the earth. I know that it doesn’t feel peaceful, and I agree that it is still far to violent on the earth, Russia just invaded the Ukraine and the continent of Africa feels like it is always in a state of violent political upheaval, however the numbers show that violence is decreasing
Violence has been in decline over long stretches of time, and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species’ existence.
Steven Pinker
There is a theory among evolutionary biologist and it is called Self Domestication. To make a long theory short and put it in laymen’s terms, self domestication among humans purposes that large societies and communities domesticate the species through capital punishment or exile of the violent members of the species. As humans evolve to become less violent we notice physical changes, smaller teeth, less dense bones, more reproductive cells and smaller hearts. So the science is growing and still learning but right now it looks like humanity is becoming domesticated and far less violent.
I can believe and hope for a more peaceful future because of science and date. I will always hope for and work towards a more peaceful future because I cannot imagine living any other way. I refuse to give up on the idea that humanity can do better.
The Corrigan Encore 