Extemporaneous musings, occasionally poetic, about life in its richly varied dimensions, especially as relates to history, theology, law, literature, science, by one who is an attorney, ordained minister, historian, writer, and African American.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
COLLOQUY
COLLOQUY ABOUT OUR OWN AMERICAN "PHILOSOPHER KING"
"Dr. King taught philosophy at Morehouse College. I was in his social ethics class.
"Great affirming information, Tom Southern, What was he like as a philosophy professor?
"He was our teacher while yet a brother. Teaching interrupted by many jailings. Julian Bond was in the class and we were all actively involved in the movement. Learning took place outside the walls of the classroom. I am now an old foot soldier and thankful I've made it thus far.
"I am overwhelmed, overjoyed by your witness and testimony, brother Tom Southern! What a mighty God we serve! You are a blessing!"
The above colloquy between a Facebook friend and me confirmed my earlier conviction and post that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was really a "philosopher," Indeed, he was our "Philosopher King" as another FB friend reminded me, evoking Plato's "Republic".
Greek philosopher Plato's classic, was required reading in Dr. Samuel Yette's journalism class at Howard University in the 1970s for us students. The "Philosopher King" quip came from a Bison brother, Cook Hall mate, FB friend, named Edgar Williams. Of course both Tom Southern quoted above and Dr King are both Morehouse men.
Add it all up, there are inferences to be drawn from this by those with "ears to hear, minds to think and hearts to believe" thus says the Lord.
One such inference is philosophy has value and utility in American life, as in ancient life; as does history have like value, with spiritual orientation towards God.
For it is, at least, arguable that the philosophy of Jesus Christ was a sacerdotal refinement of that of ancient pharaohs' scribes, priests, astronomers'. He came after them and in the context of his own syntax derived "Be you perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect" and the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5 in the Bible.
These holy teachings our enslaved ancestors intuited in the context of their own lives. Thereby, they not merely survived but thrived to be able to produce us as witnesses, as testimonies, to the power of divine philosophy in righteous minds, who already know that God is in power!