Martin Luther King, Jr: A Tough Mind And A Tender Heart
Selected Excerpts
“A French philosopher said, “No man is strong unless he bears within his character antitheses strongly marked.” The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites. Not ordinarily do men achieve this balance of opposites. The idealists are not usually realistic, and the realists are not usually idealistic. The militant are not generally known to be passive, nor the passive to be militant. Seldom are the humble self-assertive, or the self-assertive humble. But life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony. The philosopher Hegel said that truth is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in an emergent synthesis that reconciles the two.
“Jesus recognized the need for blending opposites. He knew that his disciples would face a difficult and hostile world, where they would confront the recalcitrance of political officials and the intransigence of the protectors of the old order. He knew that they would meet cold and arrogant men whose hearts had been hardened by the long winter of traditionalism. So he said to them, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the mist of wolves.” And he gave them a formula for action, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” It is pretty difficult to imagine a single person having, simultaneously, the characteristics of the serpent and the dove, but this is what Jesus expects. We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.”
Full Text
Discussion Questions
In his sermon, Dr. King calls for a “creative synthesis of love and injustice.” He writes, “We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.” How can we apply the wisdom of a tough mind and tender heart as we seek to dismantle racism in medicine and beyond?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
"The hardhearted individual never sees people as people, but rather as mere objects or as impersonal cogs in an ever-turning wheel. In the vast wheel of industry, he sees men as hands." We will not impact systemic racism without appreciating each individual person's dignity. Dr. King captures so beautifully that we must stand firm in our convictions, but always begin with love for our neighbor. People are not a means to an end, but must be treasured, appreciated, and served due to their dignity as human persons.” — @Ndouthit
“For me, "tough mind" means having the wherewithal to stand up for what's right, even if it goes against the status quo, even - & especially - if it means unlearning what we've been taught. Maybe the hardest work is the decolonization of our own minds” — @gumbo_amando
“The word "compassion" comes from the Latin meaning to suffer together. We cannot really know each other's suffering, so maybe the goal of medicine might be to treat a person with both intellectual and emotional understanding.” — @AMLeahy
“We fight hard for the sick and disabled with a tough mind, whether it's in terms of health policy issues or treatment inequalities, while holding their suffering tenderly in our hearts. We manage our frustrations by being an effective voice for patients.” — @AnandhiNarasimh
About this #MedHumChat
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon, “A Tough Mind And A Tender Heart” was paired with Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” and Sriram Shamasunder’s personal essay, “Racism and the Off-Duty Doctor” for a #MedHumChat discussion on January 16, 2019 exploring Racism & Medicine.
We were honored to be joined by special guest Dr. Utibe R. Essien (@UREssien), an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, practicing general internist, and health services researcher with a focus on racial/ethnic health disparities. You can learn more about him here.
The pieces for this chat, along with the discussion questions, were selected by Colleen Farrell.
About the Author
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was an American Baptist minister and a leading activist in the civil rights movement.