INSPIRE
What is a body without inspiration?
Art and Travel
“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” ― Vincent van Gogh
Books, Essays, Letters
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Being and Time – Martin Heidegger
Against Debt and Usury – Plutarch
Live Music
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” ― Aldous Huxley
Speeches and Interviews
“Oratory is the masterful art. Poetry, painting, music, sculpture, architecture please, thrill, inspire – but oratory rules. The orator dominates those who hear him, convinces their reason, controls their judgment, compels their action. For the time being, he is master.” ― David Josiah Brewer
Unfortunately with the mass adoption of electronic text communication over the last century, there has been a massive drop off in oratory skills and orators. At the same time, with the advent of recording devices, we were able to preserve some great audio and video recordings of great speeches for the first time in world history. Below I have included recordings from MLK and Malcolm X, both Civil Rights Leaders, who had tremendous oratory skills and exerted more influence than even presidents. I have also included speeches by JFK and others.
Martin Luther King Jr – Considered one of the greatest Civil Rights Leaders of the 20th Century, many are familiar with his 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. However, I believe his 1967-1968 speeches and sermons contain much more substance, but are not mainstream because he became disillusioned and broke with LBJ and the Democratic party after helping them defeat Barry Goldwater and the Republicans. MLK became their staunchest, most high profile, and most vocal opponent since Malcolm X, even proceeding to create the Poor People’s Campaign that would march on Washington DC in May 1968, but he was killed one month before he could do so.
My Other Recommendations
- 1967 – “Casualties of the Vietnam War”
- 1967 – “Beyond Vietnam”
- 1967 – “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam”
- 1967 – “My Dream Has Turned Into a Nightmare” – NBC Interview
- 1967 – “But If Not”
- 1967 – “Why Jesus Called Man A Fool”
- 1967 – “A Knock at Midnight”
- 1968 – “The Drum Major Instinct”
- 1968 – “The Other America”
- 1968 – “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
Malcolm X –Another top Civil Rights Leader of the 20th Century, many are familiar with Malcolm X’s speech early in his career when he was with the Nation of Islam, but few are familiar with his speeches after he left the Nation. Like MLK, Malcolm X is misunderstood in a different way as the media portrays him only as an uncompromising militant based on his earlier years, like they portray MLK as optimistic and hopeful. I would say as time went on, Malcolm X became more like MLK and MLK became more like Malcolm X. When they both struck the right balance with their audiences and the general public, they were assassinated.
My Other Recommendations
- 1963 – “Message to the Grassroots”
- 1963 – City Desk Interview
- 1964 –”The Black Revolution”
- 1964 – “By Any Means Necessary”
- 1964 – Oxford Union Debate
- 1965 – “Prospects for Freedom”
- 1965 – Front Page Challenge
- 1965 – “The Last Message”
- 1965 – Stan Bernard Interview
Other –A general collection of interesting speeches and interviews.
