Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered as one of the greatest civil rights leaders and activists. I find him to be one of the most remarkable conscious leaders in history. His work and words continue to inspire and motivate many to challenge the status quo and create a better world for all. As an enlightened individual, he underscored the importance of transforming oneself first to be able to then transform the world.
Over the years, I have run into many of MLK's quotes that carried ideas, thoughts and principles that will forever resonate with our collective consciousness as a human society. In fact, his words that described his personal experience of life's wins and losses reflect a visceral knowledge and deep understanding of the human consciousness and what it would take to make a difference on the individual and collective levels.
I am struck by how easily we can explain iPEC Coaching's 7 Levels of Energy that are depicted in the Energetic Self-Perception Chart and measured in the Energy Leadership Index Assessment (ELI), through MLK's words. These 7 Levels of Energy are also known as the seven levels of the human consciousness that reflect the seven different ways we judge ourselves and the world. They are seven different attitudes we could have toward what we are personally experiencing and how we interpret what the world is experiencing. Leading our consciousness from Levels 1 & 2 keeps us stuck in the status quo. Level 3 is the doorway into freedom and living from higher levels of consciousness, while Levels 4, 5, 6 and 7, are living consciously. Those who have taken the ELI Assessment will easily relate to this, and those who might be intrigued, I invite you to check the image below of the 7 Levels and read more about this on my website.
The 7 Levels of Energy or consciousness can be easily explained through MLK's words. To honor his memory as one of the most inspirational and motivational conscious leaders, I am outlining below some of his quotes as they correspond to each of the 7 Levels:
Level 1: The Level of Apathy
"Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about things that matter."
Level 2: The Level of Struggle
"Freedom is never given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed."
Level 3: The Level of Forgiveness
"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies."
Level 4: The Level of Service
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?”
Level 5: The Level of Opportunity and Win-Win
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
Level 6: The Level of Oneness; Moving Beyond the “I” to the “We”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Level 7: The Level of Freedom
“Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty we are free at last.”
Energetic Self-Perception Chart