MLK Quote Darkness/Light/Hate/Love

A famous quote by Martin Luther King, which can be found in his 1963 book “Strength to Love,”  (© 1983 Coretta Scott King, Beacon Press Books) reads as follows:

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies—or else? The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”

The important part of this quote is this: ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.‘

Our initial reaction to a challenge is to hit back even harder at that level, to fight ‘fire with fire’, in spite of the fact that success at this level is obviously only temporary. Was King saying that only by stepping out of our reaction, and moving to a higher level, only then can we achieve a lasting peace for both?