Dr. Martin Luther King and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Dr. Martin Luther King and Arnold Schwarzenegger

In the long history of civilization, few individuals have possessed such qualities of leadership to impact its course in a manner that has transcended time. This is the case of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose life struggle was mainly devoted for the liberation of others like him. He depicted these visions of justice and equality, as his "life's Dream". In contrast, there are those individuals whose unique story of personal success, can serve more as a testament of our times. Individualism, wealth and the insatiable pursuance of fame. These were the main goals that drove Arnold Schwarzenegger through personal sacrifices and very hard work in order to capture one day his own visions of a "Dream life" in the United States of America.

While exploring the lives of these two individuals; one a historic icon of human struggle, and the other a celebrity of our time's pop culture, we will have the opportunity to observe their stark differences while at the same time appreciating some of their similarities.

Dr. martin luther king Jr. was born in Atlanta Georgia during the times of the great depression. His father served as a baptist pastor, thus, from early childhood, his life was defined by the realities of segregation, harsh economic times and God. One could infer, that these experiences, most have probably, seeded in his consciousness the values of spiritual strength. These principals, would have served as a means for personal survival. Later in life, those same principals provided the model for the non violent defiance to injustice, during the movement of the Civil Rights in the United States for which he is remembered today. In the other hand; Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in the small town of Thal, Austria. His father was a member of the german army and the nazi party, and as a child, also experience challenges in the form of not been the favor son in a household with economic hardships. As Arnold envisioned his future with a life of plenty, and success; born from the desire to improve upon his own family's humble beginnings, Dr. king's vision of his life was rather drawn from the contemplation of him self as the servant to strangers around him and the community; driven by a desire to just simply improve their lives.

One of the most evident differences between these two men is their ethnicity, which played a profound role in their ideological development as it did their early upbringings. Arnold's ethnic roots is that of eastern european, while Dr. king was African American. These aspect offers insights for their stark different views of the world around them. While Arnold saw him self as a sports figure and celebrity, he recognized this as his way out. His ethnic background would have been an asset for this purpose, while Dr king's african roots was an impediment in general. These reality took each men's lives in different paths that lead them to essentially opposite ideological perspectives. It is palpable the influence of Arnold's father with his political affiliation to the Republican party and his views of conservatism and exclusivity as core premisses for capitalism and opportunity. Dr. king's own experience as a member of a minority group, which inherently brought economical, social, and political disadvantages, was more in affinity with the Democratic party. The reality of their respective ethnicity, heavily influenced decisions each man contemplated. Based on the fact that race would play a significant role for their chances of success, Dr. king's options were profoundly more limited as a black man in the South of the 1950s and 60s. While Arnold's athletic and scandinavian looks, offer more the accepted image of what an American supposed to look like in the 1970s and 80s. As one man saw his physical attributes as his ticket to the American Dream, the other realized early on, that rather the content of his character would carry him just nearer to that same Dream.

These determinations offered each man a more clear understanding for their place in the world. Arnold Schwarzenegger experience great popularity as a very successful athlete in the modality of body building. He obtained the title of Mr. universe for a record of five times. This accomplishment would facilitate his transition to a movie