50 years ago Martin Luther King, Jr delivered a speech in Washington, DC to a crowd of 250,000 people. The script he held in his hand as he approached the podium was only partially read when he changed it to reflect his own awakening, and perhaps with some divine intervention, discarded the inauthentic rhetoric to replace it with his heart and soul and guts. What was heard was:
“I HAVE A DREAM…”
The rest is history.
Quite the risky move, right? He chose to speak with the people instead of “at” them. There is much we can learn from him, even though 50 years have passed, his lessons remain potent. He listened to his heart. He listened to his truth. He acted on the echo from the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson who yelled at him: “Tell them about the dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!” He listened to the part of him who knew that he had only this moment in time to touch the people and touch a nation.
Dreams. We all have them. Sometimes we keep the dream as a picture that never gets complete. Sometimes we paint half of the picture and only part of the dream comes to fruition. Sometimes, we listen to ourselves and know that we must take the picture of the dream and turn it into a reality. The dream that turns into a reality is powerful.
We have many “nations” that we carry within us. We have the nation of our being. We have the nation of our family and friends. We have the nation that we live in. How do you move a dream into your nation of being?
Martin Luther King spoke of the dream for equality, peace and fairness for men and women from all races and socio-economic backgrounds. Does this dream filter into the way we live our lives? Does it begin at home? If we cannot find a way to fulfill the dream of inner peace, balance in the home and equality in our relationships then how can we expect to achieve it on a grander scale?
You need to be able to picture the dream to make it real.
Do you have a dream? Are you willing to step up and look at who you are? Do you dare to understand how you are responsible for inhibiting the fulfillment of dreams?
It starts at home and it starts with you.
Martin Luther King had a dream. He had a dream that pictured equality for people of color in a white nation. He had a dream that slavery and sadism finally stopped.
If you experience any of the pain and suffering that Dr. King spoke about then isn’t it time to tap into the courage to do your life differently. Can you see that even while on a perceived precipice there is a path that leads you off of the ledge and onto solid ground. When you are grounded you have a greater chance of taking the risk and making the dream a reality.
Don’t let a day pass without starting the dialogue that honors your truth, that pursues the fear that inhibits you from making your dream come alive.
Take it from one man who spoke to a nation about his dream for change. He dared to do it differently- in peace, in honor and in truth.
