Political Gumbo: Live the Dream

Today marks the celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, probably the most visible of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

Of course hundreds of other people fought for the dream of equality for Black people, but King stood out thanks in large part to his convictions on nonviolence and his unwavering convictions in the face of vitriol and hate.

Yes, at one point he did apply for a permit to carry a gun and was rejected. 

But later he seemed to consider that a bad move. 

Of course, his “I Have a Dream” speech is his most famous oratory moment.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of that character. I have a dream today.”

Those words will be played and replayed across the world today and rightfully so.

King’s dream of a united society continues. 

Sadly challenges abound. 

Racism still plagues our society. 

Far too many young people pick up guns instead of books, and addictions to prescription drugs have reached an all time high.

People have more information at their hands than ever before and yet, ignorance is on the rise. 

Far too many people see every person who holds an opposite position as a corrupt devil. 

They can’t wait to kill the messenger or attack anyone that questions them.

In their hunt for monsters, far too many become the very quarry they seek to stop. 

Nietzche’s worst nightmare come true. 

But hey we all subscribe to the dream, right?

The Jan. 6 mob surely would have claimed they were attempting to unite society and it was the other side that was wrong.

 “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

I love that one. If you are shackled by addiction, hate, violence or you feel stuck, take a step forward.  

The Dream is about freedom and those things are the shackles of modern day slavery. 

Improve yourself.

Every one of us has the potential to overcome hate and racism and embrace our fellow man. 

MLK also said, “nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Every person can fall to darkness, but we also have unlimited potential for good.

We have that content of character. 

Keep going. 

Push back against hate, haters and vitriol.

The value of the dream lies in what we do when we are awake.

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plain of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy, which has engulfed the Negro community, must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize their destiny is tied up in our destiny.”

Come together.