On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and gave a 17 minute speech which has since become one of the most recognized speeches in American (and even World) history and literature."I have a dream ... where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
One of the remote roads which many people are still fearful to travel are those roads which carry them into interaction with people of other cultures and backgrounds. There are a multitude of problems with allowing this fear to have a strong control in our lives. For starters, our current geo-political and geo-economic conditions demand that we interact with people from all over the world. If we don't truly understand other people then our ability to legitimately interact with them is significantly limited. To allow our prejudices and other preconceived notions about "others" to limit or prevent our interaction and cooperation with others is, at best, misguided and, at worst, immoral.
One of my great joys throughout traveling has been the ability to get to know people from a variety of backgrounds. It gives me such a great sense of awe to look into another person's eyes and see the grand diversity which God has created. We are all His people and are, thus, worthy of respect.
Martin Luther King may have been giving a speech regarding civil rights issues within the U.S., but his words should inspire a greater dream within each of us. A dream which can only be fulfilled when we roam the roads of lands remote and open ourselves to greater cultural interaction (those "remote" roads might simply be a few blocks from our own homes).
Your words are very true...his dream opened up opportunities and hope for everyone.
ReplyDeletehttp://mamawolfe-living.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-martin-luther-king-jr-means-to-me.html
Prior to "the Dream" speech his philosophies influenced a teacher here in OKC. Clara Luper led a group of NAACP Youth Council kids in sit-ins at Katz Drug Store in OKC which resulted in change to their service policies at all stores within a 5 state radius. Unfortunately their efforts often get over shadowed by the prominance of the Greensboro sit-ins from 2 years later. Anyhow, his legacy has a direct impact during his own lifetime within my home community!
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