Dr Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Speech
Dr Martin Luther King Jr shared his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech in Washington in 1963.
Today, people everywhere can quote the ‘I have a dream’ bit, but what about the rest of the speech?
Where does the United States of America stand today?
Dr King wasn’t widely popular back in the 1960’s, and yet today, all sides of politics are happy to use his name, and his speech, for their own ends.
Are equality, freedom, equal opportunity and brotherhood just words, or do we mean what we say when we say them?
I’m not bashing the US here by the way, because the exact same questions can be asked of Australia, where I live, and of any of other the western democracies as well.
Governments can legislate equal opportunity, with some degree of success, but is that really equality?
Change isn’t change, until it’s changed!
While governments legislate, it takes a change of heart for people to change, and to embrace each other as equals!
And what of freedom, and democracy? How much of our freedom are we giving up for “security”, and is it worth the price?
Dr King lost his life in his quest for change, for a better world! What are we getting for the price we’re paying today?
Today is a great day to sit and listen to Dr King’s speech in it’s entirety, where ever we live, and to listen to the heart and passion of the man.
Perhaps that is what we lack today – passion, and the commitment that goes with it!
I hope that this inspires us all!
I have to confess I am 35 years old, and I have never heard his whole speech all the way through. Each generation of kids seems to be getting farther and farther away from hearing his message, and that cannot be good for the future.
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Unfortunately, that is the same of a lot of things and is a part of the busyness of life.
The same can be said of a lot of speeches and historical events. Most people can remember a line or two out of Winston Churchill’s speeches, but not in the full context.
The shame is that unless we learn from the past, we will indeed make the same mistakes in the future….
Cheers